Onion Like a Pro

How to master onions quickly and without unnecessary tears.

It sounds like a trivial thing, but let's admit how many times we've battled with cutting onions in the kitchen? In the end, we've cried over that annoying task because the darn thing also stings our eyes. Onions need to be cut quickly and preferably into even pieces.

Onion is worth its weight in gold

Sautéed in oil or in a roux, onion is the foundation of Czech cuisine. Few sauces can do without it, and even when grilling, it gives meat that perfect flavor. If we're not slicing it into rings or wedges for salads, we usually want it nicely minced. While we could achieve small pieces by chopping with a knife for a long time like a samurai, this way the onion loses valuable juices. They contain lots of vitamins, carry the flavor, and moreover - when released, they start causing mischief in our eyes. So it's better to learn a simple technique to cut onions quickly and evenly.

Before cutting:

• Prepare a sufficiently large knife and cutting board - fiddling with an onion on a small board with a small knife is a waste of effort and definitely won't yield nice cubes.

• Choose a quality knife, preferably with a curved blade - the rocking motion helps with cutting.

• Peel the onion so that the top stem remains.

Note: How to choose the right knife? You can get inspired by our article.

And now the actual cutting:

• Cut the onion lengthwise so that both halves have the stem (the stem will hold the onion together so it doesn't fall apart while cutting).

• Place the half onion cut-side down on the board and use rocking motions to cut from the stem downward.

• If you want small cubes, cut the onion half lengthwise again through the middle.

• Then cut perpendicular to the board toward the stem.

In the end, only the stem remains, which you throw away. The exact process is shown in detail in the attached video. So go for it!