When cutting onions you bite on a piece of bread, spoon or even a matchstick to prevent tears.
The bread, matchstick or even spoon absorb the sulfurous compounds which are released by the onion.
Biting on a piece of bread is a common trick when cutting onions to avoid tears as the bread absorbs the onion's volatile compounds and prevent them from reaching your eyes.
Holding a spoon, especially a metal spoon in your mouth also diverts the irritating compounds from your eyes, similar to how breathing through the mouth can also help.
And a matchstick, especially the red tip of the matchstick acts as a sponge to absorb the sulfurous compounds.
Biting a wooden spoon can also help to absorb the compounds and prevent you from crying or tearing up.
To avoid tears and crying when cutting onions you can chill the onions in the refrigerator for awhile before cutting them or soak them in some cold water for a few minutes or even cut the onions under some running water.
You can also cut an onion without it burning your eyes by placing a wet paper towel next to the onion when cutting it to help attract the chemical causing irritant and direct it away from your eyes.
Putting a wet paper towel next to an onion when cutting the onion does really work to help reduce tears.
Onions release the chemical irritant when they are cut and the moisture from the wet paper towel attracts the irritant and compound and draws it away from your eyes.
The reason why onions make you cry when you cut them is because of the chemical compound called lachrymatory factor LF that is released when the onion is cut.
Onions contain a chemical compound called LF or lachrymatory factor which is a sulfur containing compound which irritates your eyes and causes your eyes to produce tears.
When you cut into the onion it releases the lachrymatory factor LF sulfur containing compound.
Also when you cut into an onion, the enzymes that are within the onion cells are activated.
Then the enzymes react with the sulfur compounds in the onion, which produces the LF or lachrymatory factor.
The lachrymatory factor compound is volatile and easily evaporates into the air.
Once it evaporates into the air the lachrymatory factor compound then comes into contact with your eyes and it also irritates the nerve endings and causes a stinging sensation and tearing or crying.
To reduce the tears from onion cutting you should use a sharp knife to minimize damaging of the onions cells.
Chilling the onions before cutting them and even soaking the onions in cold water for a few minutes or even cutting the onions under running water can also help prevent the tears or crying when cutting onions.
You can also wear some goggles to reduce the contact of the compounds to the eyes.