Is this the secret to chopping onions without tears?

These five tips and tricks should help prevent yourself from crying while trying to dice an onion. Photo / Getty Images

By Susie Coen

They are the staple ingredient for any hearty dish.

And although onions taste delicious, irritated, streaming eyes come with the territory when you chop them up.

Thankfully, Good Housekeeping have suggested five tips and tricks to prevent yourself from crying while trying to dice an onion.

According to the Institute, putting onions in the fridge 30 minutes or in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before chopping can prevent the stinging as the cold stops tear-jerking gas from being produced.

However, do not start storing your onions in the fridge at all times as this will cause them to go off more quickly.

Another way to reduce the gas released by the onion is to soak in water - although this could compromise the taste.

Good Housekeeping recommends: "Chop the end off the onion and then put it straight into a bowl of water to soak. The water will draw out the acid making you tear up less when you chop it."

When an onion grows it mixes with sulfur in the soil to create amino acid sulfoxides. These sulfoxides turns into sulfenic acid when the onion is sliced which reacts with the enzymes to create a gas called syn-propanethial-S-oxide.

As it reaches your face, this irritating gas stings and burns, triggering the eyes to produce tears to flush out the gasses.

The root is where the fumes are most concentrated so it is recommended that this try part of the onion is left on as you chop it to avoid stinging eyes.

Do this by slicing the vegetable in half down the middle, then cut off part of one side to create a flat surface.

Then, place the onion with its flat surface down and slice it towards the root.

Another way to reduce the gas's effect on your eyes is to chop it next to a window or near a fan so the gas is diluted or blown away from your face.

And take care to use a sharp knife, this will make it easier to glide through the vegetable, causing fewer cells to be broken and less gas to be released as a result.

The type of onion you use can also make a difference. The enzymes required to create the tear-inducing gas are more concentrated in white, yellow and red onions compared to sweet onions, green onions and spring onions.