5 Onion Tricks which will make your life easier

So onions are crazy and they make us cry, probably every single day. Not only that but onions are the most commonly used ingredient in our kitchens, especially in an Indian kitchen. Below are a few tips which can make your time spent with onions less horrifying and more pleasant.

1. Smell Onions before you buy them 

The next time you buy onions, make sure you smell them first. The thing with onions is that the stronger the smell that comes from a pile of onions, the more are the chances that some of them might be rotten. This tip will come handy especially when you buy onions which come in a mesh bag.

2. Chop onions without teary eyes

A lesser known trick about onions is that if you chill them in a refrigerator before cutting then they won't make you cry when you murder them, oops I mean when you chop them. So the next time you are ready to chop some onions, make sure you chill them first.

3. Saute with salt

Once you pass the pealing and chopping phase, one big problem is cooking onions properly. Usually when you saute onions in oil even for a long time, they remain uncooked. The texture is not soft and it ruins the entire dish as one can still get the crunch of the onion, it just gets soaked in oil. To avoid this and to cook them easily in less time, add a pinch of salt while cooking them. They cook fast because as soon as you add salt, onions release water stored in them and become soft. This is the simplest and the best thing my mother taught me when it comes to cooking onions without any hassle.

4. Avoid the food processor

Studies have proved that use of food processor or any mechanical process  to chop and slice onions increases their aroma and the pungent smell. So in all case try and chop them manually instead of using a machine.

5. Reduce the flavor

At times when onions are to be used raw, the pungent smell and the zingy after taste ruins the dish. To avoid this put the sliced onions in either vinegar or water and chill it for sometime. After a few minutes use them in salads etc. and you will notice that the smell and the taste has disappeared.