Does The Wet Knife Hack Actually Prevent You From Crying While Cutting Onions?

Most home chefs, at one time or another, have fallen victim to raw onions and their power to produce human tears. Since, according to Healthline, these bulbous plants not only impart a satisfactory amount of essential vitamins and minerals to our bodies but also add a distinct amount of flavor to staple recipes like slow cooker chili, using onions is often unavoidable.

If you're used to chopping these aromatics, you might already know that when you cut into an onion, you inadvertently set off a chain reaction that causes the penetrated onion to release a specialized chemical compound into the air. This gas or compound mixed with your eye secretions causes the formation of sulphuric acid, which then triggers the waterworks.

Next to wearing goggles, you might have heard that running water over a knife before cutting onions will help assuage the usual tears. The argument is that water will work against the reactive compounds released from cut onions and give your eyes some necessary relief. Unfortunately, this hack is inconsistent. While the extra water on your knife may initially cut down on the effect of these ruthless compounds, beyond the first cut, each additional slice through your onions will release more tear-causing results. Aside from the outright inconsistency of this hack, what else about this method makes this technique less than ideal?

If you're on the verge of attempting to use a wet knife to chop an onion and not cry, you need to be mindful of your fingers. By running your knife through water, you're openly welcoming kitchen accidents involving your precious hands since wet knives are hard to use with precision and care. Still, if you're determined to use this method, a watery knife will only minimize the effect of onion compounds if you continually rinse the blade, proving this method lacks resourcefulness. According to the Atlantic Eye Institute, an onion's sulphuric compounds are drastically reduced when this pungent vegetable sits in a 15-minute water bath. You may be getting somewhere by running your knife under water after each cut, but then you're extending the average amount of time you'd typically take to chop a regular old onion.

Additionally, by continually rinsing your knife, you're adding more water to your precious workspace, inevitably resulting in messy, water-covered counters. Some food experts claim that chopping your onion directly under running water will reduce or eliminate the effects of those pesky sulphuric compounds. However, chopping vegetables under running water still doesn't seem like the most proficient solution. Fortunately, there is more than one convenient, water-free way to prevent pesky onion-driven tears.

Since placing onions in water produces varied results, you might want to consider the refrigerator hack that makes cutting onions tear-free. Sure enough, if you don't want watery eyes as you prep tonight's dinner, place your onions in the refrigerator before cutting. If you're pressed for time, you can also pop your onions in the freezer for a shorter amount of time. For those who don't have ample refrigerator space, you can also cut your onion directly under a fan or oven vent which will help circulate onion enzymes away from your eyes.

While there are also some quirky hacks to avoid these onion-fueled tears such as chewing gum, placing a piece of bread in your mouth, or wearing eye protection, these techniques show as much inconsistency as the wet knife method. While some might claim that slicing onions under water does in fact work, you may find water-based methods to be more trouble than they're worth. However, if you are set on using your beloved knife, make sure the blade is extra sharp. A super sharp chef's knife will make more precise cuts, leading to fewer chemicals leaching from broken onion skin. Now that you know all the available options, it's up to you to decide if a wet knife will effectively leave your eyes dry. If not, plenty of alternative hacks are guaranteed to keep you tear-free.