Dicing Onions 101

Hi all:

Does anyone have trouble dicing onions properly? I think I have gotten the dicing of the lowly onion down to a science.  It may seem simple enough, but it is amazing how many people can't dice an onion.  I have been cooking since my early teens, so I have diced many an onion in my time.  Here is how  I like to dice them. ( Does anyone else cringe when they see the "expert chefs" on TV dicing an onion by sawing into it sideways? I look away at those moments!)

Here is the primer on Dicing Onions 101:

(**Use caution when cutting onions**)

Make sure you use a cutting board that is NOT MADE OF GLASS! It will not hold onto an onion and the onion just might fly across the room if you try to cut on one.  Use either wood or plastic. It will help to grip the onion slightly.

Cut off the very tip of the pointed end of the onion. ( not the side with the roots)

Flip the onion cut side down and let the roots point upwards.

Hold the onion carefully and cut it in half.

This is how it will look.

Flip the onion again onto the flat cut side.

Cut off the root end and peel off the skin from the onion.

 

See the grooves or lines running along the onion from end to end? Follow those lines and cut along them in very thin strips. Cut the entire half onion this way.

Ok my knife isn't following the lines exactly, but you get the idea. I have done several thin cuts at this point but you can't see them because they are still attached to the onion.

Here you can see the cuts I have made along the grooves/lines in the onion. Keep them stacked up together for the next step.

Turn the onion so that you are now cutting into it at a 90 degree angle from the first cuts. (You will be cutting ACROSS the cuts you just made). This will give you the small diced pieces that you want.  Make sure you hold the onion and the knife really securely in your hands, so that the knife doesn't slip.

Done.  I am sure I could dice a whole bag of onions in less than 5 minutes. (I might be exaggerating somewhat)  This is such a simple method that I always shake my head when I see those experts slicing  onions by holding their knives flat and parallel to the table. I don't get it!!!

Anyways, use caution when using knives to cut onions.

By the way, have you seen those goggles that stop you from crying when cutting onions? You can find them in specialty kitchen stores or the kitchen gadget aisle.  I had that exact idea about 34 years ago when I would don swimming goggles to cut my onions.  Everyone thought I was crazy for slapping those on my head when I cooked and they used to laugh at me, but they worked! It didn't matter that the goggles cast a hideous yellow glow over everything. What mattered was that I did not shed one tear!!  Now, someone is making a fortune selling those "specialty cooking items".  I say, go out and buy yourself a good pair of swimming goggles and use those instead. Who knows; in a pinch they can do double duty for your child's swimming lessons.

Night all.

Rosie