Even if you are one of those who can’t be easily brought to tears, there are probably a few things that can make you cry. Like an onion. Shedding tears over a seemingly mundane task like chopping onions is something we’ve all experienced, and this is oh-so familiar in the kitchen.
But why does it induce tears, why do we cry when cutting onions, and possibly how to prevent it? I’ll talk all about this today, so keep reading!
Why Do We Cry When Cutting An Onion?
Let’s start with the fact that we have several types of tears. Basic tears moisturize our eyes. Emotional tears, characteristic only to humans, are a consequence of sadness or joy, and as the name suggests, emotions.
And then there are reflex tears, which are meant to cleanse our eyes from substances that somehow physically or chemically irritate the eye. Onion tears are precisely, reflex tears.
When we cut an onion, we destroy its cells because this vegetable tends to absorb relatively large amounts of sulfur from the soil. Such destruction is accompanied by the release of sulfur oxides (SOx), that is amino acids, which are transformed under these conditions. Simultaneously, an enzyme is also released from these cells, which is able to react with the sulfonic acid, leading to the formation of propane-1-sulfonyl. And everything becomes clear, right?
Well, propane-1-sulfonyl is a gaseous product that can dissolve in water, or rather, it can react with water to form sulfuric acid. Basically, in our tears, there is mainly water. So when they come into contact with propane-1-sulfonyl, sulfuric acid is produced, which irritates the eyes, triggering a reflex to produce tears, aiming to remove the cause of this irritation. And voila – we cry.
How To Cut An Onion Without Crying?
Knowing the scientific basis of onion-induced crying, we can think about how to minimize this phenomenon. But approaches can vary. Let’s check a few of them:
#1
Firstly, the fewer damaged onion cells, the better. So it’s worth using a sharpened knife that won’t crush the vegetable but rather dice it
#2
Secondly, we can try to dissolve the gaseous products in water that is not in our eyes. A less effective method suggests soaking the onion in water before cutting. But cutting it under a small stream of running water in the sink works much better.
#3
You may have heard about the effectiveness of chewing gum while cutting onions. From a scientific point of view, this is not the most effective method. Its aim is to catch the gaseous products and dissolve them in the saliva of the mouth instead of in the tears of the eye.
#4
So, it’s better to use another approach, a fourth one… Let’s be honest, it’s not a pathological method, namely, separating the eyes from the atmosphere, for example, by wearing swimming goggles.
#5
There is yet another very clever method!
According to the laws of chemistry, enzymatic reactions slow down by even 4-6 times for every 10 degrees when the system is cooling down. So, if the onion you want to cut, instead of being at 77° Fahrenheit (25°C) is at 41° Fahrenheit (5°C), you can expect the production of propane-1-sulfonyl to occur 20-30 times slower.
And this will save you quite a few tears. Because less of this gas means, of course, producing fewer tears. So, the best option is to put the onion in the fridge for at least several minutes before cutting.
Honestly, this is quite a good example of how such precise, scientific knowledge can translate into practical, working, and very interesting life hacks, if, of course, you can call it that. But what you do with this information is up to you. Wishing you tearless onion cutting!