Is there anyone who has never been involved with cooking in their life? If so, you may not have the experience of what to face when chopping onions. If you are a regular cooker, then you certainly know how you automatically fall in tearing up while chopping the onions. We have to use onion with some foods almost regularly. Especially in Asia. The fact that water comes out of your eyes when you cut onions is due to some chemical compounds that are released from the cells of the onion. Today we will know how it happens chemically and how onions can be cut without any tears up. So, let's get started.

Why do onions make you cry?
ANS:

Girl's Tearing Up

Actually, when an onion is chopped, it produces some irritant chemicals that stimulate the lachrymal glands inside the eyes and cause water to come out of the eyes. This is precisely the effect of acid. Look below for a clearer understanding of how this happens chemically.

  • Lachrymatory-factor synthase is released during onion slice. It is actually a class of enzyme.
  • Later it mixes with the air.
  • These synthase enzymes convert the amino acid sulfoxides in onions into sulfenic acid.
  • This unsable sulfenic acid is rearranged itself to form syn-ropanethial-S-oxide.
  • Then it comes in contact with our eyes through air.
  • Finally, the lachrymal glands become irritated and produces the tears.**

How can you cut onions without tearing up?
ANS:

Goggles

Since it causes your eyes to feel painful sensations by irritating the eyes, so you must want to cut onions without tearing up, right? OK, Let's look at some practical ways to chop onions without tearing up:

  • First, you can wear safety glasses.
  • Moreover, you can use a fan while chopping onions, so that the gases can move away from you.
  • You can refrigerate the onions before chopping them which slows down the reactions of the onion. Even it changes some substances.
  • Clip the onion's roots before cutting them. This is because it is thought that onion roots contain a high concentration of enzymes.
  • Try using a sharp knife because it will damage the onion cells less and release very few irritants.


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