A chef and culinary instructor has urged people to stop cutting onions the way culinary school teaches – as it could be dangerous and is simply not efficient…
Onions are a staple in many kitchens. They’re a versatile vegetable that can be found in everything from spicy curries to hearty stews and pasta dishes. However, the humble onion is notorious for bringing tears to our eyes when we chop it up – and it’s not just because of the sulfur-based compounds that irritate our eyes.
The way we chop our onions could also be making us cry out in pain – as it’s actually quite dangerous. A professional chef and culinary instructor has sparked debate by suggesting the traditional way chefs are taught to cut onions at culinary school isn’t the most efficient or safest method.
In a TikTok video, Frank Proto revealed most people have been taught to slice an onion into strips without cutting all the way through, then make a cross-section cut through the centre to create small diced pieces.
While this technique does work, Frank expressed his concern about how it encourages people to cut towards themselves when making the cross cut – a potentially dangerous move if they slip.
He said: “I always thought that [cross cut] was a little strange, because we’re teaching students and people how to cut towards themselves.
“This method works, you get a decent dice, but [it’s not] the best way.”
Instead of slicing the onion towards yourself, Frank suggested placing half an onion down on its flat side and cutting it “across the grain.”
This is contrary to the usual method of cutting against the onion’s natural rings.
You still shouldn’t slice completely through the onion, just as you wouldn’t with the previous technique, but once you’ve made your lengthwise cuts, simply “follow the curve of the onion” to chop it into diced pieces.
Frank continued: “With the end piece, I just make a couple of cuts, chop it up, and you have an onion diced in basically one third of the time.”
Viewers of the video supported Frank’s approach, with many expressing confusion about why people make crosswise cuts when onions already have natural layers that separate during cutting to create perfectly diced shapes.
One person commented: “I never understood the crosscut. Isn’t the onion already segmented? If there is a reason for this, someone please tell me.”
Another replied: “I don’t see the point of doing the crosscut. The onion is already in layers.”
Someone else remarked: “I feel so vindicated in always ignoring the culinary school way because it’s always felt inefficient.”