Every time I stand at my cutting board, poised over an onion with knife in hand, the same question pops into my head: “Um, what’s the best way to dice this thing again?” I’ve watched cooking shows where chefs effortlessly transform these layered bulbs into perfect, uniform cubes. And I know I’ve seen the proper technique described before. But then when chopping time comes around once more, my mind perennially draws a blank. I end up using some improvised, haphazard method where the onion slices inefficiently slip around, and the final result is some very rough and irregular chunks.
I decided it was time to finally ingrain the code for properly dicing an onion into my brain. The method in this illustrated guide is the same one taught in culinary schools and used in professional kitchens worldwide. It will give you a nice uniform dice, every time. Read it over. And then read it over again. And the next time you and I are standing at a cutting board, staring at an onion, we’ll know exactly what to do.
Illustration by Ted Slampyak
