News Physics

These simple knife tricks stop onion tears instantly

Sharper knives in slower hands may prevent crying when cutting onions

Chopping onions releases a tear-induing chemical into the air. Careful cutting techniques stop it.

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By Carly Kay

It’s your kitchen. You can cry if you want to. But with sharper knives, you might not need to. 

Cutting onions slowly with sharper knives slashes the number of tear-inducing droplets the vegetables eject into the air, researchers report in the Oct.