Two Techniques for Cutting Onions Without the Tears

Cutting onions can be a real tearjerker. But don’t be fooled—the onion isn’t trying to make you cry. It’s simply defending itself. When you slice through its cells, chemicals are released that irritate your eyes. This natural defense mechanism evolved to protect the onion from being eaten by animals.

But don’t worry, onions, we’re not backing down. Thankfully, there are ways to cut and chop them without shedding too many tears.

Here are two effective, tear-free methods for cutting an onion. The third method is a joke and doesn’t actually work, but we’ll talk about that later. First, let’s go over the two real solutions.

Switch on a fan to blow the tears away

You're not really blowing away the tears; you're actually blowing away the chemicals released by the chopped onion that irritate your eyes, mouth, and nose. If you chop an onion in front of a fan, it can push those irritants away from you—most of the time.

Chill the Onion in the Fridge First

When an onion is cold, its molecules slow down. As NPR explains: 'Molecules move faster when they're hot and slower when they're cool.' By chopping a chilled onion, you might be able to outpace the chemicals before they have a chance to reach you. For a quick and safe onion chopping guide, check out our step-by-step: How to Cut an Onion.

Goggles? They’re Not the Solution

Goggles won't help, and that's because of the reason we discussed in method #1. The irritating compounds don’t just target your eyes; they affect your mouth and nose too. You can’t contain these volatile chemicals, but you can slow them down and try to push them away.

Now, let’s turn those tears into joy as we prepare onions for these delicious, top-rated recipes. Explore our collection of Onion Recipes.