Yesterday’s post about the difficulty I faced while making sloppy joes generated a bunch of responses on Twitter and Facebook. Apparently there are a ton of tricks out of there to prevent one’s eyes from burning and watering while chopping onions. They range from simple (sticking out your tongue) to bizarre (hold two matches between your lips). Sadly, none involve a Slap Chop. I kinda really want a Slap Chop.

@redsesame The irritant is attracted to moisture, hence the eyes. Run water or (what I do) stick out your tongue while you chop.

@cjohnson397 try eating a piece of bread while cutting onions, it helps

@trinniedoo wear sunglasses!

@BowsandSparrows Here’s my tip…get your man to chop the onion for you. Or…that freezer trick seems to work.

@YoungestSenior Wear contact lenses. Or even better, wear these http://bit.ly/90w7YE (PS Have not tried the second option)

@modernemotive Set up the plan J + I have. He preps, I cook. Works for us.

@Blisser My mom always told me to put lime juice on the knife before chopping onions.

@ControlledChaos Chew gum. It’s supposed to work, according to Rachel Ray (and for the most part it does).

And from some Facebook friends:

Erica: Put two matches – sulfur side out – in your mouth. So that they are hanging out of your mouth. The sulfur keeps the “onion air” out of your eyes (very technical, I know).

Justin: I try to only breathe through my mouth, which helps. Some say that chopping next to a sink with cold running water can help too. But really, and not to sound crass, chopping faster is the best way to avoid the tears! Check out this technique – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDjNl5gs4nM

Sonia: Put a slice of bread (folded in half) in your mouth. It absorbs the onion smell and prevents you from breathing out of your mouth. Sounds silly but it works!

Jennifer: Wear goggles – you know…chopping = snorkeling

Do you have a favorite tip?

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When J returned home from his deployment last week, I resolved to alleviate him from dinner-making duties more frequently. Since he enjoys cooking, I do what I can to stay out of the kitchen. However, I’m working on being more domestic and think it’s important that we share responsibilities. (Plus, I’m hoping that if I cook dinner, I can get him to clean the bathrooms, another unpleasant chore.)

Following through on my promise, last night I prepared sloppy joes using a recipe I found on Design*Sponge. The hardest part was dicing the onion. I am not too handy with a knife–which is probably why I prefer baking to cooking. Measuring cups are much safer than knives. If we owned a Slap Chop I would definitely use it, but J considers that cheating, so we don’t.

I wonder if the Slap Chop also prevents “onion eyes.” My eyes were seriously stinging for an hour after we ate. Next time a recipe calls for an onion, I’m going to follow @mediagirl77‘s suggestion: Put the onion in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before chopping. Has anybody tried that?

And as if she were reading my mind, my friend Bridgett this morning posted another trick on her Facebook page. She said that cutting an onion by an open flame will prevent you from crying. Is that true?

How do you prevent tearing up while chopping onions? Wearing goggles? Chewing gum? Avoiding cooking all together?

PS: Is it impossible for you hear the words “sloppy joe” without thinking of Adam Sandler or is it just me?

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When my sister was in Omaha a couple of weekends ago, we went on a shopping spree at Whole Foods. She loves to cook but finds it challenging to do in her New  York City apartment; her kitchen is literally the size of my coffee table. She was excited to roam the aisles of Whole Foods, picking up ingredients to create culinary masterpieces in my “huge” kitchen.

Unfortunately, my sister had to leave before she had the chance to teach me how to make homemade hummus. But this weekend, I was craving hummus and pita chips, and, knowing I already had all of the ingredients, I decided to attempt it myself. One caveat: my sister was going to use plain yogurt instead of tahini for a low fat hummus.

Using Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything (thanks, Alice!) as a guide, I quickly and easily whipped up hummus in my blender. I simply replaced the required amount of tahini with the same amount of yogurt. I’m not sure if that was the “right” thing to do… my hummus, while tasty, was a bit runny.

Later, while browsing the web, I came across this recipe for hummus with yogurt, which is very similar to the recipe I invented, except I did not add peanut butter (weird!) but did include cumin.

Would I make it again? Probably, but first I would test it out with tahini.

Do you have a favorite hummus recipe?