A quick tip for using onions

In my endeavors to try to have more cold or room temperature meals this time of year, I eventually run across recipes which use raw onion. It is great in a coleslaw, in a black bean salad, or in a cold veggie salad, but the strong taste is definitely not for everyone. Some people love it, others abhor it, but there is definitely a way to make (mostly) everyone happy.

Firstly, a note about cutting onions. If you just glance at an onion, you might think that chopping across the circles is the best way to cut an onion, but if you look a little closer you will see that the structure of the onion actually runs top to bottom. This means that cutting across the belly of the onion is actually cutting "against the grain" and will release more liquid, which will result in more tears. The best way to cut slivers of onion is to chop off the top and bottom of the root, and then cut lengthwise from one side of the onion to the other keeping your knife parallel to the grain of the onion. This will release less moisture, and result in less tears. If you really like to get those nice round circles, you are just going to have try my next tip for dealing with raw onions.

Another tip for serving raw onion is to give it a soak before serving it. Once you have it cut however you want it, give it a quick soak in some warm water for about 5-10 minutes. Giving it the warm water bath will pull out some of the sulfur-containing compounds that irritate the eye and the palate, and give a milder and less acidic taste.

Do you have any other tips for dealing with these veggies? Share in the comments below or on Facebook!