How to Chop an Onion

To Chop or Dice an Onion

1. On the top of the onion, there will be a papery looking knob. On the bottom of the onion, you'll see a root end with little root threads hanging off. You'll want to keep the root end of the onion intact as you move forward, it will make chopping the onion easier.
2. Slice off the papery top of the onion and discard.
3. Slice the onion in half length-wise, slicing through the thready root knob to cut the onion into two equal halves.
4. Start with one half of the onion. Lay the flat side down on your cutting board. Peel off the papery outer skin and any blemished outer layer to reveal a clean onion. Discard the skin and outer layers.
5. With the flat side down, slice through the onion vertically several times, stopping just shy of the root end. The root will help hold your slices together, which will make dicing easier. Don't worry if a few edge pieces fall away from the root, no big deal- you can chop them later.
6. Give the onion a quarter turn and slice thinly in the opposite direction to create your chopped, diced pieces.
7. When the onion becomes too small to slice comfortably, turn it flat side down and continue chopping all the way to the knob.
8. Discard the knob. Repeat the process for the remaining onion half.

To Mince an Onion:

1. Some recipes call for a smaller dice, also known as a mince. Once you have finished dicing the onion as outlined above, you can easily mince it by running your knife through the diced onions, chopping them into even finer pieces. Think Martin Yan, Yan Can Cook style (anybody else remember watching him?? One of my favorite shows as a kid!). Chop chop chop! Continue chopping through the pile until you achieve the texture you desire.