Take the Bite Out of Raw Onions with This One Simple Step

Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen
Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories
updated Jul 9, 2020
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If you love the crunch and flavor of raw red onions on your grilled burgers and leafy green salads, but avoid them for their rather pungent and lingering aftertaste, then this one tip might change your whole summer.

All you need to do is give the sliced onions a good soak in a bowl of water before serving them. This one simple step tames the bite of the raw onions and mellows out their flavor. The sulfur compounds responsible for that harsh “biting” flavor and onion’s powerful aftertaste dissipate into the water from the cut surfaces of the onion.

Just peel and slice the red onion as called for in your recipe, then submerge them in a bowl of cold or ice water. Let them sit for at least ten minutes, stirring once or twice, before draining and using them in your recipe.

For added flavor, you can also soak the onions in lime juice, lemon juice, or vinegar. This method also works for other onions and bitter melon.

Have you ever tried this? Any other tips for taming onion’s bite?

This post has been updated. Originally posted on 9/04/08.

(Image: LENA GABRILOVICH/Shutterstock)

Filed in:
Ingredient
Tips & Techniques
Vegetables