Good words to know:

Slice—to cut into long, ½- to ¼-inch-wide pieces

Chop—to cut into several chunks at the same time. A chunk is a little smaller than an ear bud.

Cooking supplies needed: Cutting board, knife

Ingredients needed: 1 white or red onion

Let’s get choppin’!

First, a little knife know-how: To hold a knife, wrap your hand around the handle close to the blade and with a firm grip. Your fingers should be underneath the handle with the back of your hand facing up.

Cut off the curl end and the root end of the onion.

Set the onion up on its flat bottom where the root used to be.

Set your blade across the center of the flat top.

To hold the onion, arch your free hand over the blade by placing your thumb on one side of the onion and your pointy forefinger on the other. This will help keep your fingers away from the blade. Cut the onion in half.

Peel off the outer layer of paper-y skin from both halves.

Place the flat side of one half of the onion on the cutting board with the rounded side facing up

You are going to cut across the onion, not lengthwise. Your cuts should make little half circles of onion.

Rest your free hand on top of the onion half. Slightly bend your top three fingers under so only your knuckles are almost resting on top of the onion. Loosely wrap your pinky and thumb around the sides of the onion, careful at all times to keep them clear of the knife blade as you slice.

You’ll use your middle finger knuckle to guide your knife as you drag it across the onion.

Now you’re ready to slice the onion crosswise into ¼- to ½-inch-thick slices. If you’re right handed, your knife and left hand will all move towards the left as you cut. If you’re left handed, your knife and right hand will move towards the right.

Flip your freshly cut slices onto their sides in a stack. The rounded part of the onion should face your non-cutting hand. It’s easier to cut one slice at a time instead of a stack.

Using the same technique as before, slice across the onion.  

You will leave behind a trail of happy, chopped onion chunks.