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HomeRecipesThe concept
← All the basics
A moveCutting and prepping2 min read

How to slice an onion

✅ The essentials

To slice an onion without trouble, you need two things. First a knife that really cuts, because a dull blade crushes the onion instead of slicing it, and that is what makes you cry and makes it slip. Then a way of holding the onion that keeps it steady while you cut. Once you have those two things, it takes you two minutes. And the pieces do not need to be even to be good: in a sauce, they melt.

💡 The one thing to know

Keep the root until the end. It is what holds the layers of the onion together while you slice. You throw it away last.

✋ The move in four steps

  1. Cut the top of the onion, but leave the root. Then cut it in half from top to bottom, through the root, and take the skin off.
  2. Lay one half flat on the board, cut side down. It will not move any more.
  3. Hold it with your fingers curled, like a claw. Your knuckles guide the blade, never your fingertips.
  4. Slice from the top towards the root, in thin strips, without forcing. When only the root is left, throw it away.

⏱️ How long it takes

Two minutes for the first onion. After five, you do it in a minute without thinking.

🩹 If it goes wrong

If the pieces are too big, no problem, let them cook a minute longer. If you cry, put the onion in the fridge for twenty minutes before cutting it, and check that your blade is sharp. If you cut yourself slightly, cold water, a plaster, and you carry on tomorrow. It happens to everyone.

🍽️ Make it tonight

The grandma-style bolognese sauce. It takes 1 h 45, but 1 h 15 of that happens without you, and the sliced onion is the very first step.

⚠️ Safety

Steady the board with a damp towel underneath so it does not slip, and keep your fingers curled. A sharp knife is less dangerous than a knife that slips.

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