People love to cook. When they prepare their meals, they add onions to make the dishes savory and flavorful. What is the reason why onions make us tear up?
Onions are rich in sulfur which is the compound that is released in the air when we are chopping it. The sulfurous compounds and enzymes into the air form an eye-irritating gas. In reaction to this gas, the eye is irritated and it stimulates the eye to produce tears.
Be aware that not all people will react to the compound that is released from a pile of chopped onions with the same intensity because there are people who have more sensitive lacrimal glands than other people. There is no way to know if you are extra sensitive or not therefore the best way is to follow the steps to alleviate the pain.
The gas can give you a stingy feeling which causes a watery eye. Tearing up can help you to wash the irritants away but it can blur your vision which is a dangerous thing when you are handling kitchen tools such as a large and sharp knife.
What Are the Steps to Clean the Air?
It is essential to keep the kitchen breezy by opening windows or turning on the fan above the stove or kitchen hood while chopping. By doing this, the mist that is formed in the chopped onions will be swept away. It will help to reduce the irritation.
Another step to address the irritating compounds of onions is to chill them before chopping. The compounds that are released by onions puff easily in warm air. Chilling the onions for a few minutes can help to keep the compounds from rising in your eyes.
If you want to stop crying about onions, you might want to take an experiment with fresh or sweet onions. Since spring and sweet onions are not dried because it is fresh, it is less likely to make you tear up. You can use spring onions at the time of spring and summer. You can use sweet onions during fall and winter.
What Is an Onion Goggles?
People may think that you are joking when they hear onion goggles but they do exist. Onion goggles can help you with your problems when chopping onions. There are reports for many people that onion goggles work for them. It makes their eyes less stingy and irritated.
