I Tried A Viral Hack That Helps You Not Cry When Cutting Onions, And It Worked
So simple and so effective.
If you dread cutting onions because you get red, watery eyes, a TikToker has a very helpful solution for you.
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TikTok user @cerealeatingghost recently shared the simple hack she uses so she doesn't cry when she's chopping onions:
@cerealeatingghost #stitch with @xxbaileyelizabethxx thank you for making me crave lentil soup š¤
ā¬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) - Danilo Stankovic
In her video, she explains that the acid in onions is attracted to a water source ā which typically is your tear ducts. However, if you simply place a damp paper towel on the cutting board, the onion acid will be drawn to the wet paper towel instead of your eyes!
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BuzzFeed spoke to 23-year-old Sally, who said that she learned the trick ā which isn't new* ā after doing some research on onions. "I wanted to understand them more since I cook with them so often," she said.
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*In the past, some professionals have said to put a damp paper towel around your neck or even in your mouth to avoid teary eyes.
So, in an attempt to see if this onion-cutting hack really works ā I tried it. First, I cut a plain onion normally just to make sure it was going to make me š¢. It delivered. My eyes burned and it's hard to see in the photo, but I had a few tears.
Krista Torres
After I regrouped and dried my eyes, I got a wet paper towel. I actually ripped it in slivers all around the cutting board in an effort to get maximum results:
Krista Torres
And the results? It definitely helped! While I did occasionally feel a bit of eye sting from the onions, it wasn't nearly as bad as without the paper towel ā and my eyes didn't tear up at all!
Krista Torres
So, overall, I'd say this hack takes minimal effort and is worth doing if you want some eye relief when it comes to chopping onions!
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