AS the weather gets colder, most of us have started to eat more seasonal veggies, such as parsnips and cabbages.
But avid foodies, who love trying out new recipes, will know what a mission it is to chop them – fortunately, one man's come to rescue with an easy hack.
Offering a helping hand to fellow food enthusiasts, Sydney Raz took to Instagram to share the life-changing trick to his 863k followers.
''Here's something I didn't know until I was in my 30s,'' the social media star exclaimed.
''Rocking a thick vegetable back and forth makes it easier to cut.''
To demonstrate this to the 4.1million viewers, Syndey grabbed a chunky butternut squash and put a sharp knife blade on top.
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He then proceeded to do the motions as instructed and within ten seconds he had cut the orange veggie in half.
Seeing how easy it was, the man was shocked and lost for words.
''The PAIN felt doing this in the past …'' he told the fans in the caption.
Mind-blown by the hack, social media users flocked to comments to than the foodie for making their life easier.
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One chuckled: ''Doing the lords work.''
Another joked: ''Oh so it’s not get the knife jammed and then slam the vegetable on the counter until the knife goes through?''
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''Ok this one is a serious game changer,'' a third was impressed.
Amongst the viewers were also some who shared their top recommendations, such as this person who claimed: ''If you’re going to be cooking butternut squash anyways, it’s honestly easier just to microwave or bake it because then it becomes really really soft and it’s even easier to cut.''
If you're cutting root veggies, chances are the recipe also calls for onions – and to make it less teary, a few chefs have compiled their go-to tricks.
BE SURE TO USE A SHARP KNIFE
It should be a regular practice to make sure your kitchen knives are sharp, and this small modification will make a world of difference when slicing up onions.
"A sharp knife causes less damage to the onion flesh, reducing the amount of gas that is released," professional chef Julie Andrews said.
With a dull knife, you're bound to have a harder time in the cutting department, thus increasing the amount of time you're around volatile gas, according to self-employed food scientist Brian Chau.
And while making sure your knife is as sharp as possible won't completely cut crying out of the equation, it will surely reduce the flow of tears.
PUT YOUR ONIONS IN THE FRIDGE IN PREPARATION
Andrews and Chau agreed that putting your onions in the fridge is one of the best methods to prevent your eyes from welling up while chopping them.
Chau explained: "Chemical reactions slow down under colder temperatures."
So, you'll want to place your onions in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes before dicing them up.
When you take them out of the fridge, ensure you get to cutting them before they warm up.
If you're not quick enough, your eyes may eventually well up.
Note: Keeping your onions in the fridge long-term can speed the rate at which they spoil, so be sure to only put this method to work when you're ready to cut your onions.
PROTECT YOUR EYES
You can effectively shield your eyes from the gasses that onions produce by using eye protection with a seal, according to Chau.
Swimming or safety goggles are a good option for this.
If all you have on hand are the standard eyeglasses or sunglasses, those are also great contenders to keep the tears at bay.
USE DIFFERENT KITCHEN TOOLS
If you're able to, Chau recommended obtaining specialty gadgets.
"Buy a good food processor that has an attachment to dice or slice," he said. "You reduce the chances of crying because your exposure time is lower and sometimes, the onions are in a closed environment."
Another more affordable alternative is a vegetable chopper. It will save you prep time and it covers all bases, with the ability to be used on most types of produce.
TIPS THAT DON'T WORK
There are some tips and tricks that have circulated through the years that simply don't work when it comes to preventing tears while cutting onions.
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Amongst the list is chewing a piece of gum. Chau debunked this, saying that there's no scientific backing for it as it doesn't protect your eyes or stop the onion from releasing gasses.
Soaking your onions in water is also a myth, being that water will actually speed up your tears.
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