How to Cut an Onion

To peel an onion:

1. Using a sharp knife, cut a thin slice away from the root and stem of the onion, but leaving the root intact.
2. Place the onion stem-side down on the cutting board and slice in half from the root end to the stem end. Gently peel away the outer layer and using the tip of the knife, remove any dark spots.

To dice an onion:

1. Lay the onion cut-side-down onto the cutting board. Using a sharp knife, make two to three horizontal cuts (parallel to the cutting board) into the onion, cutting to just before the root end. The root end will hold the onion together.
2. Next make a series of evenly spaced parallel, lengthwise cuts with the tip of the knife.
3. Lastly, holding the onion in your guiding hand (non-dominant), complete the dice by cutting even crosswise cuts working from the stem end to the root end of the onion. Be sure to cut through all layers of the onion.

To julienne an onion:

1. Lay the onion cut-side-down onto the cutting board. Remove the root end. With the root end or the stem end facing you, make evenly cut matchstick-sized cuts through the onion, moving in a radial fashion towards the center of the onion, changing the angle with each cut.

To slice an onion:

1. Lay the onion cut-side-down onto the cutting board. Using a sharp knife, make a series of cuts, slicing them to the desired thickness.

To slice onion rings:

1. Do not slice the onion in half as directed in step 2. Holding the onion firmly with your guiding hand, slice into the onion starting at the stem end into rings of the desired size, stopping just before the root end. Discard the root end and break up the onion slices into rings.