Some kitchen tools are practically indestructible, like your trusty cast-iron skillet or baking sheet. Others should be routinely replaced. Before you start digging through all your drawers for broken can openers and dingy wooden spoons, why not start with Ina Garten’s easy recommendation? The patron saint of chambray says you should replace your zesters and vegetable peelers once a year.
“Vegetable peelers get rusty, they get dull and they’re very cheap, so you can just throw them out and buy new ones,” the Barefoot Contessa told Food & Wine. If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably had your vegetable peeler for a few years (or a whole decade…) and are wondering if this is really necessary. Here’s the truth, friends.
Unless you’re routinely sharpening your peeler, it’s bound to get dull. Just like dull knives, working with a dull peeler ups your risk for accidental injury. Running the peeler through the dishwasher can also dull its blade faster. And if you don’t dry the peeler completely between washes, it might even turn rusty. So, if your peeler is as blunt as a spoon or a different color than when you bought it…yeah, it’s time.
Luckily, vegetable peelers are typically pretty affordable, so it might be way easier to just get a new one every so often instead of trying to make the one you have last forever. You might as well add a copy of Ina’s new cookbook, Modern Comfort Food, to your Amazon cart too while you’re at it…just saying.
