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2torial #0867:
Learn2 Slice and Dice Onions
Wipe those tears away!
Onions are one of the most versatile ingredients
in cooking, appearing in everything from cocktails
to appetizers to desserts. Whether you prepare them
raw, steamed, sauteed, deep-fried, boiled, or
caramelized, you'll have to slice or dice them for
many recipes. Unfortunately, onion preparation
causes grief for many a budding chef, even to the
point of omitting onions from their cooking. To
avert this culinary tragedy, this 2torial shows the
efficient ways of slicing and dicing, so you spend
your time eating and not crying.
You're going to need a sharp knife and a clean,
level cutting board: using anything less will slow
the learning process considerably. Some folks
dedicate a cutting board for cutting onions and
garlic, as their strong flavors can be absorbed
into the board and transferred to other ingredients
(fruit, for example). Other folks can't be bothered
with a separate cutting board and haven't had any
problems with intrusive onion flavors. Try just one
board and expand to two if you think it's
necessary.
Some terms: Positioning an onion correctly makes
it easier to prepare, and positioning requires you
understand the parts of the onion. The most
important reference point is the root end:
the tough, hairy end of the onion. On the other
side of the onion root is the onion top, and the
line between those is called the axis. The
axis represents the direction that the onion
layers grow in; since you'll need to cut lengthwise
(with the axis) and widthwise (against the axis),
it's important to locate the axis.
 Step
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