Onions are widely used not only in cooking, but also in traditional medicine and home cosmetology, and more often in the last two cases it is not the vegetable itself that is used, but the juice squeezed from it. Given the property of onions to cause irritation of the mucous membrane of the eyes and profuse lacrimation when cutting the onion, squeezing the juice from such a plant becomes a real problem for many. The review provides some of the simplest ways to get onion juice, as well as tips on the practical use of this ingredient for treatment and as a cosmetic.

Product preparation

An obligatory step in preparing onions for squeezing juice is to peel the fruit from the husk (if damage or soft spots are found on the head, they should be carefully cut).

Other activities can be done at the discretion of the hostess to minimize the unpleasant sensations with which the process of chopping this vegetable is inevitably associated.

Did you know? Sulfur oxide, a volatile substance that protects the plant from diseases and pests, causes tears and burning eyes when cutting onions. In case of violation of the integrity of the fetus, S-oxide reacts with the liquid covering the mucous membrane of the eye, releasing sulfuric acid.

There are several standard methods to reduce burning sensation in the eyes when working with onions. These include:

• work with a very sharp knife (the effectiveness of the method is explained by the fact that the cutting process will be much faster);
• constant wetting of the knife in cold water (with it you can periodically process the cutting board);
• pre-cooling the vegetable itself (some chefs put peeled heads in the freezer for several minutes before slicing, others soak the onions in cold water);
• airing the room (slicing a vegetable in front of an open window will reduce the concentration of volatile corrosive substances in the room).

In order for the vegetable to not so irritate the eyes, experienced housewives also advise not to bend low over the cutting board and work in glasses (for example, in sun glasses).

Getting onion juice at home

Onions have a dense structure, and therefore squeezing juice out of it using muscle strength (as is often done, for example, with lemons) is an unsolvable task. Therefore, it is necessary to use mechanical methods of squeezing juice.

Without juicer

In all cases, except for using a juicer, the same technology must be used to squeeze the juice: first grind the vegetable to a state of slurry and then, using gauze or a fine sieve, squeeze the liquid out of the resulting mass. You can make gruel from onions using a grater, a blender or a meat grinder.

With a grater

To get the maximum amount of juice, onions should be rubbed only on the smallest grater, while it is important that it is sharp. In this case, it is better not to cut the cleaned head of the vegetable, but to rub it whole, so that it is more convenient to hold it in your hands.Some housewives advise not to cut off the “nose” from the vegetable - the larger the area that you can grab onto, the more product will ultimately be used for its intended purpose.

This method of chopping onions is not very convenient for several reasons:

1. The need to apply mechanical force to a vegetable (without the participation of automation), while throughout the entire period of work, open contact between the rubbed product and the eyes of the hostess is maintained. The problem is aggravated by the inability to turn away or be distracted without interrupting the process, since in this case there is immediately a risk of injury to the fingers with sharp parts of the grater.
2. Inevitable presence of unused balances, which will need to be further chopped with a knife or discarded: a feature of the structure of the onion head and its insufficient hardness does not allow to grind the whole vegetable on a hand grater.

Despite the fact that the grater provides an excellent semi-finished product for the subsequent extrusion of juice (an almost uniform onion porridge), this method seems less preferable to many housewives compared to using a blender or meat grinder. For processing large volumes of onions, it certainly does not fit well.

Using a blender

A blender, unlike a grater, is a simple and convenient way to chop products. However, not all types of blender are suitable for instant onion pulp.

There are three types of blender - stationary (also called a shaker), submersible and chopper blender.

Only the first of the above machines can cope with the task, and we are only talking about expensive models with a wide choice of speeds. Nevertheless, you can get onion juice using a blender, moreover, this method seems to be one of the simplest, if not in terms of time, it’s exactly from the standpoint of protecting your own eyes.

Important! A household blender will not chop the onion to a state of porridge. The device crumbles the vegetable to the state of individual plates of different shapes and sizes, which are not very suitable not only for squeezing juice, but also for preparing most culinary dishes.

