If you’ve ever wondered if there’s a better, more efficient way to dice an onion, there is! Dicing an onion properly makes the whole process so much quicker and cleaner and allows you to prevent onion-related tears a lot more often.
If you’ve never learned the proper way to dice an onion, you’re definitely not alone. This is one of those little kitchen skills that seems easy enough that it probably doesn’t really need an explanation at all, and yet knowing how to dice an onion really makes life so much easier. I never really learned the right way to dice an onion, or that there even was a right way to do it so I always just kind of haphazardly went at my onions with a knife, chopping and slicing until I thought that the pieces looked like they were a pretty good size.
The problem with doing it that way is that it takes twice as long, it’s super frustrating, you end up with some really big pieces and some tiny pieces so they cook unevenly, and you increase your risk of onion-cutting tears. Well, at least I learned a trick that really helps for keeping the tears away when I’m cutting an onion, but I still had to deal with those other issues.
How I Learned How to Dice an Onion
Over the years I kind of figured out a more efficient and effective way of dicing an onion on my own and I started to realize that it was really making the whole chopping process of my meal-making so much easier. I decided to look up what the “right” way to dice an onion is and I discovered so many different perspectives on the issue, but I also discovered that a lot of experts were doing exactly what I had figured out.
The real trick to dicing an onion is that there is no trick. Some people will say to leave one end of the onion uncut to give you something to hold on to, but this really only makes you risk slipping because you can’t really hold on to the slippery outer skin of an onion, and you end up with those weird giant pieces of onion as well.
The best way to proceed is to get yourself a good knife, sharpen it well, and make your cuts firmly and precisely.
How to Dice an Onion
Here’s how I do it!
First, start with an onion!
Cut the two ends off of your onion and discard the dry outer skin.
Next, cut your onion in half.
Slice each onion half down the middle again as shown. I find this prevents random giant pieces from appearing in my finished diced onion a little better than if I don’t do this step. It seems a little tricky, but with a good sharp knife, your onion really won’t fall apart on you and it will be pretty easy with some practice.
Slice the onion into long strips.
Then finally dice the onion into 1/8″-1/4″ pieces!
Beautiful!
I’m amazed at how efficiently I can create perfectly diced onion now that I have this method. It really only takes a few seconds!
Definitely give this method for how to dice an onion a try if you’ve been haphazardly chopping away at your onion and creating a big mess like I was! It’s a little thing that makes a big difference! 🙂
Don’t forget to pin this tip for later!
If you’re looking for a good, inexpensive kitchen knife, I use this one for pretty much everything, along with this type of sharpener. I also have a board like this, and here’s how I take care of it and keep it in good shape.
MORE HELPFUL HOW-TO’S LIKE THIS
- The Butter in the Glass Trick
- The Trick for Keeping Greens Fresh
- How to Keep Celery Fresh Pretty Much Forever
- How to Prevent Tears When Cutting an Onion
- The Creek Line House Food and Recipe Idea Archives
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.