The Baking Soda Trick That Takes The Intense Bite Out Of Onions

Raw onions pack a pungent punch of flavor, perfect for when your juicy burger needs a sharp lift, your kitchen-sink salad needs a little kick, or your salsa needs a bright and crunchy complement. But raw onions, no matter the variety, have a tendency to overwhelm the palate — and a proclivity to stick with you on your breath throughout the day. An onion's acidic sting derives from the same place as its tear-inducing fumes, although there is a foolproof way to cut one without crying. While growing and trying to avoid being eaten, your onion strives to defend itself as best it can, releasing enzymes and sulfenic acid that make your senses burn. Fortunately, if you crave the taste of raw onion but hate the bitter lingering effects, there are a few easy ways to temper their biting taste.

The easiest method for red, white, and yellow onions (the best variety for French onion soup) of all shapes and sizes is an ice bath. After peeling and slicing your onions, douse them in ice-cold water for at least 15 minutes, then drain before using. You'll notice right away that your raw onions taste decidedly less raw. However, home cooks have found tricks to tame this strong flavor, even expanding on the simple soaking technique. Some salt their sliced raw onions, letting them sit for several minutes, and then drain their moisture with a quick colander rinse. Others recommend soaking onions in vinegar. But for the mildest raw onions, adding baking soda to the water bath can't be beat.

If you're particularly sensitive to the intense bite of raw onions, add baking soda to your water bath — about a tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water should suffice. Where water alone will helpfully leach out some of an onion's biting components, baking soda puts in the work to actively neutralize an onion's sulfenic acid. This is particularly helpful if you'd rather not be tasting any onion well past lunchtime.

Similar to the more basic water bath method, soak your sliced onions in water and baking soda for at least 15 minutes, though a few more minutes won't hurt them. The only difference in technique is that rather than just draining your onions, you'll want to rinse them thoroughly before adding them to any dish (or eating them as is). The metallic taste of baking soda can linger on your onions if you give them just a cursory rinse, so take care to toss them with your hands during the process. Now that you have this easy onion hack on hand, use it for your next juicy Lucy burger prep or to level up your favorite salad.