Kids' Basics: How to Chop an Onion

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

So just the other day I realized that for all the food writing and cooking that I do, I’ve been remiss in teaching my own kids basic cooking techniques. Yes, you heard that right. While they know how to make pancakes and sausages, can whip up a mean egg sandwich, and can certainly manage the microwave, it shocked me when my daughter casually mentioned that if she had to take care of herself, she’d have to rely on yogurt, chocolate milk and cereal. Aaaaccckkk!

Where have I gone wrong? Perhaps I’ve been too busy concocting food ideas and articles and whipping up new specialties. Perhaps I’ve skipped the most important step: actually taking the time to have my own kids in the kitchen beginning with step one. Have you heard the saying: “The plumber’s pipes are the leakiest?” Could it really be true that the food writer’s kids are the least capable in a kitchen? Not anymore!

Now granted, there have been times that I ask for help and no one is interested in lifting a hand. Then again, there are countless times when I just whisk into the kitchen and do what needs done without a second thought. Really, that’s how the whole one-day-a-week Kids’ Night to Cook got started … (Mom needs help!). But with the new school year and all the demands of homework, it appears we’ve slipped.

Yup, time to get back to basics. From chopping and sifting to stirring a simple sauté, it’s time to step it up and help provide kids with the necessary tools to be independent in the kitchen. Forget the frozen dinners. Forget the all-in-one microwaveable packs—isn’t it better that kids know how to chop and sauté those vegetables? Or how about rice—can your kids cook up a pot of white or whole grain or wild? Do they really know what to do if it doesn’t come in a Minute Rice box?

One of the best things about teaching the basics is that it isn’t complicated. Unlike so many other things in our modern-techno world, getting back to basics will bring you and your kids together, not drive another wedge between. Another great thing about basic cooking knowledge is that it’s cumulative: once you know how to prep and slice a carrot, that same knowledge can be carried over and applied to a parsnip, a rutabaga … really, any vegetable that needs to be chopped or diced.

And here’s where I ask for audience participation: is there anything that you’d like me to cover? Kids, is there anything that you’ve been wondering about?

Today’s agenda is how to chop an onion. Yes, they make you cry and they can burn your fingers or eyes. But how to nimbly handle that zinging onion can stymie even the most enthusiastic kid. While there’s lot of advice on how to avoid onion tears (wear swimming goggles, chew bubble gum or breathe through your mouth), actually cutting that onion is fairly straightforward once you’ve been shown how.

Here we go:

How to Chop an Onion

What you need: one onion, a cutting board, a sharp 6 to 10-inch knife

1. Since onions come in all sizes, be sure that the knife you’re using is not only sharp, but about twice in length when compared to the size of your onion. Too small a knife will result in frustration and mistakes.

2. Place the onion on the cutting board and hold with one hand. Slice off the top and root ends. Discard ends to a compost bucket or scrap bowl. Keeping your cutting area clean and clear will make your work easier.

3. Place one of the flat ends of the onion on the board. Cut down through the onion, splitting the orb into two equal halves.

4. Peel off the outer layer of skin and discard. Now you’re ready to decide how to proceed. What shape do you need your onion sliced into? Depending upon how that onion will be used, you’ll want to decide which cutting technique will result in the size and shape of pieces best suited to your dish:

Slice: with the onion halves flat side down, cut lengthwise slices through the entire half, about ¼-inch apart. This cutting method is superb for sautéing onions for sandwiches a French Onion Soup.

Dice: with onion halves flat side down, cut horizontal slices across the onion’s grain (look for those white dividing lines), about ¼-inch apart, holding the sliced pieces together. Flip the sliced onion 90 degrees and cut ¼-inch slices the other direction. This double slicing will yield a diced onion—tiny cubes that are about 1/8 to ¼-inch in size. This cutting method is used for many dishes—from vegetable soup to any dish where the onion meant more to mingle than to stand out and be noticed.

Mince: this means to cut food into very, very small pieces. Think smaller than diced—it’s when you really want the onion to add flavor to a dish, just not much texture. Mincing is most successful when you slice closely—instead of ¼-inch cuts, try to get them 1/8-inch (or closer) together.

And now it’s just practice that will perfect your technique. The more often you slice, dice and mince those onions, the easier it’ll be!

And once you’re a pro at chopping those onions, go ahead and sauté several of those babies in some olive oil. It’s a great topping for an egg sandwich, a ham and cheese or sausage sandwich. And now you’ll be all set for any recipe that has a sliced, diced or minced onion in its ingredient list.