The secret is simple: before loading the onion into the blender, the vegetable must be chopped with a knife, and the smaller, the better. To achieve this goal, a standard method is used that is familiar to many chefs: the onion should be cut across into two parts, then, rinsing each in cold water, put the half of the head on a cutting board with the slice down and with a sharp knife, make the maximum possible number of longitudinal cuts, while leaving the whole about ¼ part from the end where the fetus had a root.In this case, during the subsequent cross-cutting, the half of the bulb will remain intact and will not fall apart into separate petals, and the whole fragment remaining after grinding the main part of the fruit can be easily chopped in any shape.

Manually cutting the onion as quickly and finely as possible, you can load it into a blender and after a few seconds have at your disposal a ready-to-cook semi-finished product for squeezing juice. Moreover, the main process of grinding occurs in this case in a closed “chamber” of the blender, thus, volatile toxic substances do not irritate the eyes of the hostess, as is the case with a grater.

Using a meat grinder

A meat grinder is another way to quickly chop onions, however, as in the case of a blender, in the normal state it cannot fully provide the desired grinding fraction. Onion gruel, mixed with juice, passes through the grinder, but at the same time, most of the vegetable remains in the machine in a semi-crushed state. Preliminarily chopping onions with a knife helps to minimize losses in part according to the method described above., although a blender objectively gives in this case a more uniform and controlled result (the amount of onion that has not been ground, in the case of a meat grinder, can be estimated only after dismantling it at the end of the work, which is inconvenient).

Most modern household electric meat grinders as standard, in addition to conventional knives for grinding meat, have only one additional “option” - the so-called “kebbe attachment” for cooking dishes from ready-made meat, for example, home-made sausages.

However, there are models combining a meat grinder and a juicer, their functionality is more thought out, since only a few housewives cook kebbe and home-made sausages, while squeezing juice, not only onion, is a task that arises more often. On the other hand, special juicer nozzles are available for many models of meat grinders, they just need to be ordered and purchased separately.

Did you know? Kebbe is a traditional dish of oriental cuisine (primarily Lebanese), which is a tube of minced meat with a filling inside, with the meat in the upper layer mixed with bulgur or other cereals, and in the lower layer with nuts, cheese, mushrooms. Literally, “kebbe” is translated as “dome”.

Nozzles for squeezing juice existed for the old “Soviet” mechanical meat grinders, so even those housewives who did not have time to get a modern electric machine may need to look for a forgotten part on their mezzanines.

In the presence of a special nozzle for a meat grinder, the process of preparing onion juice is facilitated to a minimum. In this case, the need to grind the vegetable before loading it into the machine does not simply disappear (it is enough to cut the onion into 2–4 parts, depending on the initial size), it is not necessary to squeeze the liquid from the onion pulp using gauze or a sieve: using a nozzle-juicer involves “dispensing” a machine of separately already squeezed juice and practically dehydrated oilcake.

Using a juicer

Juicer is a machine specifically designed to extract juice from fruits and vegetables, therefore, it is an ideal solution to the problem. However, there is an important reservation here.

There are several types of juicers, depending on their purpose: for solid products, for citrus fruits, for stone fruit, pome seeds and tomatoes, as well as universal devices that are the most expensive.

It is better to spin onion juice using a screw juicer for soft vegetables and fruits. A centrifugal device operating on the principle of a centrifuge is less suitable for this purpose, since the heat to which the raw materials processed in the machine are exposed destroys most of the vitamins and other useful substances.

Peel the onion and cut into quarters to get more juice. Whole bulbs are poorly wrung out. Put the onion in the juicer and turn it on. Juice will flow from the spout of the device into a container prepared in advance.

The benefits and harms of onion juice

The beneficial properties of onion juice are determined by the biologically active substances that make up the vegetable. So, due to the high content of ascorbic acid, a number of B vitamins, tocopherol, many important minerals, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus, organic acids, amino acids, essential oils, volatile and flavonoids, onions.

• Squeezed juice from it provides:
• strengthening immunity, especially in relation to respiratory diseases;
• protection against infections caused by viruses, bacteria and pathogenic fungi (powerful bactericidal effect);
• stimulation of metabolic processes, improvement of appetite, normalization of digestion and increased intestinal motility;
• lowering blood pressure;
• relieving nervous tension, getting rid of depression, stimulating memory and improving brain function;
• relief of inflammatory processes;
• quick healing of wounds, prevention of their suppuration;
• relieving acute pain attacks, including headache and toothache;
• stimulation of reproductive function;
• mild diuretic effect (allows you to get rid of sand in the urinary ducts);
• pronounced antioxidant, anti-aging and anti-cancer effects.

