Onions provide a savory, pungent boost to almost any dish, but that flavor can sometimes be overwhelming, especially if the onions are raw. Because they become more potent after being cut, adding them to a salad or sandwich you won’t eat until the next day can result in the onions taking over. You could opt…
The Cold Water Onion Hack
The flavors of onions and their cousins in the allium family — chives, leeks, shallots, and garlic — come from sulfur compounds. When you slice or bite into them, you crush the cell walls and trigger an enzymatic reaction that releases that familiar, pungent bite. While this reaction takes only seconds, the resulting volatile compounds continue to break down and spread, which explains why raw onions’ flavors seem to get stronger with time.
Because these compounds are water-soluble, however, the solution is simple: cold water. Submerge your sliced or chopped onions in a bowl of cold tap water for 10 to 15 minutes to let the sharpest sulfur compounds leach out. Don’t worry — you’ll still have plenty of that distinctive onion flavor, but the pieces will remain much milder after their water bath.
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Infuse New Flavors
This hack is a great “pro tip” in its own right, but you can take it a step further by changing up the liquid. Soaking the onions in wine, beer, or a mild vinegar will mellow them out while lending them a new and complementary flavor. If you’re making a sauce or dressing to go with the finished dish, double down by reusing that leftover onion-infused liquid as your base — it’s two hacks in one.
