Peeling Onions

[Derekthefox]

Ok not a recipe, but a thread on peeling onions, since this normally would be done in the kitchen. We have all suffered with the streaming eyes, and the agony when we wipe them with fingers covered in onion juice ... so how do members cope with this hazard.

My preferred method is to work very quickly, and avoid cutting the onions until the very last second.

This works fine for me, until I am perhaps chopping a dozen or so large onions to make several gallons of pumpkin curry ...

[Derekthefox]

[petuariapete]

Derek.

The NGA website offers some useful suggestions to minimise the discomfort when peeling onions - see the last paragraph of the following link>>>

http://www.garden.org/foodguide/browse/veggie/onions_harvesting/503

Personally, I prefer red onions, which I find easier to deal with, and have a milder flavour.

Martyn
:D

[derbex]

Imteresting that some make me weep and some don't. My shallots do and rge current supermarket whites don't. I think my reds did too.


Jeremy

[petuariapete]

The following website has some unusual and amusing suggestions... I particularly like the swimming goggles option! >>>>>


http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf365726.tip.html

Martyn.
:D

[Hyacinth]

Got this tip from that 1/4hr TV programme which gave tips from the experts, once. Thought it was a wind-up but honestly..........it works!

put a wodge of bread in your mouth between your upper lip and gum, as you peel them...........that's it!! As the bread gets soggy you'll have to replace it........now go on! Try it NOW and let's get some 'feed back'  ;D ;D

Lish

[Derekthefox]

I have had success with that technique Alishka, but it is not total, ie there is still a point where the world caves in ...

[Hyacinth]

Oh noooo :o For me there was just a point when the bread caved in and had to be replaced. For me it was so successful after my trial go (feeling all sorts of a fool) that I then decided to give it the ultimate test = peeling all my shallots for pickling wearing mascara...not suggesting you do this, of course.. ;D It really does work for me. Sorry it didn't for you :(

[Svea]

i wear contact lenses - with contacts i dont cry.
if i take them out and wear my glasses, i do cry.

....crying over the onions, of course.

[beejay]

I have tried many things that have been suggested on other sites including chewing gum & wearing glasses. Some help but not totally & I can't be bothered to go looking for whatever when I've got the onions out. I would think goggles will be most effective but what I do is to keep the root end in tact as long as possible when chopping them & it does make a big difference.

[aquilegia]

There's only one thing that I've found works, and it's totally foolproof...

Get Mr Aqui to chop the onions for me!  ;D

(although that only works so long as I'm not in the kitchen!)

Now I've given up trying to find a way to stop me crying when chopping onions. Some onions are worse than others. When it gets really bad, I just move away, wash my hands, rinse my eyes and put some eye gel on, which seems to help.

[moonbells]

There's only one thing that I've found works, and it's totally foolproof...

Get Mr Aqui to chop the onions for me!  ;D

Funnily enough I find getting Mr Moonbells to do mine works too!

He came in the other day to find me peeling baby onions for a casserole and streaming tears.  He called me a wuss and took over, much to my delight!

moonbells the onion wuss.

[Doris_Pinks]

  ;D You lot!  ;D 
I too leave the root on, and the best way to do it IMHO is to use a chopper!! Have a little device that fits on my hand blender, easy to clean and no tears.........for vast curry quantities the food processor! 8)
It is kind of like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000056HSY/qid=1136907979/sr=1-5/ref=pd_bbs_5/102-1675225-5896931?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=284507

[Vez1]

If I know I'm going to be using onions they don't cause me to cry as much if I stcik them in the fridge for a while.

[Columbus]

my allotment onions are really fierce, much more so than shop onions. I peel them under cold water, cut them in half under water then chop each half really quickly whilst still wet on the chopping board and slide the choppped onions straight into my waiting marvellous deep frying pan with a lid. Then I make sure the skins go in a bin or bag thats covered.
So I guess what I`m trying to do is to minimize the amount of time they`re exposed to the air by keeping them wet, working quickly and keeping them covered.

Obvious warnings about water and hot oil apply. I once scorched a ceiling with a huge column of flame upwards from a pan.. but that was with spuds :D

Col

[derbex]

Doh! we've got a, manual, onion chopper. Maybe I should try it ::)

[GREENWIZARD]

can i borrow mr aqui or mr moonbells 'cause i cry buckets when peeling onions :'( :'( :'(

[grawrc]

8 onions and 14 garlic cloves tonight  :P

[Derekthefox]

How did you get on grawrc, I must admit, I don't have a problem with garlic at all ...

[grawrc]

Funnily enough only one of the onions actually bothered me when I was about halfway through so I stopped and did the garlic. By the time that was done the tears had dried up and I had no problems doing the rest of the onions. Glad I'm not vegetarian though, much as I love vegetables. I must have spent about 2-3 hours chopping, peeling and slicing to prepare food for our vegetarian guests. THe onions were just the tip of the iceberg.

[amanda21]

Leaving the root bit til last works best I think - although not totally tear-free!  And I agree about getting rid of the skins as soon as you've finished.  I always wipe the board after chopping the onions and before chopping say mushrooms to get rid of the juice.
Sunglasses didn't work for me and I've tried the metal spoon in your mouth but that just gave me jaw ache!   ::)
I have a handblender but I'm always worried slightly about tainting it and not being able to get rid of the taste for other things?!