Dicing an onion is a very common, useful, and easy-to-master kitchen task. Once
you know how to do it properly, you'll never go back to doing it any other way.
Here is a step-by-step guide to the perfect way to dice an onion.
1. Choose a knife that's at least twice as long as the
onion—a chef's knife works best.
2. Place the onion on a cutting board and slice off the
root end.
3. Cut the onion in half from top to bottom, going through
both the root and stem ends. To avoid cutting yourself, keep your hands on the
onion only while starting the cut. Once the blade is slightly in the onion,
take both hands and put them on top of the knife to avoid injury. Do not cut
the onion in half horizontally (with the stem end on one half and the root end
on the other). The onion will be harder to work with this way.
4. Peel the skin off both halves.
5. Lay each half with the flat side down on a clean cutting
board.
6.Holding your knife parallel to the cutting surface,
make 1/4-inch slices in the onion half without cutting all the way through to
the stem end. Again, be careful not to cut yourself.
7. Now hold the knife so that the blade points down to
the cutting board and the tip faces the stem end. Make another series of 1/4-inch
slices in the onion, this time vertically. Again, do not cut all the way through
the stem end of the onion. The result should be an onion that is cut horizontally
and vertically, but still looks like half an onion.
8. Turn the onion and hold the stem end. Beginning with
the widest end and working your way back to the stem end, make one slice every
1/4-inch. The result will be perfectly squared, diced onion pieces.