Personal Review of My Favorite Vegetable Peeler: The Zyliss Potato Peeler

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. 

Feemster's Miracle Peeler Vegetable Fruit Potato - Kitchen Tools & Gadgets

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.

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.

I've even used it to strip brown spots off the back of romaine lettuce ribs to make them look nicer. The blade is very flexible and the celery strings don't catch in it as much as in other peelers I have used. If strings do linger long enough to interfere with peeling, I rinse the strings off the blade easily under the faucet. On other peelers, I've often had to use a brush.  If I find a bad spot in the vegetable I'm peeling, I use the sharp cutting end of the Zyliss peeler to get it out easily.

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.

ZYLISS Smoothglide Potato Peeler, Green

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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Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Reviewing the Savings of a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer

Pink is only one of the MANY KitchenAid colors available

I have recently decided that I need to purchase a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer as soon as possible.  This is a complete change of mind about investing in a what I had previously considered "just another kitchen gadget". And to be more specific, another gadget that has a hefty price tag when you are budgeting every penny. But I have reviewed the many reasons of why the cost would be justified and have observed others using this important kitchen tool. Below, I will share the primary reasons that I have decided a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer is an important purchase to make, and worth budgeting for. 

Customizing Bread Recipes for Health and Savings

I am discovering the joys of homemade bread.  My first successful recipe was an easy Peasant Bread that consisted of letting it rising and punching it down more than kneading.  As I became proficient with that bread, I attempted another bread recipe - the Ultimate Bread recipe. This second bread recipe requires kneading. 

So far, I've done this kneading by hand and have had no problems. However, it is a bit time consuming and tiring. The older I become the more quickly my hands tire. I have decided to bake my own bread weekly and have done so recently but I'm learning that I need a bit of help.

Energy Savings - I am referring to my energy. I feel like there are not enough hours in the day and that I need to be twins in order to get everything finished that I want to finish on the weekends.  Making bread is a priority.  But as I am kneading, and my hands are growing tired, I think that "there must be an easier way". Well, there is.  It is a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer with a bread hook attachment. If the machine does the kneading I can save my energy for other tasks.

Money Savings - Have you noticed the prices of bread in the stores? I am a one-person household but I go through a good share of bread. I like toast and peanut butter sandwiches. I like to make grilled cheese sandwiches to go with my soup. With bread recipes that have only 6 ingredients, two loaves of store-bought bread can easily cover the costs of the ingredients to make many loaves of bread at home.

Possible Health Benefits - With 6 ingredients going into my homemade bread, I know what I am eating. The bread that I typically purchased from the store lists ingredients that I am able to pronounce. So there were no mystery ingredients. However, it also lists gluten. 

For folks who need gluten-free breads, or have preferences about the types of flours they consume, they can easily adjust recipes to suit their needs.

KitchenAid Artisan Mixer Reviews

There are many, many reviews online and much information about KitchenAid Artisan Mixers.  I will not reinvent the wheel and rewrite that information. Especially since I am not yet a proud owner of this important kitchen tool. 

Heather does own one and has reviewed her KitchenAid as well as shared important information such as the best time of year to make your purchases due to sales. If you are ready to learn more about these mixers from current owners, I would start with her review.

After reviewing the financial, physical energy, and health related savings, it becomes easy to see that a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer will be an investment that pays for itself fairly quickly. The most difficult part of the purchase will be choosing just one of the many beautiful colors. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Review of the Best Nut Choppers I Have Used

Nut Choppers Are Essential Tools in My Kitchen

I use my nut grinder almost every day. I use it most mornings when I chop the walnuts for Barb's Power Breakfast Cereal. I also put chopped walnuts in my Buckwheat Blueberry Breakfast Pudding for cold mornings. Most of my baked goods contain nuts. All of those nuts need to be chopped into smaller pieces.

My Progressive Nut Chopper, Divided into its Parts

Here's Why I Needed to Buy the Progressive Nut Chopper

 Norpro Hand Crank Nut Walnut Almond Peanut Chopper Cutter Grinder Time Saver




For most of my over fifty years in the kitchen, I used this manual nut grinder and loved it.

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Then one morning I accidentally broke the glass base. I tried the top on every empty jar I had in my cupboard, but not one fit. They were too large or too small or had different size screwing threads to fit a vacuum lid. I tried using one those jars with the same diameter opening, trying to hold the top on while I turned the crank, but it was just too awkward.

I was otherwise perfectly happy with this nut grinder . I would screw the grinder / chopper element onto the glass jar base, put in the nuts I wanted to grind, and crank the handle. I never had a problem. When I finished grinding the nuts I removed the grinder part and dumped any loose nut pieces into the bowl which was ready to receive them. Then I also emptied the jar into the bowl. After the jar was empty, I'd put it in the dishwasher and hand wash the plastic grinder top and lid.

