How to slice an onion

Chef Skills

Michelin star Chef Russel Brown takes us through how to slice an onion. A simple process that requires good knife skill and practice, this is used as a basic preparation for young Chefs and industry professionals as part of their basic training.

For this demonstration, I'm going to show you how to peel and slice an onion. So we've got our standard brown onion here and I'm just going to trim off the root, but I'm leaving the root intact still were taking the top off and then were just going to peel down and a lot of this is easiest to do with your fingers just peeling the skin off the onion and just make sure that when you do this if there's a papery layer that feels a bit tough underneath go down one more layer to take that off.

So we've got our peeled onion which I'm just going to wash the onions at this stage because you don't want to wash them after they've been diced or sliced because you'll lose a lot of the flavour so we've got our washed onion and I'm going to show you how to slice this, we're going to cut the onion in half

Close Message - I might contribute in the future

I love what you do, let me contribute right now

so I'm making a bridge with my fingers and I'm coming between with the knife and we're going to take the root off the onion by slicing at around about a 45 degree angle, just in like that just to take the root off and then we're going to slice and I'm going to hold my fingers in the classic sort of crab shape like this, so that my fingers are there and the knife is running up and down my knuckles.

As we slice I'm going to slide back making sure that my fingertips are out the way all the time so we just up and down keeping the tip of the knife on the board which makes it more stable, when you get to the point where the onion starting to rock just let it fall over like so and carry on slicing. Discard the root and that's our sliced onion.

Find a Chef Job

Whether you're an aspiring Chef soon to be leaving education, or you are an established Chef looking for a new culinary challenge, we have a variety of Chef roles to suit you;
- Head Chef Jobs
- Executive Chef Jobs
- Sous Chef Jobs
- Commis Chef Jobs
- Chef de Parties Jobs
- Pastry Chef Jobs

Small Contribution. Big Impact.

The Staff Canteen has always been more than a website—it’s a community, built by and for hospitality. We share the wins, the challenges, the graft, and the inspiration that keeps kitchens alive.

We believe in staying open to everyone, but creating this content takes real resources. If you’ve ever found value here—whether it’s a recipe, an interview, or a laugh when you needed it most—consider giving just £3 to keep it going.

A little from you keeps this space free for all. Let’s keep lifting the industry, together.