![A person peels potatoes using the Rösle Stainless Steel Wide Crosswise Swivel Peeler](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.foodandwine.com/thmb/-xQcoZtYeRIJq0weJ0C0kY5Bw88=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/faw-tier-2-vegetable-peelers-test-rosle-stainless-steel-jennifer-zyman-10-badge-7230092d247c44d39d29b5fb04f259fa.jpg)
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Chances are, you've got a vegetable peeler in your kitchen drawer, and it's due for an upgrade. The best vegetable peelers do more than take the tough skin off your butternut squash or help you get that perfect strip of zest for a cocktail. Having the right kitchen tools can be life-changing, and a nice vegetable peeler is one of our best ways to make weeknight cooking easier. But peelers don't have a long shelf life: They're one of the kitchen tools you should probably replace.
Thankfully, the best vegetable peelers aren't pricey, and you might even want multiple styles in your drawers and cabinets. We tested peelers with various tasks in mind, peeling more than 20 pounds of potatoes and countless lemons to find the best vegetable peelers for home cooks.
Best Overall Vegetable Peeler
OXO Good Grips Pro Y-Peeler
This peeler's comfy handle is secure in both small and large hands.
It can be awkward for left-handed users.
The OXO Y-Peeler has an ergonomic design and sharp stainless steel blade, which makes peeling vegetables a breeze. The soft non-slip handle fits comfortably in any hand, whether large or small, reducing fatigue during extended use. What sets this peeler apart is its precision and efficiency: It effortlessly glides through potatoes, carrots, and even delicate items like tomatoes, producing thin and even peels. The built-in potato eyer adds extra convenience. The blade is also removable for easy cleaning (and for safe storage if you have little hands that poke around in kitchen drawers.)
You can even buy replacement blades if the peeler gets dull. Like many of OXO's products, its durable construction ensures it's a worthwhile investment. The only potential issue is for left-handed cooks, who have to hold a y-shaped peeler at kind of a weird angle; a swivel peeler is more universal.
Dimensions: 5.5 x 3.25 x 0.5 inches | Materials: Stainless steel, zinc, plastic | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Best Splurge Vegetable Peeler
Rösle Stainless Steel Wide Crosswise Swivel Peeler
This peeler's sharp pair of blades peel easily in both directions.
The blade is rather narrow, so larger items take more work.
The Rösle Vegetable Peeler effortlessly peels long vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini. Its dual blades are exceptionally sharp to slice evenly in either direction, while the hefty weight makes it feel fancy. Crafted from high-quality stainless steel, this peeler combines rustproof elegance with exceptional durability, ensuring it lasts a long time. The round handle's satin finish conceals fingerprints, the hanging loop allows for convenient storage on a hook, and it's fully dishwasher-safe.
On the downside, this is on the pricier side for a peeler. The blade itself is also somewhat narrow and will take more strokes to peel larger fruits and vegetables. It can handle anything you throw at it, but for a big family that eats lots of huge butternut squash, an oversized peeler could save some effort.
Dimensions: 6.7 x 3 x 1 inches | Material: Stainless steel | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Best Value Vegetable Peeler
Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, Pack of 2
Inexpensive, lightweight, and easy to use, this peeler is up for both large and small tasks.
It's not dishwasher-safe, and the carbon steel blade is prone to rust.
This Kuhn Rikon peeler has been a longstanding favorite in our kitchens, helping to prep mashed potatoes and shave curled garnishes from a chunk of Parmesan or other hard cheese. It is so easy to control, and it's a favorite of most chefs due to its exceptional precision. And you can get a pair for 10 bucks.
This isn't the most durable peeler, however. Its carbon steel blade is amazingly sharp, but the material starts to corrode quickly if it gets wet. You have to hand-wash this tool and make sure it's thoroughly dry before you put it away to avoid rust. On the other hand, when it does start to rust, it's not expensive to replace.
Dimensions: 6.3 x 3 x 1.5 inches | Materials: Carbon steel, plastic | Dishwasher-Safe: No
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Best Large Vegetable Peeler
OXO Good Grips Large Vegetable Y Prep Peeler
In addition to an extra-wide blade that easily tackles large peeling tasks, this peeler has an ergonomic handle.
It doesn't offer as much control with small or delicate items.
