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Onions, onions la la la

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UncleFred
UncleFred Posts: 458
in EggHead Forum
The Onoin: An onion is a tuberous vegetable, and is a member of the genus
Stinkus Delicioso. It was highly prized by the ancient Egyptian
pharaohs and their friends and cousins. It causes watering of the
eyes and rubifaction of the skin, but it is very, very tasty.

Susan Christie - I Love Onions (1966) www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM-lEhhsLQw

While doing prep this morning (and having the above song run through my head) for a meatloaf I'm doing on the egg today, it occurred to me that perhaps someone out there might benefit from a tip I got from a chef a while back...

When slicing and dicing onions, do it next to an open flame.  The flame draws in all of the onion fumes and thus there s NO watering of the eyes!  It works. It's the only way I "do" onions now.

image
San Diego, CA - Where I've mastered Curmudgeon..working on Recluse.
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Comments

  • Smoker317
    Smoker317 Posts: 238
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    that is very interesting.  Who would have thunk?
    Egghead since November 2014, XL-BGE & ET-732
    Smobot
    Living near Indy
    36" Blackstone
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  • jcaspary
    jcaspary Posts: 1,479
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    Another tip to get rid of watering eyes is to chew gum or act like you are chewing gum if you don't have any.  For some stupid reason it works.  
    XL BGE, LG BGE, and a hunger to grill everything in sight!!!
    Joe- Strongsville, OH
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  • Tinyfish
    Tinyfish Posts: 1,755
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    Just my luck I have an electric stove, wonder if my wife would object to a little bonfire in the kitchen.
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    Good tip.

    Possibly no less expensive than having a range on hand, but a very keen knife with a "Japanese" edge will cut the onion so cleanly that tears don't happen. I know when to sharpen my better knives when I start to cry w. onions.
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
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    gdenby said:

    Good tip.

    Possibly no less expensive than having a range on hand, but a very keen knife with a "Japanese" edge will cut the onion so cleanly that tears don't happen. I know when to sharpen my better knives when I start to cry w. onions.

    Agree
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    All good thoughts, sharp knife slices rather than crushes the onion cells creating less "fumes", flame draws away the "fumes". 

    Saw a cooking show some time ago that spoke about sulphur in the onion mixes with water in the eyes causing the tears. A small fan near the prep area clears the air much like the gas burner. Lately we've bought these Mayan onions and there seems to be much less crying. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,674
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    Will it work on an electric stove :-??
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

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  • cook861
    cook861 Posts: 872
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    you could get some one else to do them for you or soak them in water
    Trenton ON 1 mbge for now
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  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 6,581
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    I am comfortable in my manhood, so don't mind a good cry now and then... @-)
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
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    johnmitchell said:

    I am comfortable in my manhood, so don't mind a good cry now and then... @-)

    =))
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,487
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    Mickey said:

    Will it work on an electric stove :-??

     
    No, but I've read a single candle will do the trick, haven't tried it though.

    _____________

    "Pro-Life" would be twenty students graduating from Sandy Hook next month  


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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,487
    edited February 2015
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    UncleFred said:

    Susan Christie - I Love Onions (1966) www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM-lEhhsLQw

    UncleFred said:

    Holy heck Batman, you just gave me a Captain Kangaroo flashback!!!  

    :D 
    _____________

    "Pro-Life" would be twenty students graduating from Sandy Hook next month  


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  • UncleFred
    UncleFred Posts: 458
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    Mickey said:

    Will it work on an electric stove :-??

    Try it and report back... I'd be interested to know. 

    On one hand you do have the heat and convection but on the other hand I don't know if the radiant heat would do what the flame does..
    San Diego, CA - Where I've mastered Curmudgeon..working on Recluse.
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,487
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    Uncle Fred did not say that, I did.  Anytime I "Quote" someone and remove their pics, the quoting scheme gets all messed up.  
    _____________

    "Pro-Life" would be twenty students graduating from Sandy Hook next month  


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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    I haven't done any research on the subject, but I presume that something volatile hits your eyes when cutting onions. A flame burning nearby will probably burn some of that volatile stuff before it gets to you?

    I have found that keeping the onions in the fridge works well too.


    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • UncleFred
    UncleFred Posts: 458
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    Ha!!  Somebody out there remembers the song!
    :))
    San Diego, CA - Where I've mastered Curmudgeon..working on Recluse.
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,487
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    caliking said:

    I haven't done any research on the subject, but I presume that something volatile hits your eyes when cutting onions. A flame burning nearby will probably burn some of that volatile stuff before it gets to you?

    Onions give off a sulfur compound, can't remember its exact name, but when it hits the water in your tears it forms a mild solution of sulfuric acid, I've read.  
    So now you can tell your friends you've had sulfuric acid in your eyes.  
    :-t
    _____________

    "Pro-Life" would be twenty students graduating from Sandy Hook next month  


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  • UncleFred
    UncleFred Posts: 458
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    To follow up... I did finish the meatloaf.  Came out great... potatoes too.

    image


    image
    San Diego, CA - Where I've mastered Curmudgeon..working on Recluse.
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    Looks great. And I just fire up a fat one when I cut onions. Just have to watch the ash or don't get caught ashing in the food :-\"
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    Botch said:

    Mickey said:

    Will it work on an electric stove :-??

     
    No, but I've read a single candle will do the trick, haven't tried it though.



    "Three candles" work in the **** house fore me
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    " 16 candles " work better
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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
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    Onion is also a great deodorizer. Skin and halve a large onion and place in the center of the room. ...cut side up on a plate.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • MaC122
    MaC122 Posts: 797
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    I LOVE onions. I don't understand people who don't like them. You can cook them till their almost like candy. My dad taught me to get a scallion and dip it in salt and eat it. Did I say that I LOVE onions?
    St. Johns County, Florida
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
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    I use running water in the sink.
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,824
    edited February 2015
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    MaC122 said:

    I LOVE onions. I don't understand people who don't like them. You can cook them till their almost like candy. My dad taught me to get a scallion and dip it in salt and eat it. Did I say that I LOVE onions?


    There is a mexican restaurant here that serves cebollitas - just chargrilled green onions with salt and lime.  They are amazing.

    As for chopping onions - I rarely get the crying effect.  Maybe it's the sharp knife thing?
    NOLA
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  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
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    buzd504 said:

    MaC122 said:

    I LOVE onions. I don't understand people who don't like them. You can cook them till their almost like candy. My dad taught me to get a scallion and dip it in salt and eat it. Did I say that I LOVE onions?


    There is a mexican restaurant here that serves cebollitas - just chargrilled green onions with salt and lime.  They are amazing.

    As for chopping onions - I rarely get the crying effect.  Maybe it's the sharp knife thing?
    This. It's all how sharp your knife is and how you cut the onions. The less cells destroyed, the less tearing up occurs. This is basically the test I use to know I need to sharpen the knives. As soon I as I start feeling it chopping onions, they get the stone.
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  • tarheelmatt
    tarheelmatt Posts: 9,867
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    Heard at one time to place a match (unlit) in your mouth (the wooden end) while chopping.  Never looked into that as I don't have an issue with crying with onions.  Guess I am a bad mofo or something....
    ------------------------------
    Thomasville, NC
    My YouTube Channel - The Hungry Hussey
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  • UncleFred
    UncleFred Posts: 458
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    UrbanForestTurnings said:

    " 16 candles " work better

    Oh-oh...  Better sit down, you're starting to think like me!
    =))
    San Diego, CA - Where I've mastered Curmudgeon..working on Recluse.
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