Kitchen Peeler Back-to-Basics Basics Apple & Potato Peeler / B0000DE2SS
I absolutely love mashed potatoes for dinner and apple pie for dessert, but I hate the peeling and preparation. I never feel comfortable with a conventional potato peeler, which leaves me using a paring knife and wasting a lot of time as well as a lot of the actual potato (or a lot of the apple, in the case of pies). Consequently, I had given up on proper mashed potatoes and was fixing mashed potatoes from store flakes, which is never as good. I was really skeptical about this peeler and figured it was probably too good to be true, but I went ahead and ordered it anyway on a 4-for-3 promotion. Wow! I wish I'd ordered this YEARS ago. I know this is going to be a long review, but I really want to break down ever detail of this wonderful peeler.
The peeler arrives in a box and takes about five minutes to set up - the instructions just need you to screw on the handle and the holding prong in place. Voila! The suction cup base works well on my marble countertop, when I remember to brush the surface of crumbs or other baking bits, but honestly the unit is sturdy enough that the unit doesn't move around even when I forget to clamp it in place with the clamping lever. The attachment that cores and slices the apple comes off easily (just a simple screw), which delighted me since I didn't need my potatoes cored and sliced. The spring-based peeler is flexible and adjusts easily to the size of the fruit/vegetable inserted. There is even a latch to allow the "arm" to move quickly and freely, for when you are done peeling and you don't want to "crank" backwards to return the arm to the starting position - just press the release lever and pull the arm out! Truly, this is the easiest kitchen appliance to operate, ever.
Now, for the specifics. Apples work wonderfully in this peeler. So far, we've peeled Pink Lady apples for snacking, and we've peeled, cored, and sliced (all within mere seconds!) Granny Smith apples for apple pies. The peeler economy is wonderful - an apple pie that used to require six apples now only needs four because so much apple is saved by this peeler. The slices are perfect for apple pie, and I plan to buy a dehydrator soon to dry the slices. I've posted a picture of one of our peeled Pink Lady apples.
I saw a lot of people online saying that potatoes don't work with this peeler, but I think they must have an older model of this Back-to-Basics peeler because my peeler works perfectly with potatoes, though I did notice that round potatoes (like Yukon Gold) peeled more easily than oblong or heavily pitted potatoes (like Russet). In the case of the heavy oblongs potatoes, the potato just needed a hand to brace against it and then everything was fine. I've posted a picture of our round Yukon Gold potatoes after being peeled - once again, I am astonished at how much of the vegetable is preserved by the peeler. I never considered that I'd save money with this peeler, but I am - a family that used to need five potatoes per evening now only needs three!
Cleanup is easy - I simply pick the unit up, rinse the blades under hot running water, and then pat dry with a towel. I have had no problems whatsoever with rusting. More germ conscious people can take the extra step of unscrewing the blades and washing by hands - the peeler is easy to disassemble. I could not be happier with my peeler and I would buy it again in a heartbeat!
Back To Basics Apple