With this extra-wide peeler, OXO's Good Grips line lives up to its name: the non-slip handle stays put and comfortable in your hand even as you peel unwieldy hard squash, oversized sweet potatoes, or other large vegetables. If you've ever wanted to make long slices of zucchini for a gorgeous squash gratin, or a vegetable lasagna with eggplant "noodles," this peeler can also take the place of a mandoline for some tasks. It's easy to use and easy to clean, fully dishwasher-safe with a blade that remains sharp even after many uses. Our one issue with the larger peeler is lack of control: It's simply too big to peel small or oddly shaped items like apples or ginger as efficiently as a smaller model. It might be worth having more than one size of peeler on hand, especially with this one's low price.
Dimensions: 0.9 x 4.5 x 8 inches | Materials: Stainless steel, plastic | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Best Vegetable Peeler for Lefties
OXO Good Grips Pro Swivel Peeler
This agile peeler features an ergonomic, non-slip handle, and a special tip for removing potato eyes and other blemishes.
The handle is a little bulky to hold.
Though Y-shaped peelers generally dominated in our testing, the swivel style might be a better choice for left-handed users. It's sharp on both sides to peel no matter which direction you swipe it, and you hold the handle in the same orientation with either hand. And like the other OXO peelers on this list, the brand's swivel model is a great choice. It's durable, with a soft material that gives you lots of grip, and of course, it's fully dishwasher-safe. Our favorite feature, though, is the little metal divot on the end. If you've ever been tasked with peeling potatoes that are covered in eyes, you know what a pain it can be to dig them out with a paring knife; the tip of this peeler makes removing potato eyes — along with other aesthetic imperfections — a breeze.
We found the handle of this model a little too wide for our taste in testing, though. It won't slip out of your hand, but it might not be as comfortable to hold as a peeler with a smaller handle.
Dimensions: 1.5 x 1 x 7.5 inches | Materials: Stainless steel, zinc, plastic | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes
Our Favorite Vegetable Peeler
The best vegetable peeler for you is sharp, durable, comfortable in your hand, and easily peels the foods you love to prepare and eat. We named OXO Good Grips Y-Peeler our top choice for its smart design, reliably sharp blade, and fair price. For an effective peeler at ultra-low cost, try the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler, which comes in a set of two for just $10.
How We Tested Vegetable Peelers
![A person uses the OXO Good Grips Pro Y-Peeler on a potato](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/NYLIdRiTUbSrTh3HZeomIuxGzjc=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/faw-tier-2-vegetable-peelers-test-oxo-good-grips-pro-y-jennifer-zyman-18-c71b11d0f2524ce68b52f7860a1dd20d.jpeg)
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Based on the results of previous tests along with extensive research, we chose eight peelers to compare head-to-head for this round. We examined each model and rated its general design, handle comfort, and weight balance, before performing a series of specific tests.
- Potato test: We used each peeler to remove the peel from both sweet potatoes and Yukon gold potatoes. In addition to recording the total amount of time needed, we also noted any problems with the blade slipping, uneven peeling, or any other performance issues.
- Lemon test: We used each peeler to remove pieces of lemon rind, trying to create as long a strip as possible without breaking into the bitter white pith. This was a good test of accuracy and control.
- Chocolate test: As a test of sharpness and ability to work on harder items, we used each peeler to shave chocolate curls over a dessert. We looked at how smoothly the blades could cut the chocolate, and how much effort was required.
- Cleaning: Between rounds of testing, we washed the peelers by hand, and ran the dishwasher-safe ones through the dishwasher at least once. We noted how easy it was to scrub the blades safely, and whether there were any nooks and crannies that could hold onto food bits. We also looked for any cracks, chips, and other damage at the end of testing.
After completing our tests, we revealed the retail prices of the peelers to consider value. The tested peelers ranged in price from $10 (which included two peelers) to $31, with an average of $20.
![Tester holding Material Peeler on marble countertop](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/j0ZIETokcVeLvVD9qd-BLmW3p5o=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/faw-product-material-peeler-jennifer-zyman-03-4371946e09144ef98523388c61b7a799.jpeg)
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Factors to Consider
Shape
There are two main designs for vegetable peelers: A Y-shaped peeler holds the blade perpendicular to the handle, while a straight peeler has a blade parallel to the handle. (Straight peelers are often called swivel peelers, as the blade can swivel back and forth to better follow irregular shapes.)
