Chopping Onions

Chopping Onions is an important cooking skill for LOADS of recipes – here’s how to do it!..

An onion has a pointy stalk at one end (the top)  and a bobbly bit at the other (the bottom).  Using a sharp knife,  chop off the top and the bottom.  

Throw these bits away as soon as you can.   They contain a lot of the chemicals that make your eyes water!

The onion will now have two flat ends,  and if you look,  you will see the layers of the onion make circle shapes.   Put the onion on one of the flat ends and cut it in half top to bottom,  making the circles into semi-circles.    Now peel off the papery skin on the outside of each half of the onion.

Put the onion half onto its flat side.   This is the bit you see chefs do at top speed – but everyone starts slowly, so * very carefully * cut the onion into thin slices.  

If the recipe asks for “chopped”, rather than “sliced”, onions,  you just need to chop the slices into smaller bits.

Recipes that use Onions

Homemade Coleslaw

Leek and Potato Soup

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup