How to Thinly Slice an Onion: Chef Pro Tips!

Onions are one of the most versatile ingredients used in cooking, and knowing how to cut them into thinly-sliced onions will take your culinary skills up a notch. By following this simple step-by-step guide, you'll be able to easily and safely slice onion pieces with ease.

What You'll Need

Before we begin with the step-by-step guide, here are a few kitchen tools that you'll need:

• Onions: Large /medium onions are perfect for practicing
• Cutting boards
• Sharp knife: Investing in a good quality chef's knife will ensure that it stays sharp and can handle the job of slicing onions.
• Sharpening stone or electric knife sharpener (Optional but a good investment): These are sure to lessen the possibility of a dull knife and keep your knives in tip-top shape for future use.

See More: How To Sharpen A Chef Knife Properly

Step 1: Prepare the Onion

The first part of the step-by-step guide to achieving thinly-sliced onions is to remove the outer layers and leave the root end intact.

Placing the onion on a cutting board properly is an important step in creating thin slices of onion. First, you'll want to make sure your cutting board is clean and flat. Then, place the onion on the

cutting board so that one of its ends is level with the edge of the board — this will help keep it steady as you slice

Step 2: Remove the Outer Layers

To remove the outer layers of the onion skin, you'll need a sharp chef's knife or an affordable knife from your kitchen gear. Hold the onion steady in one hand and use the other to carefully slice off the top onion skin layer.

Be sure to keep your fingers away from the blade! Once you've removed the outer onion skin layers, you can discard them or save them for making caramelized onions.

Step 3: Leave the Root End Intact

When slicing an onion, it’s important to leave the root end intact. This will help ensure that your slices stay together and don’t fall apart as you cut them. To do this, grip the onion firmly in one hand, then use your other hand to hold a sharp knife or chef knife at a slight angle and start slicing downwards from the top of the onion towards the root end.

Step 4: Cut and get Onion Halves

Once you have sliced the onion at a slight angle and reached the root end, it’s time to cut the onion in half. To properly get onion halves, place the onion on a cutting board and use your chef knife to cut down through the center of the onion from top to bottom.

Make sure to keep your fingers away from the blade as you make this cut. When done correctly, you should be left with two onion halves.

Step 7: Thinly Slice the Onion

Once the onion is peeled and prepped, it’s time to start slicing. Start by cutting each half of the onion into thin slices by placing your knife at a 45-degree angle from the flat side of the onion. With your other hand, hold the onion steady while you make thin and uniform slices.

Continue to slice until you have reached the root end, making sure to keep all of your fingers away from the blade. If needed, you can also cut each slice in half for even thinner pieces.

For those looking to achieve a more uniform look with their onion slices, try cutting them into rings or long strips instead. To do this, cut along the equator of each half so that there are two equal-sized pieces. Then, starting at one end of each piece, cut thinly across into rings or long strips towards the root end. Finally, discard any remaining peel or core pieces that couldn’t be sliced. Now you have perfectly thin slices of onion ready for cooking!

Now that you have your onion slices, you can continue slicing them into thin pieces or turn this onion into rings for caramelized onions.

How To Store Sliced Onion

As onion slices only last up to 8 to 10 days in the refrigerator, it is highly recommended to store the sliced onions in an airtight container, plastic wrap, or zipper-top bag. The longer you refrigerate onions, the harsher their flavor; use them within a few days if you want to eat them raw. Discard slimy onions or those with an odd smell immediately.

(See more: How to make French Onion Soup)

By following these steps, you'll be able to easily thinner slices of onions that you can use for your favorite dishes. Ready to find out more about how to get the best results? Read on for answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about thinly sliced onions.