I need... - Page 4

Saria · 04-11-2012, 10:05 AM

Heh, I've encountered scallions that packed a wallop and produced a few tears, so I'm definitely not very resistant.

Nallia · 04-11-2012, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saria

Heh, I've encountered scallions that packed a wallop and produced a few tears, so I'm definitely not very resistant.

Scallions, shallots, I've even had leeks make me cry.

spring1onu · 04-11-2012, 10:06 AM

I see folks chopping onions on these cooking shows and I get teary just looking at the huge piles of onions in front of them and they're not even bothered. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?!?!

It's just not fair. One day I'm going to chop my finger off because I'm trying to go fast to avoid the pain, but I'm squinting because the fumes are just starting to get to me and I'm trying to go faster and get the onions into the pot so I can run away while they cook. It's a bad, bad situation just waiting to happen.

I do use a pair of DH's safety glasses when I think of it, but they're a pain to put on because of a headband that keeps them snug. It's a sexy look.

I like the pastry cutter idea for the eggs and if I remember I'm doing that next time.

misspam · 04-11-2012, 10:09 AM

Only white or yellow onions produce rivers of tears for me. I don't seem to be bothered at all by scallions, shallots, or leeks. I wonder why?

Nallia · 04-11-2012, 10:13 AM

It isn't a constant thing for me, but there have been times when scallions, leeks, and shallots have been string enough to cause tears. There have also been times when onions didn't bother me at all. For me, it seems to be an issue of exposure. The more often I chop them, the less they bother me. I cut them from our diet for a few months because it seemed that they were upsetting my son's stomach. I just reintroduced them recently and they're killing me! lol

Saria · 04-11-2012, 10:14 AM

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Originally Posted by Nallia

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saria

Oh, I don't mean the tearing up part. I mean just that the actual chopping of an onion is something a lot of people can't get, and it's pretty much all about the knife being dull. Chopping an onion with a knife that isn't sharp enough is very frustrating.

So is chopping garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, and just about everything else. Never mind slicing tomatoes.

When I moved in with my husband I threw out all of his knives because they had never been sharpened or honed, ever. I have no idea how anyone manages with dull knives, but I guess people get used to them when that's all they know. I've had people come over and cook with me and complain that my knives were too sharp for them to handle safely. I don't have the knife skills of a chef, because it's never been much if a priority for me to practice them, but mine are decent because my father--who was a chef--made sure of it. He also drilled knife care into us. We'd be grounded as kids/teenagers for not properly taking care of the knives in the house and letting them go dull.

The bolded:

True, though a lot of things are passable with a not-so-sharp knife, but trying to do a fine dice of an onion just leads to the thing falling apart and a bunch of uneven pieces, so it's that much more frustrating for me. So are herbs. Oh, the amount of chives I've seen that looked that they were hacked at with a dull machete! Or mint or basil that turns black in no time because the knife used to chiffonade wasn't sharp. You can really see the difference there. Mint sliced with a sharp knife will keep green at least a full day whereas it will last a few hours tops if a dull knife is used.

I agree with you on the tomatoes so much! They're one of my favorite things to slice with a freshly sharpened knife. Otherwise I just resort to my serrated one.

Saria · 04-11-2012, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nallia

It isn't a constant thing for me, but there have been times when scallions, leeks, and shallots have been string enough to cause tears. There have also been times when onions didn't bother me at all. For me, it seems to be an issue of exposure. The more often I chop them, the less they bother me. I cut them from our diet for a few months because it seemed that they were upsetting my son's stomach. I just reintroduced them recently and they're killing me! lol

Yeah, sometimes I don't have any tears from onions. And when we do onions for caramelized onions (25 lbs or so), if I tear up it's usually at the beginning and then I'm fine. We use a mandoline for those since that's a whole lot of onion. The slicer is faster, but it's downstairs and it really releases the onion fumes!

spring1onu · 04-11-2012, 10:20 AM

Vidalias seem to bother me the least (and are my favorite), I wish I could get them all the time.

Saria · 04-11-2012, 10:25 AM

^They are milder. I like them raw or just barely cooked (like charred but still not cooked all the way through in a Vidalia onion mayo we served at one place) because that's where their mildness and sweetness makes the most difference. They don't cook up much sweeter than other onions.

