How To Dice An Onion

This is the post that made me cry.

Blog 023

I have a love affair with onions. I think they make anything taste better. So I was naturally a little embarrassed that—up until this past Tuesday—I didn’t know how to properly dice one of them.

Sure, I could chop an onion a whole bunch of different ways, and when a few pieces weren’t cut up so evenly I would fix it afterwards. But I didn’t really know how to dice an onion. So what did I do? I youtubed it. And you know what? It’s pretty simple!

Blog 009

How To Dice An Onion

Start by chopping off the “stem” end, or the one that looks hairy. After that, cut vertically from the stem end through to the “root” end. Peel the outer skin off the onion and discard.

Blog 013

The first cuts you’ll want to make should be parallel with the surface. Push down with your fingers on top and make 2-3 slices horizontally through the onion .

Blog 015

Next, readjust your hand and make cuts from the stem end to the root end about 1/4-1/2 an inch thick. You’ll want to apply pressure on both sides of the onion to make sure it moves as little as possible.

Lastly, position your hand on the root end and make cuts lengthwise, perpendicular to your last cut and parallel with the first cut you made to remove the stem. After each cut, your onion will be diced so push the onion bits away with the knife in between each slice.

Blog 017

Is that not the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? No? Only me? OK, then. For what it’s worth, this is a great skill to learn to make evenly sized onions for soups, stews, stir-fries and sautés. It’s also bad news for your breath, but that’s a trade I’m willing to make.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
13 Responses to How To Dice An Onion
  1. Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg
    October 22, 2010 | 9:13 am

    I remember the first time I learned how to do this (I think by watching Rachael Ray do it), I was so excited!

  2. Heather (Heather's Dish)
    October 22, 2010 | 10:47 am

    i love onions…the flavor is amazing, the aroma, everything. and i love that there’s truly a technique in how to chop them too. cooking is truly an art!

  3. rebecca lustig
    October 22, 2010 | 11:05 am

    ok, so now how the heck do you chop a tomato?!

  4. Julie @SavvyEats
    October 22, 2010 | 11:24 am

    Love this. I know there is a “proper” way to hold your knife when dicing and chopping, but I don’t know what it is…can you explain?

    • Wannabe Chef
      October 22, 2010 | 4:00 pm

      From what I can tell, there are two ways and people who do one will tell you the other way is wrong. Everyone agrees your last 3 fingers should be on the rights side and your thumb on the left. Then you’re either supposed to put your pointer finger straight along the rib of the knife, or curl it and press it steady against the knife on the right side. I like the first one, personally, but that’s just me.

  5. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)
    October 22, 2010 | 3:11 pm

    Onions are like potatoes that fall apart. There are so many zillions of ways to slice them and no two times are ever the same for me…and then i always get random pieces of different sizes…but if that’s the biggest issue in my life, I’ve got a good life 🙂

    Sorry you were crying…and had to touch your camera to take pics after touching raw onions. (shudder on my part!)

  6. Madeline - Greens and Jeans
    October 22, 2010 | 4:18 pm

    I read somewhere that if you hold a spoon in your mouth while you are cutting onions you won’t tear up!

  7. Yesim
    October 22, 2010 | 4:49 pm

    i know how to shop onion but it is so suffering for me , even if someone chop onion in the kitchen and i m in living room , i can get it and tears start to come down from my eyes, i m very sensitive about it.. so what i do is to use kitchen robot:)

  8. Amanda @ bakingwithoutabox
    October 22, 2010 | 6:59 pm

    I love the pinch grip! Nicely chopped onion. I actually watched Youtube to learn some techniques. Great job!

  9. Susi
    October 22, 2010 | 8:11 pm

    A lot of cooks who’ve been around for a while tend to forget that not everyone knows the basics in a kitchen like chopping an onion properly. I think it is awesome that you have this tutorial up! And yes, everything tastes better with onions :o)

  10. Savvy Selections: 10.30.10. — Savvy Eats
    October 30, 2010 | 8:48 am

    […] did a great tutorial on how to dice an onion. Now I just need to learn to hold my knives […]

  11. Deva (Voracious Vorilee)
    October 30, 2010 | 11:46 pm

    I love using onions in my cooking – this is amazingly helpful – thank you!

  12. How To Pan Fry Hamburgers | The Wannabe Chef
    November 10, 2010 | 10:03 am

    […] 1 medium onion, diced […]