It Took Me 45 Years to Discover the Best Vegetable Peeler
In my opinion, it's the Zyliss Potato Peeler. It's the best solution I've found for peeling celery -- the ultimate test of a peeler for me. I've pictured it next to some celery to be peeled for a soup I was making. I peeled it after I took this picture.
Here's what led to my decision to buy it. If you need an excellent peeler right now and don't need the review, take the shortcut below.
Go straight to the Zyliss Potato Peeler on Amazon and skip the rest of this review.
My Early Experience with Vegetable Peelers
Some of my most frustrating kitchen experiences have been while peeling vegetables -- especially celery. When I still lived with my parents, Mom often assigned the job of peeling the vegetables to me. I was the one who peeled the potatoes for the holiday mashed potatoes. I also got to peel the rutabagas to cook, and the carrots and celery for the hors d'oeuvres tray before dinner. It was a job I hated. Mom's peeler was the best to be found for the job in the 1950's. It looked a lot like this Miracle Peeler. I think it was a Miracle Peeler. It was much better than others I had used. Even so, peeling wasn't my favorite kitchen chore.
The Miracle Peeler's handle was fairly easy to control, and I could cut bad spots out with the sharp curved attachment at the end. When I got married and bought my own peeler, I bought the Miracle Peeler. It was the best I could find 53 years ago.
My mother-in-law was using an old stainless steel paring knife she brought with her from Europe. I could not find one like it online, though I did check eBay. This is what it looked like. It's upside down. There is a peeling blade on the other side of the depression in the blade. When Paula handed this to me to peel something, I didn't know what to do with it. I'd never seen anything like it. I didn't do a very good job. When we next visited my husband's parents, I brought Paula a Miracle Peeler like mine so I could at least function if she asked me to peel something.
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| A Vintage Paring Knife My Mother-in-Law Used to Peel Vegetables |
Why I Wanted to Replace My Miracle Peeler
Over the years my original Miracle Peeler stopped working as well. I decided to get a new one. The replacement I bought looked like the old one but didn't seem to be made as well. I picked it up at a grocery store and didn't pay too much attention to the brand name. Perhaps it was a cheaper knock-off. In any case, it didn't work very well -- especially on celery. If the celery was the least bit limp, it was almost impossible to peel. Not only that, the new one did not seem to fit my hand as well, and it hurt to use it. I decided to try to find a better one.
I Bought a Zyliss Potato Peeler
The Zyliss peeler works very well on celery and on the other veggies I peel with it. I have been using it now for about five years and it's the best I've ever used.
The Zyliss peeler handle is more comfortable in my hand than other peelers have been. It's easy to grip and unlike the Miracle Peeler, my fingers don't have to bend to fit around a small thin metal handle that sometimes presses against my skin in a painful way. I also tried using the Zyliss to peel a stalk of celery with my left hand. I proved to myself that left-handed people can also use the Zyliss Peeler, since the blade flips both ways.
If you need to replace your vegetable peeler, I highly recommend the Zyliss Potato Peeler. I believe you will be very happy with it, as I have been.
You may also want to check out my review of another small but essential kitchen tool: Rescued by a Brix Jar Key: A Review
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It is not an exaggeration to tell you that I HATE peeling. I hate peeling because of the peelers. I will have to check this one out. Thank you for the review.
ReplyDeleteI don't know anyone who loves peeling, but the Zyliss peeler had made me hate it much less.
DeleteI like that you say the Zyliss peeler is comfortable in your hand. That's always been the problem with peelers for me, that they're hard to hold onto. Appreciate the thorough personal review! (P.S. I love the green color. Reminds me of a praying mantis!)
ReplyDeleteI have arthritis, so a comfortable handle is important to me. Now if only there were a gadget that would automatically keep the vegetable from slipping out of my left hand while I'm peeling!
DeleteI've had one vegetable peeler after another over the years and never found one that was easy and/or comfortable to use. Perhaps it's because I'm left-handed? Anyway, I'll have to check out the Zyliss. Thanks for the review, Barbara.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried this with my left hand. I do see that the peeling blades flip either way. OK. I needed another stalk of celery, so I tried peeling it with my left hand. I peeled several strips away to prove to myself it works with the left hand, and then finished with my right hand because I was in a hurry and using my left hand is slow. If you're left-handed, you should not have a problem using this.
DeleteNo matter what you are doing, having the right tools for the job can make a world of difference. It definitely sounds like you have found the prefect peeler for you, and perhaps for the rest of us too. Thank you for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteNo peeler is perfect for every job, but this one works well on what I peel most often -- carrots, celery, potatoes, anything with stalks. Like most peelers, it works better on a somewhat flat surface than on a ball-shaped vegetable or fruit like an apple. It's also good for getting hulls off strawberries and other such fruits, like persimmons.
DeleteThis vegetable peeler certainly looks like it would be a lot more comfortable than my very basic peeler - the wider handle is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of peeling veggies at all, ever! But I need a new peeler so will definitely get the Zyliss peeler based on your review. Thank you!
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