If a recipe calls for "frenched onions" or tells you to french-cut your onions, this simply means to cut the onion into thin wedges from stem-end to root-end. This gives you very thin strips of onion that are (more or less!) the same length - great for stir-fries, caramelizing, and lots of other presentations. Here's how to do it!
What You Need
One or more onions
Equipment
Sharp knife
Cutting board
Instructions
1. Cut about a half an inch off both the stem-end and root-end of the onion. (See note below about when to leave the root-end intact.)
2. Turn the onion onto one of the flat surfaces and cut it in half from stem to root.
3. Peel off the thin papery layers from the outside of the onion.
4. Lay on half of the onion flat on your cutting board, so it looks like a dome. Starting on whichever side you hold your knife, make thin cuts angled slightly toward the center. You don't need to actually cut through the center - just work radially from the side to the center gradually increasing the angle of the cutas you work toward the center.
5. Once you reach the center, tip the onion over so the surface you just cut is now the bottom.
6. Continue slicing the onion as in Step 4, being careful once you get to the very center.
7. Repeat with the second half of the onion.
Additional Notes:
• Don't forget to hold the onion using the claw to avoid cutting yourself!
• You can make each slice as thick or as thin as you prefer for the recipe you're making, but just make sure they're all about the same thickness.
• You can leave the root end intact instead of cutting it off in Step 2. This will keep the onion in wedges instead of thin pieces. In Step 4, try to slice all the way through to the root.
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(Images: Emma Christensen)
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Evenness of the pieces is only part of why one would want to use this technique.
Why it's really useful is because the strips hold together even after carmelizing making for a nicer presentation and eating experience in things like French onion soup.
Cutting slices opposite, i.e. perpendicular to the stem/root end gives you a pile of mush when cooked (which has it's benefits, too).
This type of slicing an onion is also referred to in recipes as a julienne.
I do this, then cut perpendicular to get a nice even dice. I also like this cut because it holds the onion together, so it puts less tear gas into the air.
If you avoid slicing the root end until the very end it is much easier to slice the onion as the 'wedges' will stay together until you cut the roots off. It makes things faster and reduces the likelihood of cutting yourself if the onion slips.
The fastest way to chop an onion is to keep the stem attached as mentioned above, french cut but avoid slicing all the way through, then turn the onion perpendicular and slice.