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Do you have a dog or cat residing at your home? If the answer is yes, be sure to keep onions out of your pet's reach. Onions contain an ingredient called thiosulfate. While this ingredient is perfectly safe for humans, it is toxic to cats and dogs. Thiosulfate weakens a cat or dog's read blood cells. If your pet consumes enough onions, the red blood cells can even burst! As you can see, the accidental ingestion of onions by your dog or cat can result in worrisome consequences.

Let’s face it... onions have a less-than-stellar reputation. However, there are a handful of instances where onions have made it into the spotlight. If you’ve seen any of the Shrek movies, you can probably picture the onion-shaped carriage that Shrek and Fiona use for travel. You might also remember Shrek telling Donkey that ogres are like onions... they have many layers. Holes, a Newbery-award winning book by Louis Sachar which later became a hit movie, also features onions. In the book, the main characters, Stanley and Zero, would not have survived if they hadn’t found a stash of onions to eat. Have you heard of “The Onion Song” by Marvin Gaye? It was released in 1969, and it became so popular in Great Britain that it reached #9 on the singles chart. If books, songs, and movies continue to feature onions in a positive light, perhaps someday onions will have the good reputation they deserve.

Cutting an onion can be an extremely unpleasant experience. In fact, it is so awful that it often results in eyes that sting like bees, and tears streaming down the cook’s face. Have you ever wondered what causes this undesirable outcome, and how you can avoid it? Slicing the onion releases sulfuric acid into the air. This sulfuric acid reacts with the moisture in a person’s eyes and results in the tearful reaction. There is a simple solution to this common problem. Cut the onion under a stream of running water. This will prevent the sulfuric acid from reacting with your eyes’ moisture. If you follow this tip, you will likely have a positive onion-cutting experience without the tears.

Onions have been around for a long time. In fact, scientists agree that onions were likely a staple in the prehistoric diet. Onions are known to have existed in Egypt in 3500 BC. To the ancient Egyptians, onions symbolized eternity, and many pharaohs were buried alongside onions. The ancient Greeks also believed in the power of onions. In fact, in the first century AD, a Greek physician convinced several Greek athletes that onions had a medicinal property that would make them stronger. As a result, the majority of athletes who participated in the first Olympic Games ate several pounds of onions, drank onion juice, and rubbed onions over their bodies. In the Middle Ages, onions were prescribed to alleviate headaches and to prevent hair loss. They were also acceptable forms of payment for goods and services. They were even commonly given as wedding gifts! Today, onions are primarily used to add flavor to our foods. Furthermore, all evidence indicates that they will continue to exist far into the f

Yellow onions and white onions are very similar. In fact, beginning cooks often use these onions interchangeably. When a cook reads a recipe that calls for an onion that will need to be cooked, they are likely to reach for a yellow onion or a white onion. The most obvious difference between yellow onions and white onions is their color. However, there are also more subtle differences. A yellow onion usually has a tough outer skin. In contrast, a white onion tends to have a thinner, more tender skin. Whereas white onions retain their sharp flavor throughout cooking, yellow onions become sweeter the longer they cook.

Onions are made up of unusually large cells. These cells are readily visible with just a small amount of magnification. As a result, onions are a perfect vegetable to use in science education. When teachers want their students to observe cell structure, they often gather some inexpensive onions and facilitate a lesson where students use a microscope to view an onion skin cell.

If the tears often caused by cutting an onion aren’t bad enough, the action also typically results in hands that reek of onions hours after the onion- slicing occurred. The next time you cut an onion and your hands stink, try this trick that many cooks swear by. Find a piece of stainless steel- perhaps a sink or a large spoon- and rub your hands against it for about one minute. The sulfur molecules react with the chromium in the stainless steel, and become neutralized. As a result, the smell vanishes!

When most people see an onion, they assume that the onion will be eaten. However, creative people have found additional purposes for the common onion. Some of these uses may even surprise you! Did you know that onions repel insects? Therefore, some people rub onion on their skin or clothes as an Earth-friendly alternative to bug spray. Likewise, leaving a bowl of raw onion slices sitting on your kitchen counter can ward off ants. Other people use onions to polish metal. They just crush an onion, combine it with water, and rub the mixture on metal surfaces until the metal looks spic and span! Did you know that you can use an onion to absorb unwanted smells? For example, leaving a bowl filled with water and raw onion slices in a newly painted room overnight can result in fewer remaining paint fumes the next day. The next time you see an onion, you may want to consider using it in one of its lesser-known ways. Or, be creative! Maybe you’ll be the next person to find an alternative use for the onion.