How to Mince Onions

Onion is undoubtedly a versatile vegetable that is widely used. We all know that whole onions are usually not used in cooking. They are cut in different sizes as per the requirement. In general, you can cut onion in three ways. They are chopping, dicing, and mincing.

Mincing is the smallest cut, and chopping makes ¼ inch pieces. Dicing falls in between, as far as the size of the pieces are concerned. While some recipes require chopped onions; diced or minced versions are used in others. Onions are also cut into slices and rings.

Most of us are familiar with the term mincing, which means cutting into tiny bits. As mentioned before, onions can be chopped, diced, or minced; and mincing results in the smallest bits. You can mince onion with a sharp kitchen knife; or use gadgets like a grater, blender, or food processor.

If you find it difficult to mince onion with a knife, you can use any of these gadgets. However, onion minced with the help of these gadgets can be a little watery. So, if your recipe requires dry, minced onion, use a sharp knife for mincing.

If you find it difficult to mince onion, you can use instant versions that are readily available in stores. They are nothing other than dried and dehydrated onion flakes, that can be used to replace freshly-minced onions. The only difference is that the instant version lacks the pungency provided by fresh onion. While using this dried version, you have to take care of the correct proportions.

If the recipe requires one small onion, you have to use ⅓ tablespoon of dried onion flakes. These dried onion flakes can be soaked in cold water, so that they get the texture of freshly minced onion. Such soaking is not required, if the dish to be prepared has a dry texture.

It is always better to use freshly-minced onion, rather than the dried and dehydrated versions, so as to retain the original flavor of the dish. It is not difficult to mince onion with a sharp knife. All you have to do is peel the onion, and make a series of horizontal and vertical cuts. Make sure to retain at least half an inch of the root part, so that the onion can be held together while mincing. Once you are done with the horizontal and vertical cuts, cut through the onion, so as to form small bits.