Slicing an onion into rings—how hard can it be? Well, if you’re going for rings of even thickness, it can be a little challenging. A whole, round onion doesn’t have a stable base, so it shifts under the force of your knife, making it hard to cut straight. The bigger the onion, the more unwieldy it is. These tricks make it easier to cut nice, uniform slices:

• Minimize wobblingby slicing a bit off the onion’s side. This isn’t ideal if you need all of the rings to stay whole, but if it doesn’t matter (or if you’re going to skewer them anyway), it helps to stabilize the onion as you slice.
• Try a toothpickto mark guide points. Use a ruler to measure your desired thickness and prick the onion with a toothpick at that point several times all the way around the onion. When you slice through, “connect the dots” with your knife.
• Use a mandolineif you have one. It’s the easiest way to make rings that are exactly the same thickness. Watch ourvideo demonstrationto learn how to safely use your mandoline.