I’m very sensitive to the fumes that white and yellow onions give off when I slice into them. Sometimes I can chop a whole onion with a minimal amount of burning and tearing. Other times, I have to splash my eyes with cold water for several minutes in order to ease the burning. It depends upon the onion.

My husband advised me to run the onion under cold tap water for several minutes. This helped sometimes, but not always. Finally, I went online to find some solutions to this common problem and found some tips.

1. Wear goggles. That sounds funny, but it makes sense. People who are sensitive to chlorine wear them, so it might help.
2. Peel the onion. Then cut it in half and soak in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes. The fumes should be greatly reduced, but you run the risk of diminishing the flavor of the onion.
3. Use a very sharp knife to cut onions. Dull knives rip through the onion’s cells, causing the sulfuric compound to leak out or spray into the air. I’ve been caught in the eye with onion juice more times than I can count.
4. Turn on your stove’s ventilator fan.
5. Open a window. Better yet, get some cross-ventilation by opening two opposing windows, if you can.

I’ll look for some more tips. In the meantime, if you have a suggestion, I’d love to hear from you.