Over the centuries, France's contributions to human culture have been enormous. None of them, however, compare with this technique for dicing an onion.
Why you need to learn it
Time--or, more correctly, the lack of time--is an obstacle to good cooking. Improving your knife skills will cut down drastically on preparation time, leaving you more time to experiment with newer or more complex recipes.
Steps to follow
1. Cut the stem end off the onion. The stem end is the one that's a bit pointy; the root end has the little oniony "hairs" growing out of it.
2. Set the onion on this newly flattened stem end. Cut straight down through the root end to divide the onion in two (Photo 1). Peel the onion halves, making sure the outermost layer is moist and firm. If it's brown, dry or loose, remove the layer(s) until you have nothing left but beautiful, firm onion.
3. Set one of the onion halves cut side down with the flat stem end facing your knife hand. Place the palm of your guide hand directly on top of the onion with your fingers lifting up and away from the sharp knife blade, out of harm's way. This might be the time to remind you of our motto here at Prep School: NO BLOOD!
4. Starting at the bottom of the onion, with the knife blade parallel to the cutting board, make three or four horizontal cuts through the onion back to, but not through, the root. The size of your dice will be determined by the distance between these cuts. Fewer cuts spaced wider apart will give you bigger dice. More cuts, closer together, will give you smaller dice. Don't cut through the root end because that's what holds the onion together while you're dicing it.
5. Turn the onion 90 degrees so that the stem end is facing you. Hold your knife with the blade perpendicular to the cutting board and the tip pointed back toward the root end of the onion. Make a series of downward cuts, keeping the side of the blade against your guide hand fingers as they glide backward across the surface of the onion (Photo 2).
6. Rotate the onion back until the stem end is once more facing your knife hand. Steady the onion between your thumb and your ring finger and pinky, with the index and middle fingers of your guide hand on top. Again, keeping the side of the blade against the index and middle fingers, make a series of forward slices down through the onion (Photo 3). There's your dice. Now, go make something yummy.
A couple of tips
If your knife is as it should be, and by that we mean good and sharp, in Step 5 you can cut straight down through the onion with a chopping motion. As you practice, this ultimately will be quicker than using a back-and-forth sawing motion.
A sharp knife will cut through the onion cleanly. A dull knife smashes as it cuts, releasing into the air around you more of that oniony vapor that brings tears to your eyes.
Red onion compote
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1 3/4 cups
This is a wonderfully piquant accompaniment, hot or cold, to grilled or roasted meats, buttered or marinated vegetables, even salads. Use it as you would any other relish.
2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon chilled butter, optional
1 large red onion, diced
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 each: bay leaf, sprig fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; add the onion. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring often, until onion just begins to brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the balsamic vinegar, bay leaf and thyme to the mixture. Heat mixture to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the vinegar is reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 15 minutes. Whisk in the tablespoon of chilled butter, if desired; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold.
Nutrition information per tablespoon:
15 calories, 51% of calories from fat, 1 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 0.1 g protein, 50 mg sodium, 0.1 g fiber