How To Use A Potato Peeler

Lots of vegetables and fruit may need peeling in the kitchen. But the humble potato is likely to be the main vegetable you peel again and again.

However, despite this being a very typical chore in the kitchen, so many people peel in such a way that it causes pain and tension in their hands and / or wrists.

Read our guide to making sure you are peeling in a way that is not only efficient, it reduces the chance of causing you pain.

1) Pick the correct shaped potato peeler

The ‘correct’ potato peeler is actually down to your preference. There are straight peelers, where the blade is vertical to the handle. And then there are ‘Y’ peelers, where the blade is set at a horizontal angle to the handle, which gives it the 'Y' shape of its name.

Here at Chef Remi, we believe the Y peeler is the best potato peeler because of the angle of the blade to the handle.

Your peeling hand remains in a vertical position, instead of at a 90 degree angle (as with a straight peeler).

This is a much more comfortable angle to peel.

However, some people have got so used to peeling at a 90 degree angle with a straight peeler that they might prefer this – it’s your choice!

Also, peeling in a vertical direction allows the blade edge to cut into the potato at a shallow level. This means a Y peeler peels off as little vegetable flesh as possible.

Using a straight peeler at a 90 degree angle means the blade edge digs in much deeper into the flesh, which means you are wasting food.

2) Hold the potato with your left hand and the potato peeler in the right hand (reverse if left handed)

Ideally, try to stand over the garbage or at a sink so you don’t end up with potato peel everywhere.

3) Hold the potato peeler correctly depending on shape of peeler

If you are using a Y-peeler, hold the handle like a pencil (pushing the forefinger and thumb together).

If you are using a straight peeler, wrap all 4 fingers around the handle with the thumb balancing the peeler on the side, the way you would hold a paint roller.  

4) Peel from one base of the potato to the other, in one swift motion, peeling either top to bottom, or bottom to top.

Some people areused to pulling a peeler in towards them, while others prefer to peel away from them.

The best potato peelers will be sharp enough to peel in either direction!

5) Rotate the potato as you peel strips (don’t peel the top and bottom ends yet)

If you are right handed, you’ll find rotating the potato in an anticlockwise motion is usually easier (reverse if left handed).

You want to peel long, even strips off from the body of the potato. Don’t worry if you miss a spot, you can always go back to it.

6) Peel the top and bottom of the potato with short, sharp strokes

The top and bottom of a potato is usually the most difficult to peel as you can’t peel long strips because of the natural curve of the potato.

Instead, go slowly and peel short strips, going over any parts you miss.

7) Remove any dark potato ‘eyes’

Some dark spots will be shallow, so they will disappear as you peel. However, some dark spots are deep and go all the way into your potato.

A good quality potato peeler will have an ‘eye remover’ built in to one edge of the peeler.

Using this tool to gouge out the eye means you waste less potato flesh than trying to gouge they eye out with a peeler knife.

8) Rinse your peeled potatoes in cold water – now they’re ready to be prepared!

If you are in the lookout for the best vegetable peelers in the world, Chef Remi's got you covered!

Use our Kitchen Peeler Set  to serve your family with mashed potatoes, apple pies, carrot cakes and any other homemade dish that required skinned vegetables. It comes with three types of blades perfect for gliding through toughest fruit and vegetable skins. 

The peelers are new addition to the Chef Remi offering and are on sale for $10.

If you place your order today, you can get  a further 15% OFF to your purchase! Click the red button below to claim your discount.