… but could she chop up onions without any tears?

FROM Bake Off to MasterChef, it seems like there’s no end to tears in the TV kitchen.

But at home it’s not a spoiled souffle or a soggy bottom that causes the most crying over cooking – it’s onions.

If just the thought of chopping onions has you welling up, however, you’re in for a slice of luck.

For Good Housekeeping has come up with a list of five top tips to stop your eyes streaming.

It says that putting onions in the fridge 30 minutes before chopping – or the freezer for ten to 15 minutes – stops the vegetable producing the gas that stings and burns your eyes.

This irritation then triggers the eyes to produce tears to flush the gas away.

Another method for reducing how much gas is released by the onion is to soak it in water – although this may compromise the vegetable’s taste. Good Housekeeping recommends: ‘Chop the end off the onion and then put it straight into a bowl of water to soak.

‘The water will draw out the acid making you tear up less when you chop it.’

The root is where the fumes are most concentrated so Good Housekeeping recommends that this part of the onion is left on as you chop.

Another way to reduce the effect on your eyes is to chop the vegetable next to a window or near a fan so the gas is diluted or blown away from your face.

And take care to use a sharp knife, making it easier to glide through the vegetable, causing fewer cells to be broken and less gas to be released as a result.

The type of onion you use can also make a difference.

The enzymes required to create the tear-inducing gas are more concentrated in white, yellow and red onions than in sweet, green and spring varieties.