Stop Crying Over Onions: The Chopper That Actually Works

Kitchen Essentials

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The problem

Onions make you cry, and if you’re working with a dull knife or slow technique, you’re standing over the cutting board even longer than you need to be. More time exposed means more tears — and usually an uneven dice to show for it anyway.

Why it happens

Cutting into an onion releases a gas that irritates your eyes — that part’s unavoidable, no gadget stops it entirely. What you can control is how long you’re exposed and how cleanly you’re cutting. A dull blade crushes cells instead of slicing through them, which releases more of that gas, not less. Slow, uneven prep just means more time with your face over the board while it happens.

The fix

1. Chill the onion for 15 minutes before cutting — cold slows how fast the irritating compounds release into the air.
2. Cut with the sharpest blade you have, in one clean motion rather than sawing back and forth — a clean cut ruptures far fewer cells.
3. Leave the root end for last — it holds the highest concentration of the compounds that make you tear up.
4. For a big batch, or if you’d just rather it be over with fast, use a mandoline to get even, thin slices in a fraction of the time a knife takes — less time cutting means less exposure, full stop.

What helps

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