WHY OH WHY DO ONIONS MAKE ME CRY?
I deal with it though and get puffy eyes anyways because I use onions to cook with often. And I am enjoying raw red onions more and more these days. They are packed with good stuff!
Full of vitamins C and B6, iron, folate, and potassium and most importantly amazing phytochemicals. They are a super food along with garlic! They are an anti-allergic, anti-histaminic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant, rolled into 1 potent smelly ball.
YUMMAY!
So, why do these amazing super veg make your eyes BURN and tear so bad as soon as you cut into them? Well, I learned that when you cut into an onion, you’re breaking open microscopic cells filled with enzymes that turn into volatile gasses when cut. This causes a chemical reaction similar to the chemicals used in tear gas. WOH right? When the fumes reach the eye glands, your eyes begin to create tears trying to dilute and flush the chemical from your eyes. AMAZING FOOD!
I don’t know about you but, but it takes my eyes at the least an hour or more to recover after cutting onions! And really there is nothing I have found that help with the fumes onions produce 100%. But, these small tricks give a tiny bit of relief.
- By using a sharp knife, less of the enzymes are released into the air.
- Cut onions in cold water.
- Cut the root last!! The root has a higher concentration of enzymes.
- Chill or freeze onions. This minimizes the amount of gas released.
- Light a match before you start chopping. The sulfur disables the compounds in onions that make your eyes water.
- Use a food processor.
- Wear kitchen goggles to protect your eyes. (LOL! Yeah right. If you do this, you must send me a picture! :) )
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