Basics: How to chop an onion without tears

All the acids which cause your eyes to water are concentrated in the root end of the onion so the way to avoid tears is to avoid the root end of the onion.

Using a strong sharp knife, cut off the stalk end of the onion.

Peel back all the outer layers of the onion, if possible keep the outer layers intact as they make a convenient handle. 

Slice lengthways through the onion but don't go right down to the root, repeat this across the onion,


then turn it around other way and slice through again to produce a criss cross pattern  pictured below

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Lay the onion on its side and slice across the the diameter of the onion and as the pieces fall off you will see that they are diced.




If you want slices  rather than diced onion, stop when you have the criss cross pattern and just cut the root end off.

Now just toss the root end and the outer layers in the bin and you are done - onions chopped and dry eyes in the house.

Basics: Spoons

It occurred to me that not everyone is familiar with the sizes of spoons.  I can remember when I was much younger thinking that a tablespoon was the sort that was put on the table to eat dessert with.  It isn't.  In a set of cutlery there can be several different sizes of spoons. 

1. A teaspoon - I think most people know what this is, it generally holds approximately 5mls.
2. Dessert spoon - this is the one which you put on the table to eat dessert or cereal with.
3. Soup spoon - this is a round shape and is usually very distinct from all the other shapes.
4. Tablespoon - this is similar to a dessert spoon but is much larger, you really wouldn't want to put it in your mouth.  It usually holds approximately 15mls.

There are sometimes other spoons as well, some sets include a cereal spoon which is larger than a teaspoon but smaller than a dessert spoon.  A grapefruit spoon is a similar size to a teaspoon but is elongated and has a slightly pointy end.  An ice-cream spoon is teaspoon sized but is squarer although there are spoons for tall ice-creams which are like teaspoons but have very long handles.

I would recommend the purchase of a set of measuring spoons for cooking - usually you can pick them up for around £2 - to ensure consistency of measurement as different brands of cutlery are different sizes.