In our testing, we generally found the Y-shaped peeler to be more effective and less likely to slip. Depending on how you orient it, you can use it to peel in a circular motion around an item or in individual strokes toward and away from you. However, not all Y-shaped peelers are designed with lefties in mind. A left-handed user has to hold a Y-peeler "backwards," and if it's not completely symmetrical in shape, this is often awkward. Since a straight peeler can peel in either direction, it's typically universal.
There's also the julienne peeler, which adds an extra blade to that turns the single wide slice of a standard peeler into multiple narrow strips. It's a very helpful tool, but it serves a different food-prep purpose.
Blade Material
Like knives, most peelers have blades made of stainless steel. The hard material can hold a good edge and resists corrosion. Some models use carbon steel or ceramic blades instead, which are sharper but more expensive and more delicate — carbon steel is prone to rusting if it's not thoroughly dried, while ceramic can chip when it knocks against other tools in a drawer. No matter what, it's not easy to sharpen a peeler blade; you might be better off replacing either the blade or the entire tool when it gets dull.
Handle
A peeler has a sharp blade, and to use it safely, you need to be able to keep a firm grip on the handle. Silicone, rubber, and textured plastic all help avoid slipping, but the exact shape and size of the handle determine how comfortable it will feel in your hand. Weight and balance are important, too, as a heavier handle gives you better control. Metal handles have nice weight, but their smooth surface might not offer as much grip.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can you sharpen a vegetable peeler?
Yes, but it's not the easiest procedure. "If you are trying to sharpen a peeler with a swiveling blade, you can place a rolled piece of cardboard or a small amount of Styrofoam under the blade to hold it steady and keep it from moving," says Sarah Blair, a chef, culinary producer, and blogger. "Next – the same step applies to sharpening a blade that does not swivel – you want to use a steel file, the handle of a spoon, or even the back end of a knife, and sweep it across the blade. You want to slightly angle your sharpening agent of choice against the blade and make long, fluid strokes. Repeat this motion 10 to 12 times away from your body and then back towards your body to hone both sides of the beveled edge." Some peelers, like those made by Rösle and OXO, also have removable blades that you can replace without buying a whole new tool.
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How do you clean a vegetable peeler?
"To clean a vegetable peeler, you want to run it under warm water and use a soft surface to brush away any food or debris. You don't want to use anything abrasive that might scratch or chip the blade. Once the edge is properly cleaned, you want to dry it thoroughly before putting it away so the blade does not rust," says Blair. Avoid putting it in the dishwasher, as the detergent can dull the blade.
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What is the difference between a potato peeler and a vegetable peeler?
They're the same thing — a potato is a vegetable, after all! "Because there are many different types of peelers, it's best to find the one you feel most comfortable with to execute the peeling task at hand," Blair says. Whichever peeler style works best for you will work best for potatoes, carrots, apples, or any other type of produce.
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What kind of peeler is best?
The best peeler depends on the task at hand and your personal preference. We recommend having a couple of hand for different tasks, and try out various styles until you find one that suits your taste.
Other Peelers We Tested
While the Kuhn Rikon Piranha Y Peeler performed well in our tests, it didn't make the list because the other Kuhn Rikon above surpassed it in control and value. It is still a great peeler that is very light and easy to clean. We also tested the KitchenAid Classic Y Peeler, but it was not a favorite during our testing. It was bulky, slippery, and quite heavy in hand. It was hard to use with smaller items, like lemons, during tests, so we don't recommend it.
Our Expertise
- Jennifer Zyman is a Senior Commerce Writer for Food & Wine and a recovering restaurant critic with a culinary school degree and over 15 years of food writing experience. Her work has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit, Eater Atlanta, The Kitchn, Local Palate, National Geographic, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, and Thrillist. To write this story, she tested peelers side by side in order to find the best ones on the market.
- Julia Skinner, Ph.D., a writer, culinary educator, avid gardener, food preserver, and author of Our Fermented Lives, also contributed to this piece. She writes about and teaches fermentation, cooking, and food preservation through her business, Root, and through her newsletter.