Tear-free onions?

Thanks to Michael for bringing this article about Supasweet onions being released on the British market to my attention. As many who know me are aware, I'm not that fond of onions. Indeed, I won't eat them raw at all, and used to avoid cooking dishes that included them because I found them so difficult to cut. Of late I've gotten better about the latter, but something like these new tearless onions certainly sounds attractive to me. I must admit that I'm curious, though, as to whether the method they used to reduce the pyruvic acid will make any difference in the taste.

A doctor from the team at the University of Liverpool that developed a method for analyzing the strength of the vegetable says: "Supasweets are less than half the strength of traditional cooking onions and a good deal milder than other supposedly mild onions." link

According to celebrity Liverpool chef Paul Heathcote: "The new onions are very sweet, but still have the flavour of an ordinary onion which makes them very versatile." link

While Shane Osborn, head chef at London's Pied a Terre restaurant, is currently on record as less than convinced about the idea: "I love the flavour of strong onions, I don't know whether this milder variety would have the same effect." link

I suppose it remains to be seen how the cooking world will receive this. At present, it seems this variety is only available in the U.K., so I guess I'll have to wait a bit to discover my own opinion. Meanwhile, perhaps I'll just keep an eye out for what others have to say on the matter.