Yahoo News 9 best peelers and graters to make light work of vegetables
Often thought of as the most mundane of domestic chores, peeling spuds or grating cheese isn’t something any right-minded cook looks forward to. Make the most soul-destroying kitchen chore a pleasure by using the perfect peeler or satisfyingly sharp grater and the prep will be done in no time at all.
Some of the peelers tested here were incredibly sharp, so best keep an eye on the task in hand. And forget the monstrous box grater that made your kitchen drawers jam and nails shred. Modern graters come with a host of safety features to keep them firmly in place and your fingers intact while you work.
Our testers – three generations of one family – took a selection of graters and peelers to the prep for their Sunday lunch, both traditional and veggie. Tackling mounds of potatoes, carrots, parsnips and celery, the makings of cauliflower cheese and the zest for cheesecake dessert.
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SharpPeel stainless steel straight potato peeler: £4.99, Lakeland
This was so sharp, peeling the toughest of spuds and carrots was effortless. The utilitarian look of this peeler means it’s right at home in a hipster’s kitchen – like something your granny would have used. The small loop for poking "eyes" out of potatoes was on the back of the peeler and our tester missed it at first, expecting it to be at the tip. Minimal, thin peel meant more potato in the pot, too.
Brabantia tasty colours fine grater: £7.50, Brabantia
Brightening up the kitchen, Brabantia’s Colours range is full of useful tools. Not least this fine grater, which is perfect for everything from orange zest to parmesan. Our testers liked the non-slip handle and base which made this rock-steady in a bowl or worktop. This also comes in medium and coarse grades.
Joseph Joseph rotary peeler: £14, Trouva
This triangular wonder is great if you don’t have a lot of space to stash utensils. With a choice of three sides – regular, serrated and julienne – you simply have to twist the chosen blade into position and off you go. Our tester used the julienne for fine coleslaw and said the blade was sharp and efficient.
OXO Mini Grate and Slice Set: £17.61, OXO
Everyone has one of those cupboards or drawers where lost and found plastic utensil parts go to die. No more – the parts of this genius product all clip together in a handy case with non-slip pads, which can be used for storing and measuring ingredients too. The spiked grabber saves fingers and there are coarse, fine and slicing blades included.
Victorinox peeler: £5.95, Amazon
The angled blade took a bit of getting used to for some testers though this peeler was a revelation to one, who happened to be left-handed. That may be something to do with the angled blade, which is sharp in the extreme. More lightweight than most expected, it’s in a hard plastic. Although a bargain price, the money’s in the blade, not the casing.
Judge electric potato peeler: £29.95, Harts of Stur
If you have a large family to feed, then you’ll love this – likewise if mobility issues mean it’s awkward or painful to peel. It’s certainly going to take up room on the countertop, but it can prep up to 1kg of potatoes (or carrots) in a couple of minutes, thanks to six rotating blades in the base. For best results, use smaller round spuds and they’ll emerge clean, with a rough finish that made for spectacular roasties. Comes apart for easy cleaning.
Alessi sfrido peeler: £24, Alessi
In mirror-polished, top-grade stainless steel, this is one posh peeler. You won’t want to chuck it back in the drawer or leave it languishing in the sink peelings. Our tester has been using her own Sfrido for a while and says it’s comfortable to handle, with its looping, ergonomic handle. A perfect balance of form and function.
Luckies Kareto vegetable peeler: £10, Red Candy
Shirley Conran famously said that "life’s too short to stuff a mushroom", but how do we feel about sharpening a carrot? Absolutely fine, because this efficient combined peeler and sharpener fascinated our teen tester so much, she enthusiastically volunteered to scrape and sharpen a whole bag of carrots for Sunday lunch. The shavings made cute edible decorations for the serving plate too.
Sainsbury's bowl with lid and grater: £14, Sainsbury’s
For cheese monsters everywhere, stop buying pre-grated cheddar and mozzarella and use this to shred and store instead. A nice chunky greater lid means that the cheese is a good size, and the clip-on lid ensures the contents are kept fresh until that next round of toasties.
The verdict: Peelers and graters
Lakeland’s SharpPeel classic won our vote for the way its sharp blade whizzed cleanly through veg, leaving minimal waste. It comes at a great price too. If yours is a stylish show kitchen then the snazzy Alessi puts the "oh" in potato.
