What I find annoying is when the garlic skin clings to my knife-those things can be so sticky!

But I pretty much do the same-I sweep them away into my sink as soon as I can to keep my workspace clean and the skins out of the finished dish.

That's exactly my method -- so much easier to dispose of a bowl's contents than to collect a bunch of errant skins/peels.

I never worry about garlic skins... I separate the cloves from the head over a scraps bowl, then lightly crush them under my bench scraper for easy peeling. I don't even need to dice them, I usually just give them another good smash under the bench scraper to get them 'diced.' Easy peasy.

I use the method you described, but still, you get pieces of skin + root on your cutting board...which sometimes cling to it b/c of the onion juice...and end up in your diced onions.

Place a wet paper towel over your cutting board until you have finished peeling. Remove the towel and skins, and then proceed to chop your onions.
Also, burn a tealight candle next to your board in case you're prone to tears.

I always buy onions in bulk. When I come home from the store while they are still in my bag and in the fishnet bag I just kinda rough them up by rolling them around. The skin comes off and I'm able to shake it into the trash or compost bin and they are ready to use. For the sticky part of the skin I just cut off the root first and that generally gets me a good start at peeling off the sticky layer.

I keep the onion and garlic skins in a bag in my freezer, along with other vegetable scraps. Then, when I have an inspired day, I cover the scraps with an inch of water, add extra garlic, carrots, and peppercorns, and simmer the mixture for about an hour in order to make broth. I know some people avoid using onion skins in broth, but I like the warm, rosy color the onion skins give the broth. Moreover, both onion and garlic skins give an nice astringent flavor to the finished product.

I always just chop off the ends quick then stand over my trash can peeling away the skin so I don't have the little flakey bits all over the counter while I prep.

In my neighborhood we can put compostable items in our yard waste bin. I keep a small steel pail lined with a compostable bag (BioBag is the brand I've found) on the counter. I just dump the waste right into the pail as I work. It's like the garbage bowl concept, but when you're done you can put the lid on the pail and set it aside until it's full. The lid has a replaceable carbon filter so it never smells.

@alvinsmith beat me to it! That's exactly what I do.

I have found that shallots have the worst skins... they break into tiny pieces and even if I peel it over a garbage can, the skin ends up in my diced shallots! Plus they are so tough to get off in the first place! Onions and garlic are a piece of cake compared to shallots...

Absolutely the way I do it, I love using a garbage bowl.

I have a garbage bowl and a compost bowl on the counter with me as I prep. It's the easiest way.

The compost bin, unless we're someplace that has a greywater system. My folks have one, and it's recommended that compostables go through the the garbage disposal to the greywater to add enzymes to it. Of course, the scraps make their way in the same manner as if they were composting.

I cut off the non-root end first and peel away an extra layer of actual onion. Yes, I do waste one layer of onion, but it's worth it for me so I don't have to deal with all those onion skins. All the excess goes right into the compost. Easy peasy!

I have to go there and just ask...Did I really just read an article on the "clutter" of an onion? Annoying..yes, smelly, yes...but really?

Haha I was thinking the same thing DreamShop

I just wipe them onto the floor, that's where there going to end up anyways :)

My garbage can is at the end of my prep counter. So I usually just rub the loose skins off with my hands directly into the garbage. Then I slice off the ends and slice onions in half and peel off the remaining stubborn skins. So I have no paper skin worries while chopping.

I just let the mess gather on the table or counter and then use a damp dish cloth to wipe it all into the proper trash can. Rinse the cloth and I'm done.

I waste one layer of onion skin...no big deal. I run the garlic cove(s) under warm water or boil it first in hot water. And sometimes I just simply put on my big girl panties and cut the usual way and then clean the board.

My first step is to trim off a tiny sliver of the root end - just enough to remove the dirty root but still leave the root core intact. Then I cut in half (north to south), peel then slice or dice. Never try and peel an onion whole unless you have to - it takes twice the time.

I do what you describe in this post. I usually have a bowl or container for my veggie scraps (Rachel Ray did not invent this concept).

I needed this post, badly. I'm always fighting against stray bits of onion roots and skin. Thank you all for your helpful hints!

I will usually soak my onions and garlic in a bowl of warm water for at least 20mins. The peels will come out easily in clumps and in the compost bin they'll go!