Lemons Could Help You Avoid Crying While Cutting An Onion. Here's How

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Dry those eyes; there's a natural way to make chopping onions a much happier affair, and you could already have the secret in your kitchen. You may even be using it in whatever recipe you're whipping up: lemons. Many of us can agree that onions are essential in so many dishes. The burst of pungent, sweet, yet savory umami amplifies any set of ingredients. Whether we're going to sauté them or caramelize them, we end up slicing them often, which makes it especially inconvenient that the task reduces us to tears.

Onions have what's called a lachrymatory factor, a biochemical defense mechanism in which an enzyme in the cell walls turns its amino acid into sulfuric acid that's released when the onion is disturbed. Chopping, of course, counts as a disturbance. Of the different tips to remember when cutting onions, having lemons handy is paramount. The enzyme that helps create the sulfuric acid can only reach eye-stinging levels within a certain pH range, which is where lemons come in.

If you add the acid of a lemon to the equation, it throws that pH range off, and the onion's sulfuric acid is less effective. The enzyme slows down on transitioning the amino acid into sulfuric acid, which also leaves more amino acid in the onion and therefore more flavor — amino acids create umami notes and boost savoriness. The best way to achieve this? Simply coat your knife with lemon juice before slicing.

According to good, old-fashioned science, lemons are effective. They add an acid to the mix that tempers the onion's sob-inducing defenses. But just how effective are we talking, especially compared to some of the other best hacks for chopping onions without crying?

One downside to the lemon method is you may have to keep wiping the juice onto your knife as you slice. Each time the knife passes through, the onion scrubs off some of that juice. If that seems like too much of a bother, consider holding bread in your mouth while onion-cutting. Similarly, keeping a metal or wooden spoon in your mouth combats onion tears, too. Admittedly, though, those may also feel like a bit of a burden while you're meal-prepping. Wearing goggles is a pretty foolproof approach, and you can get specific SYAYVO Onion-Chopping Glasses for less than $10.

Of course, it could also be as simple as making sure your knife is super sharp. That's famed chef Jacques Pépin's trick for avoiding the onion sobs, and it's safe to assume pros like Pépin know a thing or two about this. A sharper knife means less crushing and sawing, which means less of that "disturbance" that triggers the onion to release its sulfuric acid. Especially if you're using lemon juice in your dish, it's worth adding it to your knife to avoid the tears.