However, like any biologically active product, onion juice can be harmful if used incorrectly. This is primarily due to the irritating effect that some constituent plants have on the mucous membranes, as well as the skin.

• Internal intake of such a liquid can cause:
• heartburn;
• nausea
• development or exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis, colitis;
• arrhythmia and other problems with the cardiovascular system.

Violation of the recommendations for external use of the product is fraught with a burn or severe allergic reaction.

Using Onion Juice

Since ancient times, mankind has paid attention to the most valuable properties of onions, due to which both the vegetable itself and the juice squeezed from it are widely used by traditional healers of both European and Eastern schools.

In cosmetology

In cosmetology, onion juice is often used as a component for the preparation of hair care products, and almost magical properties to combat baldness are attributed to this drug.Alas, it should be noted that in reality the ability of this ingredient to stimulate hair growth is exaggerated.

The part of human hair that is located outside is essentially inanimate, and no external means can act on the bulb responsible for hair growth, since the skin provides a reliable natural barrier to such penetration.

Did you know? The vast majority of cases of baldness in men and a significant percentage of the occurrence of such problems in women are of a genetic nature and are caused by an innate sensitivity to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone.

Thus, any hair mask in reality can only improve the condition of the scalp, which, however, does not mean the futility of such cosmetic proceduresbecause unhealthy (oily, overdried, with traces of dandruff) skin inevitably has a negative effect on the appearance of hair on the head.

However, when using onion juice in home cosmetology recipes, one should not forget that this caustic product can have an irritating effect on the skin, therefore it is necessary to add it in small quantities, and as a basis for masks and rinses use softer and more gentle components - honey, chamomile infusion, chicken egg, vegetable (best burdock) oil.

Important! It is recommended to add onion juice to hair masks, rather than pulp from this vegetable, since in this way it is possible to minimize the unpleasant odor that stays on the hair for a long time after using onions.

Rinsing with water with the addition of lemon juice, kefir, cocoa powder, mustard or colorless henna will also help to neutralize the characteristic onion smell on the hair.

Many fashionistas often add onion juice to face masks. Bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties of this component provide an improvement in the general condition of the skin, getting rid of acne, rashes and other unpleasant dermatological phenomena. In small quantities, onion juice tones, tightens the skin, smoothes wrinkles and makes the face more fresh.More often the ingredient is used in combination with honey, milk, yeast and grated potatoes.

In folk medicine

Unlike cosmetology, traditional medicine often uses onions in the form of gruel, rather than juice. However, there are exceptions. So, for example, an old folk recipe for getting rid of earaches is the juice of freshly baked onions (before baking in a peeled vegetable, cut a funnel on top where 1 tsp of black caraway seeds are filled). The resulting drug is instilled into the sore ear twice a day.

Modern medicine is against such experiments, therefore, recommends: in case of pain in the ear, an accurate diagnosis is necessary, after which the doctor can prescribe a drug for instillation, but the medicine should be dripped not in the ear, but in the nose.

Tincture with onion juice is sometimes taken for the symptomatic treatment of hypertension. For the preparation of the drug, the following ingredients are used:

• onions - 3 kg;
• honey - 0.5 kg;
• walnuts - 25 pcs.;
• vodka - 0.5 l.

Squeeze the juice from the vegetable, mix it with honey, add the internal jumpers obtained in the process of cleaning with nuts, pour the mixture into vodka and put in a dark place for 10 days. Before use, strain, take 1 tbsp. thrice a day.

Atherosclerosis is another disease that our ancestors treated with onion juice.. To prepare the medicine, mixed onion juice with honey in equal parts and took 1 tbsp twice a day before meals. The same drug was considered a proven remedy for the prevention of colds and its treatment.

Onions are rightfully considered one of the most useful vegetables, and therefore it is not surprising that in traditional medicine and cosmetology it is used in different ways, including in the form of juice. To prepare such an ingredient at home can be done without much difficulty, and, in addition to a juicer, this can be done using a meat grinder, blender or grater. It should always be remembered that with all the healing properties of onion juice can cause serious irritation to the mucous membrane or skin. In addition, such a product cannot be used to treat health conditions that require an accurate diagnosis and professional medical attention.