• General
• Selection & Storage
• Preparation & Serving
• Nutrition Information

Although we love to eat them, preparing onions can be an unpleasant experience that literally brings tears to your eyes! When we cut onions, the damaged cells release their contents causing enzymes that were previously kept separate to mix with sulphur containing acids. This leads to the formation of a volatile sulphur compound that irritates and burns the eyes, causing them to release tears in order to wash the irritant away.

Here are a few tips on how to reduce the irritation to your eyes when cutting onions:

• Refrigerate the onions for an hour or so before cutting them as this will slow the activity of the enzyme that produces the offending gas.
• Cut the root of the onion off last as it contains a higher concentration of enzymes.
• Use a sharp knife to chop onions as this will limit the cell damage and therefore the release of enzymes.
• Run a fan to blow the gas away from the eyes while cutting.
• Rinse the onions and leave them wet while chopping.
• Consider buying your onions pre-chopped and frozen.
• If all else fails, consider wearing goggles

Onions can be eaten raw or cooked and can be prepared in a variety of ways, eaten alone or incorporated into dishes. Remember to remove the crisp outer layers of the onion as well as the root and neck before slicing, dicing or cooking whole.

Serving ideas:

• Fry halved baby rosa tomatoes and wedges of onion in a tablespoon of olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar and fresh thyme, oregano or rosemary. Season with salt and black pepper and serve with a cooked breakfast or on toast.
• Thinly sliced red onion adds flavour and colour to your garden salad. It is especially good in a Thai salad combined with lemongrass, slices of fillet and chilli.
• French onion soup as well as onion and leek bisque are delicious starters or lunch options for winter.
• Diced onion works wonderfully in salsa – from the tradition Mexican combination of diced onion, tomato, chilli and coriander to the sweet pineapple and onion salsa, a combination of diced sweet onion, pineapple, red pepper, coriander and jalapenos.
• Bake peeled and halved white onions that have been lightly drizzled with olive oil and red wine and seasoned with salt, black pepper and fresh thyme. Serve as a veggie side dish.
• Wedges of onion can be included in your roast veggie mix – they provide a delicious sweet taste to the dish.
• Perk up your plain rice by mixing diced and sautéed onion and red pepper through it.
• Try an onion risotto – a combination of leeks, shallots, white onion and garlic, cooked together with Arborio rice, white wine, chicken stock, fresh thyme and butter. Stir in ricotta or goats cheese before serving.
• Sautéed onions are so versatile and can be used in the preparation of almost all soups, casseroles and stews, and can be added to most veggie dishes.