onions-crying?

Question

Why is it that everytime people peel onions or cut them, their eyes fill with tears? Is there some type of stench in the onion that makes our eyes water or something? Also, please put serious answers to this question. Thanks.

Answer 1

it is coming from some chemical ingridient (sulfonil or something like that)
my mom is wearing glasses for swimming and it helps!

Answer 2

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.

Oddly enough, this volatile compound is also responsible for a lot of the great taste in onions, as well as the pleasant aroma when you cook the vegetable. You'll also get sulfenic acids by cutting up garlic, chives and leeks, among other vegetables, but they don't form the same irritating gas, just a strong smell.

There are all kinds of remedies for dealing with this irritating phenomenon, some more effective than others. As a general rule, move your head as far away from the onion as you can, so the gas will mostly disperse before it reaches your eyes. If you really can't stand the tears, the simplest solution might be to wear goggles. This measure is very effective, but it may seem a bit extreme to those around you, and if your kitchen is steamy, you might not be able to see what you're doing (never a good idea when you're using a knife).

Peeling the onion and then chilling it in the refrigerator before you slice it will minimize the release of gas somewhat, because the change in temperature alters the compounds in the onion. Cooking an onion before you slice it will work also, for the same reason. Another easy solution is to cut the onion under water or run the tap over it as you slice.

Some people say if you hold a lemon, piece of bread or a sugar cube in your mouth, the food will absorb the gas before it reaches your eyes. Breathing with your mouth, instead of your nose, might also help because as you inhale, you suck the gas in and as you exhale, you blow it away. This keeps a lot of the gas from ever reaching your eyes.

Answer 3

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.

Answer 4

We 'cry' when we peel or cut onions because there is a 'chemical' in onions that causes the body to 'exude toxins' ... which is a 'good thing' when we eat the onions, but a 'bad thing' when we are trying to cut or peel them. If you want to 'stop crying' then turn the 'cold water on' and either 'cut or peel' the onion UNDER the running water, or whenever you feel yourself 'starting' to 'tear up' run your hands under the cold water (rubbing them together helps) until the 'urge to tear up' stops. NEVER RUB YOUR EYES with your hands when you are peeling or cutting onions, because the 'BURN' can do serious long-term damage to your eyes.

Answer 5

the best way to prepare an onion so you don't cry is cut the top off only. peel it under water and no tears. you leave the bottom on the onion till you are at the end. the last slice of onion is th bottom and it gets thrown away.

Answer 6

This is due to sulfonyl compounds that form as soon as the onion is cut. The compounds that cause you to cry are actually formed while you chop up the onion!

This goes for garlic too. If you take some garlic, mush it up a bit, and put it on your bare foot, you can taste garlic in your mouth in a couple of minutes. This demonstrates how easily sulfonyl compounds can pass into your skin (and into your eyes where it irritates them and causes your eyes to water).

R
C=S
R'

The above would be an example of a sulfonyl compound.

Answer 7

When you cut through an onion you are cutting through cells which contain sulfer compounds which enter the air quickly. You cry because your eyes want to get rid of that chemical so it doesn't effect your eyes. You can get rid of the tears by
1. Freezing the onion. It freezes the cells allowing it to enter the air slower. and :
2. You peel it under cool water. It attacks the chemicals before they get to you

Hope it helps!

Answer 8

The way that I conquer stinging and watery eyes when peeling onions is to (whenever possible) peel and chop the onions in the garden. That way the vapours that cause the stinging and tears dissipate quickly.

Answer 9

Where do you live?

Here in the USA good spicy onions have for the most part been replaced by (less flavorful) sweet vidalia and sweet Texas varieties, which tend not to cause tears. For tear-jerking and greater flavor one needs to buy white onions or occasionally get lucky with a strong Bermuda onion or gow one's own or be fortunate enough to live close enough to Canadian onion farms (mostly in Ontario and the St. Lawrence valley of Quebec) to buy real old fashioned tear-causers. Or to grow one's own.

Answer 10

Don't know why but you can avoid this by placing them in the freezer for 30 minutes prior to cutting. I have also been told that if you cut from only one end(& darn it I can never remember which end they said to cut from)it will not make you cry.
Love those onions tho!!!

Answer 11

there are a lot of different wives tales out there, like cutting off the root end first or cutting off the top instead or letting them sit on a board for a few minutes after cutting them or soaking them in water after cutting. My advice, unfortunately, is to just walk walk away if it gets too bad or I usually have a fan going if I have a lot of cutting to do.