Onion why tears

The tears we are most aware of are reflex tears and emotional tears. Reflex tears are a flushing mechanism of the eye. Reflex tears are secreted in response to the threat of intrusion of a foreign body.

When dangerous chemicals, harmful microorganisms, or solid particles might enter the eye, the glands secrete large amounts of reflex tears. For example: as a reaction to gas emitted from onions. We may suddenly find ourselves with watery eyes and wet cheeks. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content When people cut an onion, it irritates their eyes and some of them cry.

Why Do You Cry Cutting Onions When we cut onion, two substances mix producing sulfurous gas, which decomposes into sulfuric acid when it comes into contact with water, as in wet eyes. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. When the nerves in each eye detect a lachrymatory agent, they generate tears to flush it out.

Some people are more likely to cry when cutting onions than others. The onions that generate the harshest chemical reaction have lots of sulfur-containing compounds.

These include yellow, red, and white onions. Sweeter types, such as green onions , have less sulfur, are less pungent, and produce fewer tears in most people. Through genetic transformation, crop scientists have also created tear-free onion varieties.

While not yet mass-produced, you can find tear-free onions called Sunions in some specialty markets. Here are some tips to reduce crying from onion irritation:. First, keep in mind that the length of time you store onions affects their potency and tear-producing abilities. Fresher onions are less likely to cause crying than those that have been stored for an extended period of time.

However you slice them, try to avoid cutting your onion near the root end. This is the part that contains the highest concentration of sulfuric compounds that can make you cry. Using a sharp knife may also help. The sharper the knife, the less damage is done to the onion, and fewer irritations are released into the air as a result. To reduce or eliminate onion tears, you may have the best luck if you diminish the sulfuric acid compounds in the onion itself. To do this, try chilling your onion in a bowl of ice water for 30 minutes before cutting.

Some people also prefer to cut their onions while submerged in cold water. Try running a fan to circulate the air or wearing eye protection, such as goggles, while you prepare onions. One old tale says to keep a piece of white bread in your mouth while cutting, based on the theory that the bread will absorb onion vapor.

The distinctive taste of fresh onion can be hard to replicate. But you may want to substitute onions in your cooking if they frequently cause uncomfortable, disruptive eye symptoms. Preparing onions often causes a chemical reaction that results in tears for most people.

Some people are more sensitive to onions than others. White, yellow, or red onions are also more likely to make you cry than green ones. Glover explains it: On one hand, a contact lens covers the cornea, which contains nerves and pain receptors that react to the gas released when cutting onions. On the other hand, contact lenses can disrupt the tear film and may lead to dry eyes , which affects basal tear production. Having dry eyes can make the irritation of cutting onions even worse.

With Dr. I found that cutting onions of any kind with my contacts in only mildly irritated my eyes, even when I intentionally tried to breathe in the fumes. Mincing a yellow onion without my contacts in was the worst: It led to a flood of tears and so much irritation that my right eye actually started to twitch. I bought an array of onions to test in my kitchen: yellow onions, white onions, red onions, sweet onions and green onions.

My reactions ranged from sobbing, sniffling, coughing and cursing the onion to slightly watery eyes with mild nose and throat irritation to almost no reaction. But each type of onion, except the green onions, made me at least a little teary eyed. So, which onions made me cry the most? Surprisingly, even sweet onions — which can be eaten in thick slices on burgers, or minced into a summer salad — can still make you cry.

These onions, marketed as Sunions, are grown in Nevada and Washington and sold only at certain times of year. As long as onions have been bringing tears to eyes, the hunt has been on for how to cut them up without all the crying. Some advice on how to cut onions without crying sounds silly — for example, chewing gum, holding a baguette in your mouth or lighting a match, blowing it out and letting the smoke waft around you while you chop.

And earlier this year, onion lovers everywhere got excited when a video describing an onion-chopping hack went viral on TikTok. At first I thought avoiding cutting into the root end of the onion also sounded like a kitchen myth, but the National Onion Association actually recommends this trick. This is because the root contains a higher concentration of the compound that forms the gas that makes you cry. I tested five seemingly reasonable tips for cutting onions without crying to see which worked best.

Donning onion goggles see our pick for best onion goggles. Slicing and dicing an onion in the sink under running water worked, but it was awkward — I nicked my thumb with the knife — and it made the onion soggy. Plus, getting the onion wet, or chilling it, could affect the way the onion performs and tastes in the dish, notes Block. Start by cutting off the top of the onion, then peel the skin off the bulb, leaving it attached to the onion at the root to help you avoid slicing into the root end.