How do you cut onions? No, seriously.
We don’t mean slicing, dicing, julienning or otherwise modifying per the recipe’s request. We mean what’s your trick? Do you soak the onion in water first? Do you cut it under a microwave vent? Bug-eyed with goggles on? While chewing gum?
I’m talking of course about the art of cutting onions without crying. It’s a problem that’s plagued kitchens for ages. Entire stories have been dedicated to stopping the waterworks, not to mention dedicated videos explaining the science behind why.
But here’s a plot twist: the “Sunion,” a new variety of sweet onion that promises go easy on your corneas, no matter the preparation. And they’re hitting supermarkets across the country as we speak.
Before you ask, no, they’re not genetically modified. According to Bayer Crop Science, the company behind the new breed, the sunion is a product of three decades of development and all-natural crossbreeding of less-pungent onions. They’re currently only grown in Nevada and Washington, and, as NPR reports, Bayer introduced 2.4 million pounds of sunions to the market and they will only be available until March or April, depending on supply.
So, do they succeed in stopping the burn? By all accounts, yes. Publications that have been able to get their hands on one — including NPR, the Washington Post and Huffington Post — have all more or less given the new variety a stamp of dry-eyed approval. As for taste, they’re sweet. So sweet, in fact, that Maura Judkis of the Washington Post went as far as saying they’re “sweet enough that you could sit there and eat them like popcorn.”
Strange? Yes. But take it as you will. They’re edible.
To check if you can get your hands on these new tearless onions, head on over to Sunion.
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