STAM peeler, IKEA.
Many of us use our vegetable peeler for one purpose only — trimming the skins off fruits and vegetables. But this humble tool can do more than triple-duty in your kitchen. From simple prep, all the way to dessert decor, here are all the other ways you can use it:
1. Make vegetable ribbons
Photo, Erik Putz.
Turn your vegetables into artful ribbons for salads, sandwiches and more. This Thai steak salad uses peeled carrots and cucumber in a very simple to prepare format. (Watch how it’s made down below.)
2. Shave cheese slices
Photo, Erik Putz.
No cheese knife? No problem. Your peeler can shave super thin slices of cheese, too. We often use them to garnish pasta dishes, as we did with this (spiralized) zucchini noodle pasta.
3. Zest citrus
Photo, Roberto Caruso.
You don’t need a rasp to infuse citrus flavours into your drinks. Use a peeler to peel off a long strand of a citrus fruit for an evening cocktail. (Or to make gorgeous candied lemon pieces.)
4. Shave chocolate curls
Photo, Erik Putz.
Run your peeler down the surface of chocolate to make luscious curls, perfect for cake decorating, or topping a velvety chocolate pie.
5. Grate or shave frozen butter
Photo, Roberto Caruso.
Never squash your breakfast toast again! Shave off thin slices of butter and they’ll melt quickly over each crisp slice.
6. Remove stringy fibres from celery
Photo, iStock.
Ever crunched down on a celery stick only to have pesky strings get stuck between your teeth? Never agin. Use your peeler to shave off the skin and de-string the fibres.