Most of you might know how to sharpen a knife. However, not everybody knows how to sharpen a small potato peeler, and it seems to be easy to handle.
You might deal with the time when your peeler does not work. It is getting blunt. Even if you try hard, the skin of the potato does not come off. You will get uncomfortable. So to avoid that situation, let’s learn how to sharpen a potato peeler.
Indeed, some small guidelines and tips below will keep your peeler sharp all the time.
What Is a Potato Peeler?
A potato peeler is a kitchen tool, including the sharp metal blade and the handle connected. It is used to remove the skin of potatoes and other vegetables such as carrots, fruits, and stalks. The potato peeler blade is slotted and the side to prevent it from cutting deeply into the vegetables.
You can use the potato peeler to peel off thin shaving through the limes, apples, or pears. It features the hand guide’s soft-grip as you are peeling off the potato and fruits kin. This useful kitchen tool is used to peel off the skin and shave chocolate curls, removing celery stalks.
Briefly, there are four main steps to sharpen potato peelers. You mark the blade’s edges, insert a cardboard piece under them, and then run a rasp file along the blade cutting edge ten times, doing it the same as the second blade:
Step 1: Using a marker to color the edge of the first blade
Step 2: Roll the cardboard and put it under the blade for keeping it steady
Step 3: Using the diamond sizes of the flat file and place it on the cutting edge of the blade, then raise it a little to match the bevel angle of the blade. Then stroke the file along the blade in the same direction from 10-12 times.
Step 4: Do the same process with the second blade by turning the peeler 180 degrees. Then color the next blade with the maker and do it similarly in 3 steps. After that, try to peel a potato to check if it is already sharpened enough.
What Can We Use to Sharpen a Potato Peeler?
The potato peeler comes with a small blade and holes using the regular files or the sharpening gadget, and it might not fit through the hole.
Using a small kitchen knife is an excellent way to sharpen the peeler. Firstly, hold it in your right hand and keep a peeler in your other hand. Then start to move the blade across one of the two blades of the peeler.
Remember to do it along the whole blade’s whole length from the left to right around 10-12 times, then repeat the same process on the other blade of the potato peelers.
You can test the blade by running the finger lightly along the blade. If it is not sharpened enough to be used, you can repeat it more times. Do not forget to clean the peeler with liquid soap and water, then dry it well.
Besides, you can use a sharpening block or hone. First, you can begin with rubbing the side of the peeler’s blade against the honing block edge several times. The peeler’s blade should be put perpendicular to the honing block edge.
In the added step, you can do the follow-up sharpening by angling the potato peeler to a side then one blade is in contact with the edge of the honing block. Then repeat it on another blade.
You can also use the honing block’s flat or top surface because the blade curvature does not make it possible to sharpen two cutting edges simultaneously. After that, you can put a cutting edge first and ensure it is touching the honing block surface. Then run across the honing block in the same direction.
Finally, do the same process to the other cutting edge.
How to Use the Potato Peeler?
The potato peeler allows you to save your time for preparing your foods, and It is easy to use, and you can leave with a bit of waste. To use the potato peeler and another vegetable peeler, you should try these below steps:
If you apply a little pressure to peel the vegetable’s skin, the peeler will slice the thin piece.
Gently press down the potato peeler and slide the vegetables full length to take off the skin. Then slowly strip the skin away from the body to avoid cutting your fingers.
You can also use the peelers to cut the strips for carrots and shoestring fries by pressing down gently the potato peeler.
Then you continue to strip off the skin until it is removed properly. After that, you can put a little pressure and effort when you remove the top layer of vegetables. You can raise the pressure to remove the thicker skin.
Remember, when you finish skinning off the vegetables, You should hand wash the peeler and not put it in the dishwasher. Do not forget to dry the blade well to avoid rust build-up.
What Else Can I Do With A Potato peeler?
Most of us know how to use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin of vegetables and fruits. However, the potato peeler can do more than a standard stripping kitchen tool. Let’s see what these are:
Remove the celery stick skin: You can use the potato peeler for slicing off the celery’s skin and remove the fibers so that you can cook the crunchy celery stick.
Slice the frozen butter: you can slice off the thin piece of butter, then melt quickly, and an alternative to cooking oil.
Slice the chocolate curls: use the peeler to slice the thin piece of chocolate for making tasty curls which is excellent for decorating and topping the cake.
Strip off the citrus skin: You can use the peeler for stripping off the long strand of fruits for a drink for the cocktail. It will add a citrus flavor to your drink.
Shave the cheese: You can use the potato peeler to slice the thin piece of cheese for pasta dishes.
You can use the peeler to prepare the salads, make dessert decor and snacks. Potato peelers make it easy to strip the skin of vegetables in a short time. However, if it gets dull, your work will hardly be completed, and it makes you uncomfortable.
Hopefully, my sharing on sharpening the potato peeler will help you keep your peeler sharp, shiny and give excellent performance ideally.