Quote:

Turns out that although sweet onions have about 25% more sugar in them, their flavor difference when raw has more to do with the amount of tear-inducing lachrymators they contain. Yellow onions have more pungent irritants than sweet, giving sweet onions the impression of actually being even sweeter than they really are. When you cook the onions down, these pungent compounds mellow out into more complex flavors, giving yellow onions a distinct edge over the sweet.

jeepcurlygurl · 04-11-2012, 10:50 AM

I love chopping onions, even tho they make me cry. I just like the texture of onions. I don't have good knife skills (especially after 2 hand surgeries and aqcuiring a tremor) but I love love love knives. And I never sharpen them.
But I still love my egg slicer and just used it for lunch. : )

Saria · 04-11-2012, 11:05 AM

Sigh, I had decided to finally buy myself this beauty that I've been coveting and it's currently out of stock!

*My precious . . .*

It's on sale, too. Boo.

Nallia · 04-11-2012, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeepcurlygurl

I love chopping onions, even tho they make me cry. I just like the texture of onions. I don't have good knife skills (especially after 2 hand surgeries and aqcuiring a tremor) but I love love love knives. And I never sharpen them.
But I still love my egg slicer and just used it for lunch. : )

That's because you're a rebel.

04-11-2012, 11:53 AM

Onions don't make me cry ever. I don't know why. Maybe my eyes are de-sensitized from years of wearing contacts?

misspam · 04-11-2012, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spring1onu

Vidalias seem to bother me the least (and are my favorite), I wish I could get them all the time.

I know being a Georgia gal you are partial to Vidalias, but since you are now on the West Coast, you ought to look for Walla Walla Sweets. They're grown in Washington (my home state) and Oregon. I'm figuring someone in your area should carry them. The season runs from June through September.

misspam · 04-11-2012, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saria

Sigh, I had decided to finally buy myself this beauty that I've been coveting and it's currently out of stock!

*My precious . . .*

It's on sale, too. Boo.

That knife is a beauty!

What is it?

spring1onu · 04-11-2012, 12:04 PM

misspam, I have had those and love them as well! I will usually buy any onion labeled sweet if the grocery store has it because they bother me the least. I bought walla walla's in CT, but don't recall seeing any here yet. I wonder if they have to make the sign say walla walla or if they can just say "sweet onions" which is usually what our local grocery sign says.

I shop at two different stores depending on what I'm getting that week and one never has any sweets, just yellow onions and those KILL me. KILL. Evil fumes!

misspam · 04-11-2012, 12:10 PM

You found Walla Wallas in CT??? Jealousy, I haz it!

I have never seen them around these parts. I do love Vidalias, though. I would think if it were a Vidalia or Walla Walla, it would be labeled as such.

If I remember correctly, putting your onion in the fridge for a bit before you slice it cuts down on the tearing factor. I haven't tried that technique. I'm a glutton for punishment I guess.

spring1onu · 04-11-2012, 12:19 PM

I never think that far ahead and the one time I tried being proactive and putting one in the freezer I forgot about it.

I'm usually chopping half an onion when I cook so the other half goes in the fridge and if it's super potent chopping the other half later that is cold doesn't help much. I am pretty sure those fumes are something created in the depths of hell.

I just need to stock up on sweets when I'm at the one grocery that has them so I'm never, ever purchasing regular yellows.

In CT I shopped at BigY and they always had a good selection of stuff. I miss that store.

Eggs to onions: The journey of a thread.

Saria · 04-11-2012, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by misspam

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saria

Sigh, I had decided to finally buy myself this beauty that I've been coveting and it's currently out of stock!

*My precious . . .*

It's on sale, too. Boo.

That knife is a beauty!

What is it?

Mark Richmond's Remedy. It's a US-made Western-style gyuto (chef's knife). It's been years since I bought myself a new gyuto and my poor, beloved Hattori HD lost a good chunk of its tip when it feel off the bench one day (oh, the sound of it hitting the floor was painful and I knew I wasn't going to like what I saw). I've never gotten around to taking it to Korin so they can fix it for me, so I've been using my other knives in the meantime, but I figure I can use a new knife as well.

RedCatWaves · 04-11-2012, 12:26 PM

I keep my knives sharp...well, the couple good ones I have. The rest are Ginsu, which aren't half bad knives, but they are basically disposable because they are serrated and can't be sharpened. I find no shame in slicing tomatoes with a serrated knife.

I chop onions on a small wooden board that I keep especially for onions (so that the onion stink doesn't get into my other chopped veggies). They don't irritate my eyes too badly unless they are REALLY fresh onions. I make sure I slice off the root-end first thing and throw it away immediately. Most of the irritants come from the root.