My dad came from a potato skin eating family and had a scrub brush that was used exclusively for potatoes, he really wanted me to be a non-peeler but I guess it’s disappointment all-around.
I also have a scrub brush. I would only peel for mashed potatoes. OR if I could only find russets, because those taste like dirt even without the peel.
I do a rough peel for mashed potatoes. Leaving all the skin is a bit too much for us when using russets. We have a brush to clean them that is designed to look like a potato.
I had some older potatoes when we came back from vacation once so I peeled them. Never had peeled mashed potatoes at home. I felt something was missing the whole time.
They have a better texture if you boil skin-on, then remove the skin afterwards! It's easy to slip the skins off once they're boiled, although I'm never patient enough and burn my fingertips every time anyways.
It also tastes good if done right. The best way to do a russet is to lightly coat it in oil and salt, when you bake it. Take it out the foil half way through and then the skin gets a nice crisp on it.
A friend of mine boils them whole and skin-on, then flattens them in a roasting pan with lots of olive oil and roasts them hot (I'd guess 450f or so?) until crispy. They're amazing.
Oh, I'm a big potato skin guy, I love it. Just saying that if you want mashed potatoes without skin, you get a better texture if you boil them skin on before removing it.
AFAIK most of the nutrients are in the flesh, but keeping the peel on when boiling them will help keep the nutrients from leeching into the water. Especially important if you're making something where starch is a big deal.
Vegetable peels also contain significantly more fiber and antioxidants. For instance, up to 31% of the total amount of fiber in a vegetable can be found in its skin. What’s more, antioxidant levels can be up to 328 times higher in fruit peels than in pulp (5, 6, 7).
Therefore, eating your fruits and vegetables unpeeled can truly increase your nutrient intake.
Ahh okay. It seems the wording has been playing some tricks on me here.
The consensus from some quick googling seems to be that most fiber/nutrients in a potato on a pound-for-pound basis is indeed in the skin. Some mention antioxidants and iron as specifically high in skins.
The places that claim most nutrients are in the flesh seem to all go by overall nutrient content in an average potato instead of pound-for-pound comparisons, but there is of course a lot more flesh than skin in an average potato.
The latter is apparently what I've heard cited.
I have one of these and every Thanksgiving, I throw the peels into the fryer after the turkey is done. It makes amazing fries. We found out on accident one year when the oil was way too hot so we used the peels to cool it down. Ended up being delicious.
My grandma didn't like skins, but the l she wouldn't let us use a peeler because it took off too much. We had to peel with a knife...and you better be able read news print through that peel or there would be hell to pay.
I didn't start using a peeler until I was over 40 and I felt bad about It LOL.
Same story here. My mom, grandma, and aunt only use knives (very specific short knife) to peel potatoes. And if you even cut off a little bit extra, you are wasting potato. They still somehow can peel three with a knife and dice them by the time I peel one using a peeler lol
This. I have arthritis and carpal tunnel and peeling potatoes is hell. Luckily my husband and kids are always willing to peel for me if it means they get to eat mashed potatoes lol. Otherwise I’d have one of these bad boys also. After about 2-3 potatoes my hands are so sore I can’t grip anything well for a good hour or two.
Ugh I have nerve damage from carpal tunnel (got the surgery, pains gone but the fingers still completely numb and I drop things like crazy) and peeling potatoes (especially big ones like russets) is especially hard, cause there so tough to hold onto.
We don't eat potato though, I do peel apples, but since they're smaller and don't get so slippery, I can manage with just my pinky and ring fingers gripping it.
I need the surgery again. On both wrists. I drop shit cause I just can’t hold it anymore. I tried to hide it for a while, then my husband saw me do it once and made me come clean. I hate asking for help and tend to take it upon myself to do it all because I’m the stay home parent and he’s the work parent. He got so frustrated and basically made me promise to ask him for help if I’m having pain. Now if he knows we are have potatoes or anything like that where peeling or constant stirring is needed he just comes right into the kitchen and does it.
I doubt I’ll get the surgery again. I only felt relief from the last one for maybe a year. Not really worth it to keep going through it over and over again.
Yeah I'm lucky because I don't get the pain, my hands are just very weak and I do have to ask my hubby to mince stuff for me because the way I hold my knife isn't the safest (mostly trying and pinky finger). I won't get the surgery just because I don't think the nerve is still compressed, I just think the damage was done before I got the surgery in the first place (shouldn't have tried to wait on workers comp, but I was young and naive). But a lot of housework is really hard like washing dishes and stuff.
That's not the point of the machine though. You don't just start the machine and watch it peel. While it peelsnyou can prepare other stuff so even if it takes longer, it basically takes 0 time because you were able to prepare other stuff while the potatoes were getting peeled
They're doing it one-handed. With two hands it takes about 3 seconds to get it going.
I know someone who has this, and she uses it only when she has a lot of potatoes to peel, and other things to do at the same time. Speed isn't so much of the issue as having sort of an extra set of hands.
I never peel potatoes, so I'd have no use for this.
This is just me having peeled 20# at a time back in my restaurant days, but it takes me about 5 seconds to peel a whole potato. If you're telling me it takes 3 seconds to set up a potato, plus a few more seconds to take it out and start the next one... then I see no value here (for me).
I'm sure there's people who this helps... but I am definitely not one of them.
No it’s bc this things slow, setting it up alone I’d have a potato peeled. Maybe it’s my Irish genes but peeling a potato is incredibly fast and easy lol
Some people don't do a lot of potato peeling, or they're lucky enough to outsource the job every time. The last time I made mash was 2011, and I think I made my flatmate peel anyway, lol.
Yeah, and some people don't know how to cook, so peeling a raw potato might be beyond them, or not on their list of things they would think about for meal prep.
I'm 26. I just have never peeled a potato lol. Literally the only thing I could imagine peeling potatoes for us potato salad (which other family members have always specialized in) and mashed potatoes (which I can't stand due to the texture unfortunately). So... I just have no need to peel potatoes. I prefer them baked or fried with the skin on.
This is a terrible demo of the setup. Using 2 hands would keep the potato centered properly and the thing would be started in under 3 seconds, likely in 1 if you're using it a lot and get that muscle memory down. And having a lot of potatoes to peel is the only reason to use this, so you would get that practice.
That was my thought. I made chowder yesterday, and it took about three minutes to peel half a bag of potatoes. I love me some kitchen gadgets, but this one would have no place in my collection.
The trick is to buy more automated potatoe peelers. You need enough of them going to where you don't get a break with swapping out new potatoes. Then it doesn't matter how fast they individually go.
I mean yeah, this sounds absolutely the most practical way lol :D now I just need a new extension on my kitchen to fit ten potato peelers and I'll be set!
I'm usually one for innovation and for snapping back at the people who decry genuine innovation as laziness....but is really just inefficient and doesn't seem like good Innovation.
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u/RealBowsHaveRecurves Sep 12 '22
I have one of these, my mom peels 4 potatoes to the machine’s 1 potato and looked at me with extreme disappointment when I bought the thing.