Peelers

[Jenise]

So I decided that my trusty lime green Zyliss, about 15 years old now, should be replaced with something younger and sharper. I ordered a new Zyliss from Amazon and tried it this morning on a carrot.

Piece of shit! Mostly it tore and scraped, but actually peel? Remove long strands? FORGET IT! It goes back.

What to get instead--any advice? And no I don't want OXO with the giant handles or Kitchen-Aid, of whom I bought a lousy pizza cutter not long ago.

Is there anything out there that isn't crap?

[Robin Garr]

I'm still using a couple of ancient peelers that work just fine, but here's a link to a NYT Wirecutter article on peelers. Wirecutter is a lot more reliable than Consumer Reports IMO.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/revi ... le-peeler/

Wirecutter has failed me in weird ways. I'm not sold.

Regarding vegetable peelers, just go to the supermarket and buy one for $1.99 that's hanging on those pegs over the dairy case, along with all the other kitchen drawer bric-a-brac. It's all in the wrist.

I have found they may need “breaking in” ie use a bit til they suit me.
I just buy the so called D peeler aka speed peeler from a good chefs storE.
Just checked and my current one is branded Monopol

I know this is probably not a popular opinion, but I have a real preference for the Kyocera ceramic Y and vertical peelers. The only problem I ever had was with my initial Y peeler, when one of the tabs holding the blade to the handle broke after about 5 years of regular use. But otherwise, it has been far and away my favorite peeler. Light and sharp, and as usual with ceramics it holds an edge for a ridiculously long time. Inexpensive, too.

[Jenise]

Robin, I recently got the little Kuhn Rikon Y peeler, it's a fantastic little thing. I'm not sold on OXO though, the OXO pizza cutter I recently purchased is crap.

Tom, I looked at those Kyocera Y type peelers. I like the part about the blade lasting "a ridiculously long time" but lookswise it resembles another type of tool and I'm not sure I wouldn't get confused and start shaving my legs with it.

But seriously, if they do a vertical style (I only saw Y types) that could be interesting. As I was prepping for dinner yesterday (and after I resurrected my old green Zyliss from the trash) I got to reflecting on how often I use this tool. Almost daily. Really important to have quality.

...but lookswise it resembles another type of tool and I'm not sure I wouldn't get confused and start shaving my legs with it. .

Haha! Well then, to save your gorgeous gams from looking like a peeled butternut, try this one: https://cutlery.kyocera.com/vertical-double-edge-ceramic-peeler.

I have not seen the Kyocera peelers but I am in love with their knives, nothing better with which to cut tomatoes, cukes and more. I have two of their small pairing knives and two larger chef type knives. When and if you chip a blade, you can mail knife to the company and they make it like new again. Fabulous knives, but must use carefully.

Geez - thought from the title that this thread would be about ecdysiasts.......

I just use the no name peeler my family bought 60 years ago.

This one - never gets dull, never fails to work.

zzzzzzz.jpg

I use one like Bill Spohn's, and it's about the same age. I've fixed it a couple of times when it wanted to fall apart, but it still works well.

[Jenise]

...but lookswise it resembles another type of tool and I'm not sure I wouldn't get confused and start shaving my legs with it. .

Haha! Well then, to save your gorgeous gams from looking like a peeled butternut, try this one: https://cutlery.kyocera.com/vertical-double-edge-ceramic-peeler.

Ordered. Lime green. Thanks!

[Jenise]

Geez - thought from the title that this thread would be about ecdysiasts.......

I just use the no name peeler my family bought 60 years ago.

This one - never gets dull, never fails to work.

zzzzzzz.jpg

Grew up with one of those too and have used countless of them since at other people's houses, rental houses, and the like. And I must respectfully suggest that while, yes, they work, just like my old Zyliss actually still 'works', blades get dull over time. When you peel as much produce as I do, it's a noticeable difference.

Btw, earlier this morning I looked at a few reviews on Amazon for various peelers. The Kyocera gets very high marks but I noticed one person was unhappy because hers broke when her roommate tried to peel a cantaloupe.

Yes, a cantaloupe. I laughed out loud.

Ordered. Lime green. Thanks!

Alright! I'm an enabler!

Lol. I hope you like it Jenise, and for a long time

[Jenise]

Even from the picture, my girl hands like the ergonomic curve of the handle which is also something I liked about my old Zyliss. The lack of same is something wouldn't notice about those inexpensive metal ones like Bill showed a picture of when you only have one carrot to peel, but that and the sharper blade on the days when once is processing 3-5 lbs of potatoes will really make a difference.

The peeler I use looks exactly like Bill's picture. IIRC I bought it in a supermarket sometime in the mid-1970s. It's always worked well for me. Yes, the blades get dull over time. That happens with all metal-blade cutting instruments. Nobody criticizes carving knives because for best results you have to sharpen them before each use.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I grew up with those, we all did. I love, btw, the sound they make. There's a clicking of metal parts that's very nostalgic.

I grew up with those, we all did. I love, btw, the sound they make. There's a clicking of metal parts that's very nostalgic.

Like the slap,slap of those old Japanese produced rubber thong sandals, or the still oft heard pop (at lest in homes where beer is a favourite tipple) as you open a tin of something with a pull tab. And it is hard for those of us born after the last World War to understand that our parents didn't grow up hearing the repeated clicking (sometimes obsessively) of the ballpoint pen (invented immediately post WW 2 but not common until the mid 1950s)

[Jenise]

Like the slap,slap of those old Japanese produced rubber thong sandals, or the still oft heard pop (at lest in homes where beer is a favourite tipple) as you open a tin of something with a pull tab. And it is hard for those of us born after the last World War to understand that our parents didn't grow up hearing the repeated clicking (sometimes obsessively) of the ballpoint pen (invented immediately post WW 2 but not common until the mid 1950s)

Exactly! And cat owners know the sound of a similar but different pull-tab. As do our cats.

the still oft heard pop (at lest in homes where beer is a favourite tipple) as you open a tin of something with a pull tab.

Part Jimmy Buffett's song Margaritaville is probably confusing to modern listeners:

I blew out my flip flop
Stepped on a pop top
Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home

Back in those days, the pull ring and closure on pop top beer and soda cans came off in one piece. If you were walking barefoot you had to watch out for discarded pop tops. The edges of the closure were very sharp and could give you a nasty cut on the foot if stepped on. This was a serious problem that got solved (in the 1970s, IIRC) by the modern pop top that stays attached to the can after opening.

-Paul W.

I like ceramic. Stay sharp, but of course can break if they fall or something. Used a Y, when it broke went to order another, ended up with Kyocera set- one Y and one vertical. I like Y for bigger things (big turnips, daikons, etc), the vertical for long thin things like carrots. also good for citrus zest strips.

Geez - thought from the title that this thread would be about ecdysiasts.......

Me, too.

[Jenise]

Love my new peeler!!!!!!

Love my new peeler!!!!!!

Woo hoo!

[Jenise]

The ergonomics of the handle (with a thumb rest for stabilizing and extra push when needed) are just what I imagined my girl-hand needing. Thanks for recommending it!