
A single cut through the finished apple from top to bottom gives you two stacks of uniform half-circles just right for pies. The crank models take up a bit more space but are ideal for bakers because you can peel, core, and slice an apple in about 15 seconds. If you have room for only one small device that fits in a drawer, this is the most versatile model we tried. Push-style models are best for prepping apple snacks, but our favorite model’s 16 slices are slim enough for pies and tarts, too. Push-style devices can be used year-round on both firm and soft fruit (even on ripe pears and less-than-crisp supermarket apples), but the crank style requires crisp, firm apples that will stay anchored on prongs, or the machine won’t work.

We found two styles: crank style, which peels, cores, and/or slices fruit with the turn of a crank, and push style (shaped like a wagon wheel), which simply cores and slices fruit, leaving the peel on. Tools that help cooks prepare apples, whether for snacking or baking, are wonderful time-savers, especially during the bounty of apple-picking season. Both are sturdy and sharp and make it easy to core and cut apples into convenient pieces. We also have two recommended push-style apple corers/slicers, which don’t peel apples but do core and cut them into wedges that are ideal for snacking: the Norpro Grip EZ Fruit Wedger, 16 Slices with Base, which cores and slices apples into 16 narrow slices, and the OXO Good Grips Apple Divider, which cores and slices apples into eight chunky wedges. If you’re making a lot of apple pies or crisps, using this device is the fastest way to create piles of peeled, cored, and uniformly sliced apples that are ready to bake (and the slices are also great to snack on). Cast iron and sturdy, it processed fruit in seconds. Our favorite crank-style apple peeler, corer, and slicer is the VKP Brands Johnny Apple Peeler, Suction Base, Stainless Steel Blades, Red. We think both styles have a place in your kitchen, whether you’re snacking or baking. A we.We tested two kinds of apple prep tools, crank style and push style, and found favorites in each category. Typically, the thick head of a straight peeler set low over the blade blocks our view. Why do we prefer a Y peeler? The open Y shape gives us an unobstructed view-and better control-of the peeling action, so we know exactly what is happening at all times. On many peelers both blades are equally sharp, so you can reverse direction as needed. On both, the peeler’s dual blade operates the same way, with the first half traveling over the food, guiding the angle of the second, which actually cuts in and does the peeling. You can use both styles of peeler in either direction, flicking it away from you or pulling it toward you along the surface of food. Y peelers are usually held between the thumb and forefinger. The next biggest difference comes down to the way you hold them: You grasp a straight peeler by its handle, like a knife. Y peelers are, well, Y-shaped, with the blade suspended between the tips of the Y. Straight peelers are the earliest form of vegetable peeler they’re shaped like the paring knives that they were based on, with the blade extending straight out from the handle. The overall shape of the peeler is the biggest difference. A Style That Works for You: Whether you prefer a Y-shaped or straight peeler is personal.We rounded up more than a dozen peelers in two main styles-Y-shaped and straight-plus a few innovative models, and put them to the test. And when the work is done, your hand shouldn’t feel the worse for wear. Whatever the task, the peeler should handle bumps and curves with ease and without clogging or losing its edge.

#Cooks illustrated best potato peeler skin
Bad peelers abound, though, making these jobs tiresome and even sometimes dangerous.Ī good peeler should be fast and smooth, shaving off just enough skin to avoid the need for repeat trips over the same section but not so much that the blade digs deeply into the flesh and wastes food. We use vegetable/fruit peelers to prep a variety of produce, from carrots and potatoes to tough squash, tender ginger, and leathery lemon peel-and even for shaving Parmesan flakes or making chocolate curls.

If you prefer straight peelers, we suggest the OXO Good Grips Swivel Peeler, with its sharp stainless-steel blade. The Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, our longtime Y-shaped winner, is our top choice, with its smoothly gliding, wickedly sharp carbon-steel blade. There are two main types: Y-shaped and straight we chose favorites of each. The best are light and comfortable, with a sharp, maneuverable blade that peels neatly without waste and keeps its edge. A great peeler makes short work of prepping vegetables and fruit.
