by Joan Inong

Created on: May 15, 2010

The potato is one of the most versatile foods known to man, and is enjoyed in many places on earth. However, the potato has a peel that some people do not want in the finished dish, whether or not the person does not enjoy eating the peel or else the peel does not look good in the dish itself. At any rate, peeling a potato is actually a very easy task that requires no other tools beside your hands and a paring knife.

Some people enjoy peeling their vegetables using a vegetable peeler. Because not all potatoes are round and smooth, using a vegetable peeler to peel a potato may not be a good idea. After all, the vegetable peeler might actually take away more potato than you want. However, if you want to try peeling a potato this way, there is nothing to stop you from doing so.

Using a paring knife to peel the potato will allow you to prepare a food item without using a “fancy” gadget. I grew up in a kitchen where we never used the vegetable peeler, and I was taught how to use a knife to peel almost every food item or vegetable that I was asked to peel. The process only takes a little time, and can save you if you happen to lose your vegetable peeler or you just don’t have one.

First, wash the potato by putting it in a bowl full of water. Do not wash your vegetables under running water, because you end up wasting more water than you needed to use in the first place. Instead, just rub the potato around in the bowl of water.

Now, hold the potato with the hand that you will not use for peeling. I like to peel towards me, but if you decide to do this, make sure that you have complete control over the knife. Make sure that the knife is very sharp, or else you run a bigger risk of cutting yourself. Peel towards you by ensuring that the knife is just slightly under the skin. Try not to cut too much of the potato “flesh” off. The peel should not be thicker than a millimeter. Use your thumb to get a better grip of the paring knife as you peel. Position your thumb about one or two inches in front of the knife, but if you are peeling correctly the peel should be between your thumb and the knife. Do not peel off more than you should all at once. Work inch by inch. As you become more experienced by peeling this way, you can work faster (but always peel an inch or two at a time only).

Peeling a potato does not take a lot of know-how, but it does take a little effort and practice if you are using a paring knife and not a vegetable peeler.

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