Kitchen Tip: Dicing Onions

I love onions.  I was never really a big vegetable person as a kid (as in anything vegetable related was an absolute no-go), but growing up has significantly expanded my once-extremely-picky palette and now, almost anything with onions and bell peppers is an immediate Yes, Please.

Unfortunately, dicing onions can be a real hassle, especially if your eyes tear up as much as mine do (Did you know that they reason we cry cutting onions is because they chemicals they release creates sulfuric acid in our eyeballs?? Umm ouch.).  Luckily, my mom showed me this little trick that really helps.

First, I try to keep at least one onion in the fridge.  They can obviously be stored at room temperature, but it seems to minimize the crying response when they are being cut when they are cold.

Second, instead of cutting rings and trying to line them up to dice them, slice off one stem (is that what they are?)

Third, carefully cut the onion (almost) all the way in vertical lines.

Wow... that was probably the worst way to describe that process possible... Check out this photo for a (hopefully) more understandable, visual representation of what I mean.

Third, cut horizontally to dice.

As you should be when cutting anything in the kitchen, be very careful.  The structure of the onion will be compromised and may slide.  It may also help to cut off one edge so there is a flat surface to place on the counter.