Who says biology isn’t handy? Keep this in mind the next time you’re slicing or dicing an onion:

Onions contain sulfur, which turns into sulfuric acid when it hits the water in your eyes. Obviously, getting acid in your eyes burns like hell. (Side note: subsequently rubbing your eyes with your hands simply gets the sulfur from your hands into your eyes as well, and makes things worse. If you need to rub, use the inside of your elbow.)

But science doesn’t just provide explanations, it provides solutions:

First, pop the onion in your freezer for a few minutes before cutting, as the cold decreases the speed of the chemical reactions.

Second, as the vast majority of the sulfur is in the root of the onion (the weird hairy bottom part, for those not agriculturally inclined), don’t cut that part. The area near the root is also the least sweet, juicy section, so you’re both saving your eyes and pleasing your palate by simply not using the bottom 10% of the onion.

And, honestly, not bawling like an idiot is well worth the five minutes of freezer time and the five cents of tossed onion bottom.