Onions are a universal vegetable. It is added to many of the dishes, it's used in the preparation of meatballs, dumplings, side dishes. It is added to salads and appetizers. You can even make onion jam.
This vegetable is good for everyone - it is delicious and healthy. It's just that the onion peeling process is not the most pleasant activity. This is especially difficult when it is necessary to peel a very large amount of onions or a bunch of tiny onions. Our advice will help you learn how to peel onions quickly, properly and without tears.
Why do we cry when we're cutting onions?
Onions contain volatile sulfur compounds. When the integrity of the cell membrane is disrupted, they begin to actively evaporate into the air. The eye is most sensitive and it immediately reacts to caustic substances and tries to wash them out. That is why it is almost impossible to peel onions without your eyes watering.
How to peel onions step by step
This will make our culinary life easier and much more fun, by simplifing the routine and not so pleasant procedure.
Step 1
To get to work, we need an onion, a knife and a cutting board.
Step 2
Cut off the bottom bit of the onion.
Step 3
Remove the top bit of the onion.
Step 4
Cut the onion in half and place it with the cut part down on a cutting board.
Step 5
Separate the scales by pulling them off - they're extremely easy to separate.
To summarize:
The onion is immediately cut in half, then placed on a cutting board or a flat plate with the cut side down and by removing the top and bottom bits with a knife, remove the scales. Due to the fact that the cut side is pressed down onto the surface, the onion juices do not evaporate and cause your eyes to water.
Dip the knife you're going to use to clean the onion, in cold water. You can also wet your hands and the root itself. Sulfur compounds react to water and are neutralized.
The simple method of holding the air in works well - try not to breathe in the air through your nose as much as you possibly can. This will slow down the effects of the flue gases. To avoid tears, clean the onion in front of a slightly open window or under a cover.
The safest way is to dip it in water. In this case, you will have to wait a while for it to soak and the scales will literally fall off into your hands, you just need to chop off the top or bottom bit of the onion.
If the scales are easily removed, but you need to clean several root vegetables at once, place the bulbs in a bag and peel them with gloves. When the top layer is completely removed, you can cut the bottom with the roots and then the top and then you can begin cutting.
