Onion is a type of vegetable that is recommended to be eaten raw before it is cooked because its properties are better maintained, since it retains more antioxidants and anticancer compounds. For this reason, it is common to use this food to prepare salads and ceviches, which are dishes that are made without cooking. However, this does not mean that cooked onion is not beneficial, since its nutritional value goes much further and, therefore, it also provides us with excellent nutrients in its cooked version. For example, it is rich in minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, in vitamins such as C, B and E, and in carbohydrates. Likewise, it is composed mainly of water, so that its caloric intake is very low, offering 40 calories per 100 grams. To a lesser extent, it has fiber and protein.
Vitamin C is lost with heat, so foods rich in it are best consumed raw to be able to consume it. For this reason, and for the previous ones, the onion is an excellent food to include in cold dishes. Now, how do we add it? That is, how to cut the onion? What forms exist and for what recipes is it recommended to opt for one or another technique? And finally, how to cut the onion without crying? In this article we will talk about this and much more, keep reading!
Types of onion cut
The most common onion cuts are the following:
- Juliana
- Feathers
- Brunoised
- Hoops
These are the most common and used cutting techniques, not only for cutting onions, but also for chopping any type of food. In the following sections we will discuss each of them. However, before starting, it should be noted that it is necessary to clean the onion and peel it, discarding those layers that are in poor condition.
How to julienne onion?
The julienne cut is characterized by maintaining the length of the food, resulting in thin strips. Without a doubt, this technique is the most used to cut onions, since it is one of the simplest to perform and, in addition, it allows us to enjoy the flavor and texture of this food much more than with other types of cuts.
Now, how to julienne onion? Very simple, we just have to follow these steps:
- First, we cut off the ends of the onion.
- Then we cut the onion in half.
- Take one of the halves and place it cut side down. In this way, it will be easier to manipulate it.
- With the slightly inclined knife, we make thin and longitudinal cuts, in such a way that we obtain thin strips of onion. It is important to note that as we get to the center of the onion we have to straighten the knife. Once you have reached the middle, it will be easier to turn the onion to cut in the same way as now, but this time from the other side.
The julienne cut for onion is used, above all, in salads or accompaniments.
How to cut onion into pen?
The pen and julienne cut are practically the same, since both are characterized by cutting the vegetables into thin strips. In fact, the pen cut is a variant of the julienne cut used exclusively for cutting onions. The difference is that the feather cut mimics much more the shape of a feather.
To achieve this cut more similar to a feather, what we can do is slightly cut the ends, so that when cutting the strips they are held by the tip. Once this is done, we can separate the strips or not to cook them, however we like them! Likewise, we can cut the onion into feathers by removing the ends, cutting it in half, taking one half to place it with the cut end against the table and, finally, making fine vertical cuts.
How to cut onion brunoised or squares?
Technically known as brunoised cut, it is characterized by cutting the vegetables into very small and equal squares. Thus, if we want to cut the onion into squares, we will have to use this type of cut. In this way, we are going to see the steps that we must follow to discover how to cut onion in brunoised:
- Remove the ends of the onion and then cut it in half.
- We place one of the halves face down, leaving the silver part attached to the table.
- We make horizontal cuts without cutting the layers completely, as if we wanted to make small incisions. For the result to be very small squares, it is important that the cuts are very close to each other.
- Now, we make vertical cuts in the same way, leaving very little space between them.
- Once all the cuts have been made, cut the onion starting at one end. We will cut it from top to bottom, as we did to julienne the onion, only this time, having made the previous incisions, we will obtain small cubes.
Now that we know how to dice onions, let’s see how we can get bigger cubes.
How to cut onions into cubes?
If what we want is to cut the onion into larger cubes, we simply have to follow the same steps but leaving more space between the cuts, since that distance is what determines the size of the cube.
Both brunoised and cubed cuts are ideal for making stir-fries, especially when we want to cook for people who do not tolerate the texture of the onion too much. In this way, we can follow these techniques to cut onions and cook them to make macaroni with vegetables, for example.
How to cut onion into rings?
Cutting the onion into rings is very easy, since it is only necessary to peel it, remove the ends and, being careful not to cut ourselves, cut from top to bottom. In this way, we obtain onion rings of the thickness that we want. This type of cut is perfect for preparing battered or stuffed onion rings, two appetizers that are always a hit at gatherings with friends or family.
In the next video we will see much better how to cut onions into rings.
How to cut green onion?
The green onion (Allium fistulous) is also known as the long onion or spring onion due to its characteristic shape. Unlike other onions, such as the purple or white, the green onion has an elongated shape and is marketed keeping the green leaves, which are also quite long. Thus, we can take advantage of practically everything from the green onion, since we can consume both the leaves and the white part. It should be noted that, in general, it is consumed before the bulb develops in its entirety, although we can also find it with a rounded bulb.
The flavor of this type of onion and its texture are also exquisite, which is why it is very common to find it in multiple recipes. For this reason, if we ask ourselves how to cut green onions, the truth is that we can chop this onion following the previous cutting techniques, with the exception of julienne or feather cuts. In this way, we can cut the green onion into rings or brunoised.
In both cases, before proceeding to cut the green onion, these steps must be carried out.
- Wash the onion well.
- Remove the end of the bulb and the leaves.
- We make a slight cut along the onion to remove the outermost layer. If it is in perfect condition, we can take advantage of it.
- Then, we proceed to make the cut that we like the most.
How to cut onion for salad?
For salads, it is customary to cut the onion julienne or in feathers, as it allows you to enjoy its texture and flavor much more. Likewise, we can perfectly cut the onion for salads into rings, although it is usually more common to opt for the two previous techniques.
How to cut onion for ceviche?
When we talk about cutting the onion for ceviche we should know that, in general, the traditional cut is in feathers. However, there are also those who prefer to chop the onion brunoised or more or less small squares, so we can choose any of these cuts to serve an authentic ceviche.
How to cut onion without crying: effective tricks?
This is one of the most common doubts that arise when we decide to cut onions, and who doesn’t cry when doing it? But why do we cry with the onion? When cut, its cells are damaged and release an irritating gas with a strong tear effect. This is nothing more than a defense system that the plant has that is activated when the cells break. Onion cells are made up of sulfur molecules that, when broken, are released in the form of gas. This gas is transformed into sulfuric acid, among other irritating chemicals, when it reaches the eye, causing the appearance of tears to combat it.
So how do you cut onions without crying? Is it possible to get it? The truth is that there are a series of tricks and remedies to cut onions without crying.
- The more cuts we make, the more we will break the cells and, therefore, the more gas will be released. Thus, the first trick to chop onion is to cry is to opt for onion cuts that involve obtaining larger pieces, such as cutting into rings or julienne.
- Keeping the onion in the fridge allows it to release less of that irritating gas, so this can be a good trick.
- Blanching the onion also allows you to deactivate that defense system that releases the sulfur gas. To do this, we simply have to cook them in boiling water for a few seconds.
- Another very effective trick to cut onion without crying is to do it under water. In this way, the irritating gas released will not reach our eyes.
If we have forgotten to leave the onion in the refrigerator or do not want to scald it in case its flavor is altered, the best trick for cutting onions without crying is to wear protective glasses.
