Quickest way to peel spuds, carrots,parsnips etc please

Becles

I rarely peel anything. I've got a stiff veg brush, and everything just gets a scrub!

It's much quicker and better for you as many vitamins are just under the veg skin, and can be lost with peeling.

culpepper

My processor can do julienne carrots and slice veg thinly.It is super speedy but you cant choose thicknesses and it means you have the bowl and blades to wash afterwards instead of just a knife.
I've got a potato peeling whatsit too,its like a bowl with rough sides.You put the potatos in and water and whizz it round and it scrapes off the skins.They dont all come off and you are left with the sludge in the bowl part but it is quicker.
You could get one of those folding high stools that is a pair of steps and sit on it while peeling.

Luddite_2

I don't think suggesting the children was a silly answer. I ask my 13 yr old to do mounds of potatoes - she can do them while watching telly - I feel she is being useful , she feels she is being useful - peace all round. I found that I suffered from back ache doing anything in the kitchen when I was pregnant - so bought a high stool - a comfy one - so I could rest at times and put a soft mat on the hard floor. Every little helps.

Magentasue

Yep, get a decent peeler - this is a personal thing. My mother will only use one of those with orange string round the handle, I can only get on with the swivel types. Makes such a difference if you have one that suits you. This is my favourite.

Getting the kids to peel is an excellent idea. Ideally you need more than one child so that they feel they will get out of clearing up after dinner if they peel.

I had one of those V slicers years ago and it was useless. It was a cheap version though and I have considered one from Lakeland. Would anyone recommend any of these?

Mandolin
Chopper
Dicer

Or any others?

Anne_Marie_2

Can thoroughly recommend Lakeland potato peeler, £3.95 and is nice & sharp. Have had mine for years, and still going strong. Sit yourself down at the sink/table/breakfast bar - if you can't do any of that,why not take out your ironing board, and bung your stool/chair in front of that, cover board with bin bag to save it getting wet and set out whatever bowls you need on that.
Can't believe after 23 years of marriage that I have just thought of a use for the ironing board!

Savvy_Sue

Magentasue wrote:

Yep, get a decent peeler - this is a personal thing. My mother will only use one of those with orange string round the handle, I can only get on with the swivel types. Makes such a difference if you have one that suits you. This is my favourite.

I do agree with you about having a decent peeler, but I HATE that particular one!

I always used to use the ones with orange string round a wooden handle, like my Mum had, but I am now thoroughly converted to the swivel ones. My favourite is yellow, and shaped a bit like a small banana. Can't remember where I got it from, but I have seen it since, I think in decent dept store. My middle son likes Magenta's (and it's fairly widely available, not just from Lakeland). My other sons prefer the cheap swivel ones (we have several), but each have a favourite colour, and it's not the colour which does it, they all seem to peel slightly differently.

There was a suggestion made that we didn't actually need quite so many veg peelers and someone wanted to throw some away, but this was not allowed because on Christmas Eve EVERYONE sits down and helps with the veg!

Oh, and I quite often sit at dining table and peel rather than stand up, although I find it hard to get everything at the 'best' height without my shoulders aching, I wouldn't have thought of the ironing board mainly because it rarely comes out for its intended purpose!

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi

Has anyone used one of the electric peelers-where you bung spuds into a big bowl and has a small blade at the bottom? I know its not very money saving, but would give me a little more independance with regards to doing a meal and not having to ask OH to peel this and that-although, he would still need to cut

PP
xx

squeaky

I suspect that they've improved over the years but one of the parts of a holiday job in a local hotel was to "peel" the spuds.

In a machine.

It bounced the poor spuds all over the place (inside itself) while knocking/bashing/scraping the skin off. If you imagine the state of a spud after Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski had played a couple of sets with it...

..that's what you have to start cooking with.

I'm sure they're better or more efficient these days...

..but a sharp knife or good peeler have GOT to win every time.

Penny-Pincher!!

Thats what I thought! Nevermind, just thought it be worth asking just incase they were any good. I cant use my hands very well because of the Lupus & FMS and DH always does them-just thought it may make it easier for him, but he's a tough old stick......saying that...I dunno after the spider incident earlier :eek:

PP
xx

Gingham_Ribbon

squeaky wrote:

It bounced the poor spuds all over the place (inside itself) while knocking/bashing/scraping the skin off. If you imagine the state of a spud after Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski had played a couple of sets with it...

..that's what you have to start cooking with.

:rotfl:

Does anyone know how to clean spuds without taking the skin off them? We sometimes get fresh, organic new potatoes that are so fresh and yummy that when I try to wash the dirt off (just under the tap with my fingers) all the skin slides off them.