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Author Topic: Onion "issue."  (Read 1714 times)

Vector

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Onion "issue."
« on: February 01, 2011, 11:31:04 pm »
This evening, I was cutting open an onion when it spewed a milky substance all over my hand--thin, a bit grayish, and not at all sticky.  Maybe a teaspoon of it.  Subsequent cuts did nothing.

Can anyone explain this?  Are onions that do this more or less nutritious?  Is it an indicator of freshness?

Thanks.
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Tellemurius

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2011, 11:36:17 pm »
its supposed to be a white cloudy liquid but if its gray then i think thats bad.
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Vector

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2011, 11:37:49 pm »
Quote from: Tellemurius on February 01, 2011, 11:36:17 pm
its supposed to be a white cloudy liquid but if its gray then i think thats bad.

... So you know something about onion juice?

It wasn't actually gray-gray.  White cloudy could have fit just as well for a descriptor.
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"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

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pronouns: prefer neutral ones, others are fine. height: 5'3".

Tellemurius

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2011, 11:42:05 pm »
taste it, if its sour then its bad.

i cooked enough stuff to figure out some bad crap.
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Tokkius

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2011, 01:09:37 am »
...the heck kind of onions are you people eating that squirt liquid? Even the most moist onions I've ever seen only spray a bit of vapor into the air.

I say you stop buying/growing onions in your area.  ???
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Vector

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2011, 01:12:23 am »
Organic, first one that ever did that.

If I'm dead tomorrow, you guys will know why.
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"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

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Tokkius

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2011, 01:13:25 am »
Did you tease it too much first? I hear that happens to some onions. Though they all swear up and down it never happened before.
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Vector

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2011, 01:20:33 am »
Dunno what you mean by teasing... I chopped up three carrots and threw them in the skillet, chopped up another onion and threw it in the skillet, and then when I went to peel the skin off of that one it splurted everywhere =/

Maybe I should put it in the fridge first, next time.  It'd be a double bonus, because onions always make me cry so much.
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"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

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pronouns: prefer neutral ones, others are fine. height: 5'3".

Tellemurius

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2011, 01:22:01 am »
ah sweet onions, they are supposed to be juicy so you are ok.
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Tokkius

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2011, 01:33:22 am »
Quote from: Vector on February 02, 2011, 01:20:33 am
Dunno what you mean by teasing... I chopped up three carrots and threw them in the skillet, chopped up another onion and threw it in the skillet, and then when I went to peel the skin off of that one it splurted everywhere =/

Maybe I should put it in the fridge first, next time.  It'd be a double bonus, because onions always make me cry so much.

*ahem* It was... uh... it was a joke. But nevermind. I feel lame now.
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Vector

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #10 on: February 02, 2011, 01:37:07 am »
... If it makes you feel better, I almost wrote "The first person to mention premature onion ejaculation gets shot" in the OP, but then I didn't.
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"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

nonbinary/genderfluid/genderqueer renegade mathematician and mafia subforum limpet. please avoid quoting me.

pronouns: prefer neutral ones, others are fine. height: 5'3".

MaximumZero

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2011, 02:52:18 am »
Came across this in the OOC thread, so...lulz.

Anyway, srs answer. If the liquid smells bad or is viscous (which you described neither of,) throw the onion away. If not, it's just stored water. If you squash almost any fruit/veggie before slicing it, you wind up with juice. If it was rolled on something hard, or got smushed in the grocery bag, then it's a distinct possibility that you're just dealing with a particularly juicy onion.

Protip: If you're using sharp knives, and are having trouble with onions making you cry, toss the onion (not the knife) in the freezer for about 10 minutes before slicing. The water in the onion will melt as you handle it, so you have to work it over fast, but at least that way it won't irritate your eyes. It may not make that big of a difference with one onion, but when you're making potato salad for 2,500+ customers before the shift starts...
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Quote from: Bauglir on December 26, 2015, 01:16:49 am
Quote from: MaximumZero on December 25, 2015, 09:30:24 pm
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Vector

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #12 on: February 02, 2011, 03:02:07 am »
Ah-ha, thanks so much.  That's exactly the advice I was looking for.

I already do chill the onion, which really helps (I often have to keep half-onions in the refrigerator).  It still makes me cry quite a bit when it goes in the pan, though... even worse that I usually eat a full onion a day.  No worries about speed, as I'm rather fast.  Not chef-fast, but certainly quick enough.

My French roommate, by the way, says that salting works as well.  Do you know anything about that?
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"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

nonbinary/genderfluid/genderqueer renegade mathematician and mafia subforum limpet. please avoid quoting me.

pronouns: prefer neutral ones, others are fine. height: 5'3".

MaximumZero

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2011, 03:05:49 am »
It does work, as salt leeches moisture out of pretty much anything, and moisture (combined with hydrochloric acid) is what's irritating your eyes, but it doesn't work as well as the freezer or blast chiller from my experience.
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Quote from: Bauglir on December 26, 2015, 01:16:49 am
Quote from: MaximumZero on December 25, 2015, 09:30:24 pm
Holy crap, why did I not start watching One Punch Man earlier? This is the best thing.
probably figured an autobiography wouldn't be interesting

Vector

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Re: Onion "issue."
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2011, 03:06:55 am »
Okay, I'll keep that in mind for the fresh onions.  Thank you very much.

Now, I'll just have to lock this before we get a new round of onion porn.
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"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

nonbinary/genderfluid/genderqueer renegade mathematician and mafia subforum limpet. please avoid quoting me.

pronouns: prefer neutral ones, others are fine. height: 5'3".