Aside from ingredients like salt and garlic, onions are essential for almost every dish. However, cutting onions can be super uncomfortable, so we're always looking for ways to expedite the process. Enter a special technique for dicing onions, which was recently shared by @vegnews on Instagram.
First, you'll need to cut the onion in half to create a flat and stable surface. (This step isn't included in the original Instagram video, but we highly recommend doing it to stay safe.) Hold the top of the onion with your non-dominant hand and tuck in your fingers.
Video of the Day
Video of the Day
With your dominant hand, slice the onion lengthwise, moving from top to bottom. Continue this motion around the onion, being mindful of the spacing between each cut. The width between each vertical slice will determine the size of your diced pieces.
On the side of the onion, cut off a small piece to create a flat surface, then place it on the cutting board. (Again, the flat side will keep it stable as you work.) Slice the onion across its width, as if you were slicing onion rings. Repeat with the other half, if needed — and just like that, you have diced onions.
Instagram users were loving the technique, though they did call out a few things. In addition to creating a flat surface, people also noted that it's important to tuck in the fingers of your non-dominant hand while holding the onion, or any veggie for that matter. This will protect your fingers in case your knife slips.
For the sake of our tear ducts, we'll definitely be using this hack the next time we cut onions.
Other kitchen hacks:
If you enjoyed this trick, check out other food prep hacks we've covered:
- Learn how to cut vegetables into even squares.
- Thanks to this clever technique, you can easily julienne bell peppers without getting the seeds everywhere.
- Use a fork to cut perfectly even tomato slices.
- Instead of using a knife, you can dice avocados using a wire rack.
On that note, if you're looking for more avocado hacks, check out our favorites right here.