Another Reason to Have a Sharp Knife
Onions hold sulfur compounds in the liquids within the cell walls. When the cell is crushed or damaged, vacuoles containing an enzyme break open, allowing the enzyme to mix with the sulfur compounds and create a volatile compound that attacks the eyes and nose. It is this compound … that causes our eyes to water. … A keen edge [knife] will slice the cell walls rather than crushing them, limiting the amount of enzymes that get mixed in.”
From Chad Ward, An Edge in the Kitchen (color plate number 21)
I’m really enjoying this book and learning a lot about how my knives really can be an asset to my cooking and my kitchen. I’m learning how to use them correctly!
I grew up in a house where the knives were 20 years old and had never been sharpened for fear of someone getting cut. So needless to say, I’m learning a lot.
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Tags: Chad Ward, Chad Ward: An Edge in the Kitchen
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 8:26 pm and is filed under books and cookbooks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
2 Responses to “Another Reason to Have a Sharp Knife”
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August 20th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Totally unrelated to knives, but I heard that if you stick the onions in the freezer for a little bit before cutting them, then they also don’t make you cry.
August 20th, 2009 at 6:40 am
@Court: he mentions that too –even just a bowl of cold water — but it was the knife should be sharp part that caught my eye since my knives growing up were so horrid and I was always crying!
Thanks for visiting.