Do you need a potato peeler?

"It doesn't need to be as cool as mine, but you need a potato peeler in your kitchen!"

Once I gave a recipe to a friend. It was a recipe to cook pumpkin (or any type of squash) risotto. A few days after she said something like "Never again! Cutting and peeling a pumpkin is a pain!". This is still very true, especially if you buy one of those green round squash with a bumpy surface. On the other side pumpkin and squash are so delicious that it's a shame to gave up cooking them only because you are using a tool which is not fit for purpose like a knife!

So what's the trick to cut and peel a squash? Cut it in four, take off the seeds and peel it fairly easily with a good potato peeler. Half the time, a quarter of the frustration.

Which are the common uses (in my opinion) of a potato peeler?

• Peeling potatoes! - I know... it sounds stupid, but some people still peel them with a knife...
• Peeling carrots - I used to scrub them with a knife, but the potato peeler is a lot faster and much less messy!
• Peeling celery - You don't really have to peel celery, but sometimes is nice to take off the stringy side
• Peeling squash/pumpkin - when I discovered it, it was like Christmas when you are 5!
• Peeling other roots like Parsnips, Swede, Sweet potatoes...

 My personal advice? Get one. It's worth those 2 pounds. And don't buy those cheap 50p ones!

Happy peeling!