This Simple Trick for Peeling Potatoes Will Save You Time and Energy

Whether you’re whipping up a pile of potatoes for a family feast or just a regular weekday side dish, getting rid of the skins from multiple spuds can be a real pain. To make things easier, we suggest learning how to peel potatoes without ever needing to grab your vegetable peeler.

Instead, you can delicately slice a thin line around the circumference of your potato — just enough to break through the skin but not cut too deep. Make a full circle around the spud and try to have the ends meet. Then cover them in boiling water and let them cook as you normally would, until you can poke a fork through easily.

Once they’re tender, drain the hot water and run cold water over the taters while they’re still in the pot until they’ve cooled down. When you can hold them without scalding yourself, you should be able to simply slide the peels away from the potato.

Take a look at how well it works in the video below:

The video calls for pouring pre-boiled water from a kettle over the potatoes in your pot before bringing that back up to a boil and letting them cook. Although that might help speed the process along, I’m sure they’d be just as easy to peel by boiling regularly on your stove.

Of course, depending on the size or type of spuds you’re using, it might not be quite as effortless — but still far less frustrating than carving away with a peeler or knife.

I gave it a try with some bumpy Yukon potatoes rather than more uniform ones shown in the video. After boiling, my peels didn’t slip away in perfect sheets, but it was still super easy to pull the bits off with my fingers. The shallow slice around the potatoes also gave a good starting point to start lifting the peel away rather than pawing at them aimlessly.

Just remember to give your spuds a good wash before starting the whole process. (Your dishwasher can help with that!)

Your peeler might feel a little neglected, but this technique will definitely make your life a whole lot easier.