Horizontal cuts when dicing an onion

Should you make horizontal cuts (parallel to the board) through the halves of an onion before dicing?

Best Answer

Yes. The standard method is to make 2 or 3 horizontal cuts (depending on the size of the onion), then 3-5 vertical cuts, then slice to form dice.

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Why are onions cut horizontally?

It really depends on what size of dice you're going for. For a smaller dice, I'd recommend at least one horizontal slice, as it prevents you from ending up with significantly larger sized pieces from the sides of the onion. I tend to do 1 or 2 horizontal slices, and then some vaguely radial slices ...

How do you cut an onion horizontally?

Chop horizontally.Rotate the onion and slice vertically down through the onion, still leaving the root end intact. Discard the root end and repeat with the remaining half of the onion. The closer together the initial horizontal and vertical cuts are, the smaller the dice.

Are horizontal cuts on an onion necessary?

The most widely known method for chopping an onion involves making a series of vertical and then horizontal cuts, the latter requiring cutting toward the hand holding the onion. Here's a different method that's just as fast but doesn't require the horizontal cuts, which some cooks don't like to make. 1.

Which way do you cut an onion to dice it?

How to dice an onion

Cut the onion in half, slicing downwards through the root, then peel.

Cut 5-6 vertical slices into each half, leaving the root intact.

Lay the onion half flat, slicing horizontally and keeping the root intact.

Slice downwards across these cuts to dice.

More answers regarding horizontal cuts when dicing an onion

Answer 2

It really depends on what size of dice you're going for.

For a smaller dice, I'd recommend at least one horizontal slice, as it prevents you from ending up with significantly larger sized pieces from the sides of the onion. I tend to do 1 or 2 horizontal slices, and then some vaguely radial slices ... I don't make the follow-up slices completely radial, as you'll end up with very small bits from the center of the onion relative to the outer parts.

For a really large dice (stews, roasted vegetables, etc.), I'll slice it across the blossom-stem pole, then give it 3 radial cuts that don't go quite all the way through (so that I don't end up cutting through the center few layers of onion) ... and I cut the middle one deeper than the side two.

In both cases, consistently sized bits means that they cook more evenly; if you don't, you're a higher risk of some pieces burning before the rest have actually cooked through. Stirring more helps, but it requires much more attention when cooking. If you have poor knife skills, it might be less time for you to pay more attention when cooking, but I find it easier to get them consistent from the start.

Answer 3

I dice onions using horizontal cuts first, then vertical cuts as @ElendilTheTall states above. However, it does take some practice.

If you are a new cook or you haven't had much practice with your knife, you may want to take a look at this clip from RachelRay

Bobby Flay is also in the clip and calls it a common sense technique. It appears to work quite nicely, resulting in a pretty even dice.

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