My Review of the Progressive Nut Chopper

Even though I had been very happy with my Norpro Nut Chopper / Grinder, I bought the Progressive Nut Chopper to replace it because it was completely made of plastic.  I would not have to worry about the bottom breaking. I also liked the fact that I could put all the parts in the dishwasher. 

The Progressive Nut Chopper works the same way as the Norpro Nut Chopper. I turn the handle clockwise for nuts chopped coarsely. For a finer grind I turn the handle counterclockwise. The only difference is that there is more distance between the cutting blades on the Progressive model. More nut pieces seem to get stuck on the blades that have to be removed by scraping off the blades when I'm finished chopping than there are when I use the Norpro  model. There is no difference in quality of the chopped nuts. 

A Close Look at the  Progressive Nut Chopper Blades in Action

More Features of the Progressive Nut Chopper

Other things I appreciate about the Progressive Chopper that were lacking in the Norpro are the large non-slip base and the measuring lines on the container. With the Norpro I was always guessing how many nuts I'd chopped until I emptied them into a measuring cup. The Progressive Chopper holds one and one-half cups of nuts in the base and I can see exactly how many I have finished chopping.

Which Nut Chopper is Right for You?

Both nut choppers work the same way, so which you buy will depend on how important these unique features of the Progressive Nut Chopper are to you.

• More durable plastic base that is hard to break
• All parts may go into top rack of dishwasher
• Convenient measuring lines on base
• Non-slip base

You will pay a bit more to get those features, but you will also not have to worry very much about having to replace a broken base. If that doesn't matter to you, you can probably do just as well with the Norpro Chopper. Either nut chopper will give you great value and last a long time -- unless you accidentally drop the Norpro or knock it against a hard surface.

Which Nut Chopper Will You Choose?

 Prepworks by Progressive Nut Chopper with Non-Skid Base Norpro Hand Crank Nut Walnut Almond Peanut Chopper

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Review of the KitchenAid Artisan Mixer

KitchenAid Artisan Review, or Why I Love My Blue KitchenAid Artisan Mixer!

 KitchenAid KSM150PSBW Artisan Series 5-Qt. Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield - Blue Willow

My son gave me my KitchenAid Artisan mixer in Cobalt Blue for Christmas in 2006 and I have loved this stand mixer ever since. Of course the most important reason I love it so much is that my son gave it to me! Second would have to be that it's Cobalt Blue, one of my favorite colors! (My kitchen is Blue and White and Stainless Steel.) But even though that is plenty enough to make it one of my favorite appliances in the kitchen, there is so much more to love about the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer!

Before I got it, I had 2 hand mixers and a food processor and a food grinder, but the KitchenAid stand mixer actually replaces the food processor and the food grinder for me. In fact, with the bread kneading attachment, it takes away the need for a bread maker, really, since the hard part of bread is the kneading. I use my bread kneading attachment all the time in the Winter when I make bread several times weekly. (It came with the mixer.) So that's 4 appliances in one! Cool, right?

And this mixer is strong! They say it has 325 watts of power. (Whatever that means!) What I know is that it whips everything fast with no problem whatsoever! Plus the head tilts back, so easy to get the bowl off the stand.

And about the attachments: Mine came with a wire whisk attachment that will whip cream in a few minutes with ease, the kneading attachment which they call the dough hook, and flat beater attachment that is for things that are truly hard to mix, like stiff cookie dough, or maybe meatloaf. It also came with a shield to keep food from spattering, and a chute for adding in more ingredients. It also comes with a 5-quart polished stainless steel bowl to add to the beauty of this mixer!

In the reviews I read on Amazon, some people noted that this mixer is very heavy so hard to put away and retrieve. Maybe so, but it's beautiful and so useful that it's fine to leave it out on the counter all the time in a place of honor; that's what I do. In fact if you've seen any of my recipes online, you have most probably seen it in some of the pictures, because I don't put it away, ever. It sits on the counter, right next to the wine. Priorities, you know?

KitchenAid Stand Mixer Colors

KtchenAid Stand Mixer Colors

I love Blue, so my son gave me a Blue KitchenAid Mixer, but they are available in an array of colors to go with any kitchen or kitchen theme. You can see in the picture there are different shades of Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Black, Gray, and even White. (Yes, they have more than one shade of White.) And there are Stainless Steel and Copper too. Here are just a few of the ones available! White, Black, Yellow, Tangerine, Espresso, Watermelon, Ice Blue, Almond, Aqua, Pink, Bayleaf Green, Cranberry, Blue Willow, Boysenberry, Silver, Copper, Cornflower, Blue, French Blue, Apple Green, Red, Gray, Stainless Steel.

*Note about the KitchenAid Mixers Sale

If you are searching for the sale on KitchenAid mixers, it usually happens in January and July. But you don't have to wait to get a great price on one. Amazon always has great deals and you can almost always work out a way to get FREE SHIPPING. On any item, click "More Options" to see other ways to buy it, including free shipping options.

 KitchenAid KSM150PSBW Artisan Series 5-Qt. Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield - Blue Willow

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Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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