Gordon Ramsay is a force to be reckoned with; his tough, explosive persona has garnered fame on television. Whether you’re intimidated or inspired by chef Ramsay, there’s no denying that he’s a culinary pro with international influence and acclaim in his many award-winning restaurants, whose cooking tips are certainly worth following. And his technique for dicing an onion is as efficient and ingenious as it gets.
In a tutorial he shares on YouTube, chef Ramsay gives a simple one-minute, step-by-step demonstration on how to dice an onion that revolves around one key tip: Keeping the root intact. He starts by cutting an onion in half lengthwise, slicing right through the root, which he uses as both an anchor and a prevention measure for those pesky tears onions are famous for provoking. The roots harbor the densest collection of tear-producing compounds, so keeping it intact while you dice will help keep the compounds from being released as gases. Keeping the root together also means that the onion will maintain its shape as it anchors all the layers as you chop.
Chef Ramsay grips the half onion using three fingers and cuts down lengthwise almost to the root, with the knife tip facing the root to slice vertically downwards with the cuts as close together as possible. He then makes three wide incisions from the end of the onion horizontally inward towards the root, angling the knife slightly downwards. The final step is to hold the grid-like cuts in place — “Gripping it together like a tennis ball” as chef Ramsay explains — to maintain the half-dome shape of the onion as you cut from the top of the dome downwards across its length. The mini dice will fall away onto the chopping board as you go. The final step is to grab the root that’s left behind and chop away any remaining onion flesh, leaving only the root to be discarded.
How to use diced onions
Diced onions are the foundation of countless dishes, supplying the base flavor for cooked and raw recipes. Learning to dice them efficiently and without tears will make prep work that much easier. A finely diced onion will cook faster and disperse more evenly throughout a cooked dish. It’s an integral component in most global aromatic foundations like the Cajun Holy Trinity, French mirepoix, and Italian soffritto. If you’re making caramelized onions, this efficient technique will certainly cut down on the tedious prep time. You can also leave out the three slits through the onion’s midsection, slicing vertically from root to end. Then, you can simply slice off the root and you’re left with thin half-moon onion strips to use in salads or grilled with peppers for fajitas and cheese steaks.
While chef Ramsay demonstrates the dicing technique with a yellow onion, it works on all other types of onion. Dice a white onion quickly to use as a garnish with chopped cilantro on your favorite taco recipes, black bean soup, or a spicy Texas red chili. Finely diced red onions are the ones to use for a spicier batch of pico de gallo or this crave-worthy guacamole. Not only does Ramsay’s technique work on onions, but you can use it as a blueprint for finely dicing all kinds of vegetables, from zucchini and cucumber to tomatoes.
