2torial #0867: Learn2 Slice and Dice Onions   Dice onions Dicing is the cutting of any vegetable into small squares. Once those squares increase beyond a certain size (it's arbitrary), you're no longer dicing--you're chopping. So if a recipe calls for chopped onions, just follow the directions for dicing and increase the size of your cuts (i.e. decrease the number of cuts you make.) Note: Dicing requires slicing; if you've skipped ahead without reading Step 2, the directions may not be clear to you. Get ready: Clean the onion and slice in half, down the axis. Place the onion face down on the cutting board. Get ready to slice, but don't start cutting. Roots intact: The crux of dicing lies in one detail--leaving the root end intact. If you slice through most of the onion and leave the root end intact, the root end will hold together the rest of the onion as it's sliced and diced. Cut through: Hold the onion with the bear claw and slice along the axis. Before you slice, realize that the width of the slices determines the size of the dices, so some planning may be in order. If you need a large dice, starting out with thin slices won't get you there Option cutting: After you've sliced the onion along the axis, you have the option of making a few cuts through the center of the onion, parallel to the cutting board. It's really not necessary, unless you're preparing large onions or tiny dices. Start at the end opposite the root end. Hold the knife parallel to the cutting board, and slice down the axis of the face down onion. To prevent cutting through the root end, saw gently with the knife, rather than shoving it through. One of two of these cuts are usually all that's necessary. Now for the dice: Hold the onion with the bear claw. Starting at the top end (opposite the root), cut across the axis, across the first slices you made. Continue down the onion, tucking the fingers in a 1/4 inch or so, and slicing down. This will produce the onion dice, the small squares of onion. Remove and store: As with slicing, remove the diced onion once you've finished half an onion, and store in a covered bowl. This makes room on the cutting board and keeps the onions fresh. -end- Learn More! or All steps at once (printable version)