I watch the cooking channels on TV and I get really upset at the directions given on how to chop an onion. Invariably the instructor will Cut the onion in half, then start making horizontal slices toward his or her bare hands.
This is very dangerous and is totally unnecessary. They usually end up by making 1/4 inch slices vertically down the onion, then chopping 90 degrees to the 1/4 in. cuts.
If you look at the way an onion grows you will see the horizontal cuts are unnecessary.
The proper way is to cut the onion in half, root to top direction, Make 1/4 in. slices, again root to top, cutting almost through, but leaving enough onion to keep it together. Turn the onion 90 degrees and slice 1/4 in. against the preceding cuts.

The horizontal cuts are not neccessary if you're goal is to "chop" the onion. If, however, you are looking for uniform, small or medium dice cuts, then they are neccessary. Because your onion half is rounded, the outer curved portion needs to be cut into as well, in all three directions. Am I making sense to anyone?

[Isa]

Missy,


Yes that makes sense but it will be easier to understand when I'll be next to a onion.

A million Frenchman can't be wrong! (or can they?) let me know so I can be out of the room when you tell them!

[Isa]

Frenchman wrong? Never

[shroomgirl]

Frenchmen wrong oh no...but they have incredible accents...melts me...

Onions...after doing cooking classes, demonstrations and working with others doing them I've have found consistently that chopping an onion is one of the most questioned and requested demos I do.....3 ways works.

I still insist the horizontal cut accomplishes nothing. The chopped onion will come out in 1/4 in. squares without the horizontal cuts. The onion is built that way.

[mudbug]

Here's my take:

They do it so fast, it doesn't matter which way they slice it because the result is equal.

[cape chef]

Basic knife skills are as important to a cook as anything else . without it you will not grow as a cook. There are many fundimental cuts that are tought in school and restaurants. Bruniose,julliene,dice mince.battone blah,blah. If you want to have small uniform dice with your onion you need to do horizantal and vertical cuts. This is very basic to your work. I agree with chrose, all those french chefs could not all be wrong.
cc

[This message has been edited by cape chef (edited 12-01-2000).]

I have been there; Trust me, that's not the only thing the French have been doing wrong all there life.

[cape chef]

msaul, I see that you are firm in your feeling towards the oh so popular onion.You must do in life what takes you where you want to go.weather it's the way you disect a onion, or the way you balance your check book
different strokes for different folks
cc

I must agree with Cape Chef and not just because he agrees with me ( but hey, it doesn't hurt) the bottom line is knife skills and discipline. As my boss sez there is more then one way to skin a cat (Nick are you taking notes?) But as with anything you must learn to crawl before you can walk. And possibly the most important is that if you ever work for a Chef that insists on doing it his/her way you better be able to or don't let the door hit you on the way out! I actually had a chef in school have us brunoise mushroom caps just like the onion cut. It was ridiculous but it was good practice in precision that some days can come in handy. So if ya want to do it, do it! If ya don't do it anyway.

[This message has been edited by chrose (edited 12-02-2000).]

[KC]

I have a gadget that I use for chopping onions--I'm not sure what it's called. It has a small wooden block handle, with about a dozen long metal tines. It sort of looks like a hair pick for Afro hairdos. You stab the root end with the tines, and it holds all the onion layers together while you slice it longitudnally two ways, then slice off pieces from the opposite end. (Hard to describe.)

[Nick.Shu]

given that - if you need a uniform dice then that is what you need. The technique given is almost always the most accurate and if you dont need it then dont use it.

The skills handed down to cooks/chefs over many hundreds of years have been tried and tested - if there was a better way, then ppl would be privy to it either through such a technique being mistakenly passed on or the fact that a better way exists.

This is evolution - survival of the fitest.

[Nicko]

Since this is such a great topic I will move this over to Cooking Questions were it seems to fit best. Great topic msaul, and again welcome to the Cafe.

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Thanks,

Nicko
ChefTalk Cafe Administrator
nicko@cheftalk.com
www.cheftalk.com "A food lover's link to professional chefs!"