Does onion size matter?

Summary by Krater

An exploration of whether the fineness of a diced onion impacts flavor and texture, comparing home cook dicing techniques with a Michelin-star chef's technique through observation and taste experiments with Mexican rice and onion-infused oil.

From the video

Answers: Does it matter how finely onions are diced?

• onion dicing techniques
• knife skills
• food science of onions
• impact of dicing on flavor and texture
• culinary experiments

Ingredients

• 1 whole red onion
• 30 g neutral oil
• rice
• tomato
• garlic
• chicken stock

What it concludes

• Finer dicing of onions ruptures more cells, releasing more flavor molecules and aromatics.
• Orbital onion slices rupture more onion cells than pole-to-pole slices, yielding a more oniony aroma.
• Cooking finely diced onions in oil produces a cloudier, more intensely flavored onion oil compared to larger dice.
• In dishes like Mexican rice, finer vegetable dicing distributes flavor more uniformly throughout the dish.