apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Good Question: Is It Possible to Sharpen My Vegetable Peeler?

2006_12_19VegetablePeeler.jpgDear Kitchen,

I realized this weekend as I was peeling a sweet potato, that my vegetable peeler is totally dull. Is it possible to get them sharpened or should I just toss it and get a new one? It's not that I don't want to spend the money, but it seems strange that they would be disposable.

Cheers,
Eliza

 
 

Dear Eliza,

It does seem strange that there is no way to sharpen a vegetable peeler, but I phoned several shops specializing in cutlery and knife sharpening and none of them could do it. One shop, however, recommended a vegetable peeler made by Kyocera ($17.95). It has a ceramic blade that will stay incredibly sharp for, I'm told, 20 years.

Oxo also makes a highly rated version, the I-series Swivel Peeler, ($7.99) which has blade that can be replaced when it gets dull. Hope that helps.

Tags

Good Questions

Related Links

Share

Comments (4)

I sharpen my peeler all the time, it's really old, it was my great aunt's. You run the tip of a knife down the underside of the peeler edge on each side until you feel like you've removed or smoothed out the burrs. If you steel your knives regularly, you already have a good feel for when the edge is cleaned up.

regards,
trillium

posted by trillium on 2006-12-19 15:30:30

i heard somewhere today that you can sharpen knives and things on the bottom edge of a ceramic coffee cup. haven't tried it but if anyone gets to it before i do, i'd like to know if it works.

posted by abby on 2006-12-19 21:23:45

Abby -- I've never done it myself, but have many friends who swear by it. Any unglazed ceramic edge will work, so check your plates and bowls too. Just make sure you use the right angle of attack, same as if you're using a sharpening stone.

posted by Michelle of Montreal on 2006-12-20 10:34:57


I think I like

A dull peeler is a real pain!

I tried sharpening mine today and they do sharpen and then work much much better.

I uses a v hone from an old v sharpening system. A round diamond hone also works. I first drew and then pushed against the edge. The drawing seemed to work better. I sharpened the protruding edge with a few quick strokes.cMagnification helps as the edge cleans up. The problem is deburing as the other side of the edge is sort of obscured and difficult to address. I did as best as I could. I then hit it with the pink then white Wolf hones to sort of refine it.

I ignored the lower guiding edge.

It worked better for my carbon peelers then the stainless steel. Any suggestions on what to put on carbon peelers or knives to prevent rusting?

It would seem every cook in America would very much want their vegetable peelers sharpened as it's just all the difference in the world. I would say that a dull one is a damn nuisance!- Rod, Reston VA

posted by Rod Koozmin on 2007-01-08 16:41:59