Quickly Cutting Onions Has Never Been Easier (Thanks Rachael Ray)

Chopping onions shouldn't have to end in tears, and it won't once you understand one of Rachael Ray's quick onion cutting tricks. In a video posted to her Instagram, Ray showed her audience a clever chopping method that turns this usually slippery and eye-watering task into something quick, neat, and really quite satisfying. If you're ready to learn a hack to cry less when cutting onions, this is for you.

To master Ray's trick, you want to first peel your onion of choice and slice it clean in half through the root. Next, place one half of the onion on a chopping board flat-side down so it stays in place while you cut. Now this is when some people might start chopping haphazardly, but what you actually want is to make thin vertical cuts from the top of the onion down, stopping just before the stem. In other words, don't cut the slices all the way through to the end. With the stem intact, the layers stay neatly in place until you've made your cuts. When that's done, you can slice the stem off completely, which will cause the onion to fall into perfect little slices.

This is not just Rachael Ray's trick, but a well-known way to dice an onion like a professional chef that uses the onion's unique structure to your advantage. By leaving the root intact, you have something to grip while you chop, plus it keeps all the layers together so you can concentrate on making sure your cuts are clean and consistent. If you've ever tried to cut slices of onions as they slide around the chopping board, you'll appreciate this one. Slicing uniform onions isn't just easier — the onions will also cook more evenly when they finally hit the pan if they are cut root to stem.

If that's not enough of a reason to try this hack, there is another bonus to Ray's method. Keeping the onion stem intact during cutting will release fewer of those tear-triggering gases. That's just kitchen science at its finest. Overall, you'll have fewer tears while cutting, less stress, and prep work can get done a whole lot faster — whether you're making quick pickled red onions in a flash or caramelizing a big batch. If it's good enough for Rachael Ray, it's good enough for us. 

To really master this technique, try practicing with different onion types — yellow is great for frying, red goes great on salads, and white is the one you want for a homemade salsa. Happy chopping!