i need help with onions...?

Question

why do onions make you cry? what is the point of onions? please post answers here! this is for school report, and i need help

Answer 1

run cold water on a onion before you cut into it. Onions are good for flavor

Answer 2

Onions emit a odor that makes you cry when cutting it. If an onion makes you cry it will be watery and onions that don't are drier due to water consumption in the growing process. Onions have a unique flavor that enhances the natural flavors of food and have been documented medically to prevent colds, fight off cancers and help with sinuses. To prevent the crying while cutting never run the onion under water as this intensifies the spicy odor. Simply cut the onion and put a little lemon juice on the cut ends of the onion.

Answer 3

Not sure about why you cry but someone will give you the scientific explanation. But how odd that you ask what is the point of onions. Hmmmmmm, never really thought about that but it is like asking what the point of bread or carrots is! They are a food, they are wonderful to cook with and add taste to what you are eating, if you like them. Whether crispy and raw on a cheeseburger or cut up into a salad or cooked and caramelized and eaten on your favorite steak.
If you study history onions were a major part of the diet through the ages especially when people did not have the variety of seasonings we have today. Onions are very easy to grow almost anywhere and they are a vegetable so a healthy part of a diet which was important.

Answer 4

Onions were prized wedding gifts a few 1,000 years ago.
A valued flavour enhancer that have never fallen out of favour.
Onions make U cry coz they contain an irritant in it's juice, cutting an onion releases juices & let off a mist that gets in2 UR eyes.
Onions fight infection, in the same way as Garlic.
I believe they're related.
The strongest Onions are Spanish or Mediterranean.
Good luck with UR school report.
Hope I've helped.
:)

Answer 5

To quote from an interesting item on this:

"When you slice through an onion, you break open a number of onion cells. Some of these cells have enzymes inside of them, and when they are sliced open, the enzymes escape. The enzymes then decompose some of the other substances that have escaped from sliced cells. Some of these substances, amino acid sulfoxides, form sulfenic acids, which then quickly rearrange themselves into a volatile gas.

The gas reaches your eyes and reacts with the water that keeps them moist. This changes the chemical's form again, producing, among other things, a mild sulfuric acid, which irritates the eyes. The nerve endings in your eyes are very sensitive and so they pick up on this irritation (this is why our eyes sting when we slice onions). The brain reacts by telling your tear ducts to produce more water, to dilute the irritating acid so the eyes are protected. Your other reaction is probably to rub your eyes, but this will actually make the irritation a lot worse, of course, if you have onion juices all over your hands. "

The whole article is at:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/question539.htm

A similar explanation is given at:
http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/onion.asp

Another one on a more technical level is at:
http://www.sciencetheatre.org/ask_st/021297.html

Answer 6

Onions make you cry because they have chemical compounds with sulphur, which are very volatile and reach your eyes easily irritating them.

The point of onions, apart from flavoring meals, are their high content in some healthy chemicals; for instance, vitamin C or quercetin, a powerful anti-oxidant.

Now that you have a clue, you can go on with your own research.

Answer 7

Onions contain a chemical quercetin.
Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant and it kills viruses, fungi, and germs.

There is a study about its effect by German scientists.

They found out that the chemical quercetin may kill
germs such as the S.A.R.S. virus.

This may explain why the S.A.R.S. virus was rampaging in China
(the Chinese don't consume onions because of fear of body odour), but Koreans and Indians were not affected (those who
have daily intake of onions).

Answer 8

They make u cry due to the tear inducing characteristics caused primarily from sulfuric compounds in this vegetable. The point of onions is the add flavor to a reciepe.

Answer 9

Onions are good for high blood pressure. It's juices stings your eyes and makes you cry but it can be avoided if you run through water like in the sink while cutting it. I don't know why it makes people cry..

Answer 10

Onions make you cry...but if you put a piece of bread in your mouth while you're cutting them, it takes away the thing that makes you cry.

What's the point of onions? They are a yummy addition to most foods.