Short but Sweet.(Brief Article)(Recipe)

Vidalia onion season is here--but not for long

Call me crazy, but I love cutting onions. I actually enjoy the way the vapors mysteriously assault my senses, causing my eyes to tear and my nose to run. It makes me laugh when, standing at the kitchen counter, sharp knife in hand, I have to fight my way through the tears in order to see what I'm doing. It feels therapeutic in a way, and it somehow seems like an essential part of the whole cooking process.

But I know that most people are not like me, that the thought of getting all teary-eyed is enough reason not to use onions at all. Throughout the years people have devised countless methods to avoid this annoying process. Some say it helps to peel an onion under water, but with this method (which really doesn't work that well) you also lose some of the taste. Some say to freeze the onions before using and to cut them using a sawing motion rather than a slicing motion.

Other techniques include burning candles while slicing (in an effort to "burn" off gas emitted from the onion), cutting into the root end last, and chewing on a stick of gum while peeling to keep the tears from coming. It seems, however, that the only method that really works is to don some sort of eye protection--swim goggles, contact lenses or a helmet-- to block the tear-inducing gases while prepping.

After all this work, onions should have a lot to offer nutritionally, right? Well, they have some vitamin C, folic acid and potassium, and, of course, fiber. But what they don't offer nutritionally, they make up for hundred-fold in taste.

I love onions raw in salads, sauteed and served with beef, cooked until they're so soft you can mush them up with a fork, and admittedly, I love (LOVE!) the occasional fried onion ring, crisp on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside.

But what's really exciting is when Vidalia onion season comes in late spring. World famous for their sweetness, Vidalia onions are wonderful to use in any onion recipes and best of all, they won't make you cry!