The Odd Bread Hack To Stop Onion Chopping Tears

Onions are supposed to make you cry. The beloved members of the allium genus evolved noxious fumes — the result of a complex chemical reaction — to ward off pests. Evolution didn't account for how good onions taste when they're roasted, sautéed, or deep-fried, though. Humans don't care. We eat them anyway.

That said, we're not immune to the plant's defenses. Many cooks use onions daily, but cutting them is still a frustrating, even painful, ordeal. Scientists are working on developing a fume-free onion, but for now, we're stuck with hacks and folk remedies. Many have been around for hundreds of years. Some are based on science, others seem more like superstition.

One of the odder hacks involves holding a piece of bread in your mouth while you work. While the suggestion sounds like superstition, some people rave about it. Others claim it's bunk. Bloggers, influencers, and message board commenters are pretty evenly split. But sometimes unexpected food hacks just work, so I had to put it to the test.

The only onions I had were sweet yellow onions. They're not very pungent, but still strong enough to make me misty. I grabbed a knife, stuffed a hunk of stale baguette in my mouth, and got to work.

It might've been my imagination, but I think the bread helped a bit. My eyes prickled but didn't water. The bread got pretty wet, though: it was hard to keep from drooling. Halfway through, I took the bread out and started on the second half to compare. I started to tear up. Admittedly, I probably should've left time to let my eyes clear — but I'm a writer, not a scientist.

So, is there any scientific basis here? Some people suggest that the bread makes you breathe through your mouth, keeping the smell out of your nasal passages. Others speculate that the bread absorbs the fumes. Personally, I wondered if it had anything to do with all that drool. A quick Google search and a 2023 study from the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology dashed that theory. According to the study, stimulating saliva makes your eyes water more. Again, I'm not a scientist.

The bread hack is similar to another suggestion, chewing gum while chopping. It's a common myth, but many people who actually tried it were unimpressed. Even compared to the bread hack, gum seems to be a dud.

One popular hack involves cutting the onion under water, either in a bowl or under a tap. From a scientific standpoint, the water keeps the onion's gasses from reaching your eyes. It's too cumbersome for me, but I can attest to the power of water. If the smell starts to get overwhelming, I like to run the onion under cold water before going back to the cutting board. Other people suggest swimming goggles. It makes sense: the fumes won't stand a chance if your eyes are blocked off. Sure, you'll look silly — but no sillier than you'd look holding a lump of bread in your mouth.

Gordon Ramsay advises leaving the root of the onion on while you work. "If you cut [the root] off the onion will start to bleed and you'll start crying rapidly," he explained in a video demonstrating his dicing technique. Ramsay demonstrates his impeccable knife skills by making long, lengthwise cuts, leaving a gap before he gets to the root. That way, the root stays intact until he's done. His advice seems sound. I'm not sure it would stop the tears entirely, but it's something I'll keep in mind for the future. I don't think I'll be stocking up on extra loaves of bread, though.