Thread: The Tears!!!

Originally Posted by Xaqaria

My eyes ache 20 minutes now after pureeing onions. Aggh

But it's worth it!

Sure is! Home made spaghetti sauce and meatballs.

Damn...when's dinner?

This morning -onions in my omlette.

I never cry when cutting onions, because I'm a real man.



Actually I really don't. Mind over matter or something. Sautéed mushrooms and onions win.

Originally Posted by Man of Steel

I never cry when cutting onions, because I'm a real man.



Actually I really don't. Mind over matter or something. Sautéed mushrooms and onions win.

Have you ever pureed onions? You may find you aren't as manly as you think.

Well, it seems that the propanethiol S-oxide produced when cutting an onion simply does not affect me as badly. Maybe I'm just immune to sulfuric acid.

It's actually mostly due to having dry eyes. The propanethiol S-oxide (the gas produced when the cut cells of the onion release amino acid sulfoxides that react with enzymes in the onion) has to react with the natural tears and moisture in your eyes to become sulfuric acid, which is what burns your eyes. The burning in turn causes your eyes to tear up to dilute the acid, causing a slight chain reaction for the duration of time spent cutting the onion. Because my eyes are very dry anyway, as long as my face isn't directly above the onion as I cut it I avoid the reaction/process altogether. Simple science.

You're making me want to go cook something with onions in now. I am actually getting hungry from typing this post.

Well, this turned out to be a very educational post!

(oh and my eyes tear when I cut onions too.. but I love them! )

.

Originally Posted by Man of Steel

Well, it seems that the propanethiol S-oxide produced when cutting an onion simply does not affect me as badly. Maybe I'm just immune to sulfuric acid.

It's actually mostly due to having dry eyes. The propanethiol S-oxide (the gas produced when the cut cells of the onion release amino acid sulfoxides that react with enzymes in the onion) has to react with the natural tears and moisture in your eyes to become sulfuric acid, which is what burns your eyes. The burning in turn causes your eyes to tear up to dilute the acid, causing a slight chain reaction for the duration of time spent cutting the onion. Because my eyes are very dry anyway, as long as my face isn't directly above the onion as I cut it I avoid the reaction/process altogether. Simple science.

Wow. That was interesting.

And I used to have to cut hundreds of onions, back when I worked at Philly Connection. Hours and hours cutting onions in a tiny, back room, out of a multi-gallon pot.

Torture.