How to Slice and Dice an Onion

From soups to sauces, stews to stir fries, onions are a fundamental ingredient in the flavour base of many dishes. Once you know how to prepare an onion for cooking, the possibilites of what you can make with it are endless.

Using a knife

Before you start it is important to know how to hold your knife when cutting and how to hold the onion to avoid chopping your fingers.

Grip the handle of your knife firmly with your dominant hand. That means if you are right-handed use your right hand, if you are left-handed use your left.

Bridge hold

To chop an onion in half, hold the onion securely with your non-knife hand using a bridge hold.

Grip the handle of the knife firmly to slice through the onion.

Claw grip

To slice and dice the onion, hold your non-knife hand like a claw and grip the onion firmly.

As you make cuts, make sure your fingers are tucked in at all times.

Follow the steps below to learn how to slice and dice an onion

1

Secure your board with two sheets of damp kitchen roll.

2

To slice an onion, cut off the top and the root.

3

Slice the onion in half and remove the papery skins.

4

Lay half an onion on your board, cut side down with a cut end facing towards you and slice.

5

When you are near the end, turn the onion on it's side to cut the remaining slices.

6

To chop an onion, cut off the top. Keep the root intact, so only trim the ends from the root.

7

Slice the onion in half and remove the papery skins.

8

Make a few horizontal cuts 3/4s of the way through the onion, Keeping the root intact.

9

Turn the onion so that the top is angled towards you. Make vertical cuts through the onion.

10

Turn the onion 90° so that the top is angled away from you and make further vertical cuts.

11

As you near the end turn the root on its side to cut around it.

12

That's it! Your onion is now diced and ready to use.

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