Soothe Onion Tears

1. Wash your hands with soap and water after you've finished cutting an onion. This will remove all of the onion juice from your hands.

2. Splash cool water on your face and eyes. This will offer your eyes relief from the enzymes that lead to onion tears.

3. Set a cool, damp washcloth onto your eyes. Continue to re-wet the washcloth with cool water until the irritation goes away.

4. Step outside into the fresh air. The faster you remove yourself from the onion odor, the more quickly the onion tears will disappear. If your kitchen has a window, open the window to allow the onion fumes to disperse

Prevent Onion Tears

1. Cut the onion under running water. This will wash away the enzymes that lead to onion tears before they waft upward toward your eyes.

2. Chop up the onions with a food processor or mechanical onion chopper. Both of these will cover the onion while it is being chopped, which will prevent the odors from heading upwards to your eyes.

3. Wear glasses or sunglasses while cutting the onion. The glasses will shield your eyes from the onion odor.

4. Place the onion into the freezer overnight before chopping. This will reduce the amount of enzymes in the onion, making it less irritating to cut up.