if I place a tea spoon in my mouth whilst chopping an onion, it stops my eyes watering. Try it? 10/10 top tip :-)

Alex, Banstead, UK

One thing that struck me about this film was just how blunt the knife seemed (?)

Blunt knives slip around when you are cutting and so you have a much greater chance of losing a finger.

JC, Surrey, UK

Most of the eye watering stuff is at the root end
If you cut this off first and hold it together by the tip instead - ie reversing the cut shown here - your eyes won't water at all

Susan, Reading, england

Frozen chopped onions

Alan reid, Carlisle, Cumbria

The point about finger position is a good one... and not just for onions. If the knife hits anything by accident it should be your finger nails - not finger tips.... and remember to keep your thumb out of the way.

Ivan Mykytyn, Glasgow, UK

horizontal cut is to divide the cells up even more for a finer dice, and for watering eyes you will gradually get used to it.. thats what iv found anyway.

Will, Chester, England

Agree with comment number 1. Think the horizontal cut is excess to requirements as the onion is already layered and thus falls apart after the final slicing.
The only time I've ever cut my fingers when chopping an onion is when doing a horizontal slice as you are cutting towards your hands.

Rob, London,

I think the final horizontal cut is excess to requirements...???

dave pounds, Orangeville, Canada

Please pass on to everybody who cooks that if you put a wooden pencil in your mouth before you start cutting or chopping onions they your eyes DO NOT WATER!

Sue Bates, Bourne, Lincolnshire

If you whistle while you work, then you reduce the tears.
(you're blowing the gas away.)

robin sutherland, toronto, canada

Don't cut the root until right at the very end and you wont cry at all

Anna, Cambridge, UK

1. Very sharp knife.
2. Cut onion into quarters.
3. Remove skin layers from each quarter.
4. Place a quarter face down with stalk/root end uppermost.
5. Slice down into radial sections while missing the central core.
6. Tip the quarter up so core face is on board and slice.
No tears either!

Hugh O'Neill, Chichester, U.K.

don't breath through your mouth when handling and chopping, wash hands right after

c.j.bird, toronto, canada

Wear sunglasses, it works and you look soooper cool!

simon, London, UK

Burnt matches? Freezer? goggles? Whatever next? Get a wife - she'll do it for you! (to show I'm not sexist - a husband, if one of those is more appropriate).

chris, hitchin, uk

The knife would have been better if a little longer and sharper!
The reason you cry when chopping onions is that propanethiol S-oxide is released when you break the cells.
So the sharper the knife and the faster you cut the better!
Also put a teatowel or wet kitchen roll under your board no slips !

Will Miller, Lytham-St-Annes,

hmm . i normally have the fan switched on. apparently the onion gives off a fume that will irritate the eyes. this fume can easily be dispersed if air is flowing around you.

Jim, london,

First and foremost, while watching this video, it is clear that the knife could have been sharpened a bit more.
To avoid crying while chopping them is to run both your hands as well as your wrists under a cold tap. This can be done once the crying has started and will ease in no time.Happy chopping

Sylvain Berger, London, England

If u soak the onions in cold water for 7-8 minutes..then u wont have to cry ur way thru cutting it!!

ally, doha, qatar

If the title is "Raymond Blanc gives a masterclass", the you put him in front of the camera, no? And also, this film is completely overexposed, so with a white chopping board and a white onion, this makes for a very poor excuse of a cooking lesson. A loss of space really.

Oscar, London,

A surefire way to avoid teary eyes when chopping onions is to
fill a large bath with luke warm water and to then wear a standard issue snorkel. Any old type will do so long as it is a good fit. Place head underwater and breath normally.
Place onions on a sturdy floating tray and chop carefully.

Brendan Fearn, Liverpool, UK

light a candle and place it next to your chopping board where you are cutting your onion.hold a piece of bread betweeen your teeth, pour a little white vinegar on your board, slice the root at the end as it has more gas that reacts with your eyes and try brown onions not white ones
good luck

Harriet, byron bay, autralia

Hold a teaspoon in your teeth while you chop, bowl end not handle. I don't know why this works, but it does.

Steven Hamilton, London,

Someone once showed me this & I swear by it. Get a tall glass of ice water - dip the knife into the ice water before each slice of the onion & you will have no tears. It's probably a similar concept as putting the onion in the freezer, but you don't have to wait & you won't find your onion in the freezer hours later if you get distracted & forget to take it out.

Barbara, Atlanta, USA/GA

What a silly video - isn't how to chop an onion common knowledge!?! Oh no, I forget, everyone buys ready-meals now.

To confirm what several people have said, you want a clean cut, so use a sharp knife (not serrated for the same reasons as choping) to slice the onion.

A general tip: sharpen the knife each time you use it. After a while it will be permanently sharp life in the kitchen will improve greatly...

Carles, Basel, CH

Squeeze a little lemon juice on the onion and you will not have tears.

David, London, UK

This works like magic -- light a match and blow it out. Hold the match stick from the unburnt side in your mouth with the burnt portion (might xtill be slightly smoking) of the matchstick in front of you -- then chop. no tears.

sue, london,

Try leaning back or standing up straight instead of leaning over the work table. It's not necessary to have your face that close to the chopping! The further your face the less likely you are to spray your eyes. It works.

Barbara, Winchester UK,

Just put your onion in the fridge 'till cold no tears honest Just discovered and really really works. Holding your breath works but like under water technique not too practical and freezing can break down the walls of the onion.

nick victor, london, london

James Hazan, please pay me. Don;t know why my previous comment was not accepted, but here goes again:
Put the onions you wish to chop/slice in the freezer for about 15 minutes or so before doing so, and voila! no more tears

Alice, Hove,

Contact lenses work really well...

Lindsay, Sydney, Australia

trust an american,chop it underwater/or in a jar chopper.... did nt see that at the french laundry..........michelin yes,new york times no chop fast & clean ask any commis chef,we all spent months doing just onions......jar chopper,yeh,right!!!!!

adam west, pattaya, thailand

Can Mr Gooch confirm whether it is the onion or the individual that has to be underwater?

Richard, Leeds, UK

I can't resist repeating some advice I saw in a letter to the Times years ago:

Wear swimming goggles when chopping onions, but do remember to take them off if you answer the door.

Paul Samson, ST GENIS-POUILLY, France

Amateurs: there are two methods of cutting an onion and preventing eye irritation. One is to cut it under water. Two, is to chop it in a jar chopper.

larry gooch, baton rouge, USA, Louisiana

Rafael Chavez hit the nail on the head, I use an 8" chef's knife and cannot remember the last time I shed a tear when slicing onions. The weight of the knife helps with the slicing as you do not have to exert so much pressure.

Douglas Westgate, New Orleans, LA USA

I have a suggestion to avoid watering eyes while chopping onions: just rub the knife with a slice of lime before starting to chop. That makes a big difference for me.

Maria. Mexico City.

Maria, Mexico City, Mexico

Simple.

You have to SLICE the onion, do not CHOP.
The difference is that when you chop you put more pressure and squeeze the onion cells, which then spray the irritating fluid in front of your eyes..
Use a larger sharp knife and slide it through, making the same cuts if you wish, but without pressing.

My fees, as agreed!

Rafael Chavez
Surgeon

Rafael Chavez, Cardiff,

What about looking at what you are doing?I can never see the onion ,due to the profusion of tears.Yes,I'll pay £275,if anyone can show me how to chop an onion without tears.I have tried everything,Goggles,gas mask etc

james hazan, huddersfield, U.K