It's easier to get a nice, even dice of onions and garlic than you might think. Lots of people I know cut these tasties into rounds and then laboriously line the rounds up, slicing lengthwise and crosswise in an effort to create a dice. This works, but is a lot of work and doesn't supply an even-sized product.

Onions

Onions provide the basic model:

• Cut off the bud end
• Place the onion upright with the root end in the air, resting on the now-flat bud end
• Cut the onion in half
• Peel the onion. Don't be afraid to take off the entire outer layer!
• Lay the onion half on the flat former middle of the onion
• Make a series of cuts from the bud end almost -- but not quite -- all the way to the root, spaced at the width you want your dice
• Make a series of cuts horizontally from the bud end almost -- but not quite -- all the way to the root, spaced at the height you want your dice
• Now cut the onion from top to bottom. Magically diced bits will fall off!

Garlic

Garlic are similar, just don't cut them in half. Make the vertical incisions, then flip the clove on its side and make another set of vertical incisions. Much easier than cutting horizontally, and your perfect dice will just fall off the end again.