How to Chop Onions

Most chefs cut onions in a very specific fashion—its similar to the technique here with one difference. They make a horizontal cut into the onion halves. It puts your fingers at risk and no one’s ever given a good reason for making that extra cut—except that it’s how they were taught in culinary school. Here's an equally effective way to chop onions.

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Cut off the stem and just a little of the root. Then set the onion up on one of the cut ends.

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Slice the onion from end to end. Now it’s easy to peel. Place peeled halves cut-side-down.

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Make parallel cuts. Don’t slice through the root end—it holds the onion together.

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Slice across the cuts you just made. The natural sections of the onion fall apart in small pieces.

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Tags: Vegetables, Food Prep