If that’s going to bug you, opt for a peeler that can be tossed in the dishwasher after use.
Meaning, you have to carefully pull out the bits of rind and skin that build up in the peeler by hand. The majority of peelers on this list are not dishwasher safe. For the home bartender, OXO Good Grips’s Y Peeler ( view at Amazon) boasts a comfy handle and durable blade that makes it a workhorse peeler. You can choose your own adventure with color and they're also cheap to replace, ergonomic and very effective.” Note you do have to wash these by hand.įor bartenders, Kuhn Rikon’s Y ( view at Amazon) peeler checks off a lot of boxes with an incredibly sharp blade and an affordable price tag. “They are the best citrus peelers, without question. Scott Baird, the owner of Zeppelin Nashville, swears by this set of Kuhn Rikon blades. The set of three comes with red, green, and yellow options.
These low-cost options are made with carbon steel blades and an ergonomic design built for both left and right hands. Kuhn Rikon is universally loved by bartenders for the sharpness and affordability of their peelers. Buy a five-pack and be set for the year!” Don’t buy a nice one that you have to maintain unless you plan to keep it for in-home use only.
They will get a lot of use so I’ve found it’s better to think of them like disposable razors. “They’re sharp out of the box and very inexpensive, making them easy to replace as time passes. “Y style peelers have always worked for me,” describes Gregory Diamond, a bartender at the Four Seasons in Scottsdale. I buy a couple of these bad boys every year and they last a long time and stay sharp (if they're not left in water)-it’s even worth it even if you did have to replace them annually (or more).”Īll in all, she notes “Kuhn Rikon’s Y peelers provide perfectly straight, thin pithless citrus peels and offer lightweight maneuverability, for a fraction of what bigger, clunkier, high-end peelers cost.” She continues, “at a few dollars per one, they’re easily replaceable-remember the blade will eventually get rusty, especially if it’s left sitting in water. Not to mention the fact that they're small, lightweight, and easily fit in any size hand and thus lessen the likelihood that you knick your knuckle when moving quickly.” “There are so many reasons to like them: they are inexpensive and there’s minimal pith left when peeling citrus due to the shape and angle of the blade. If you’re vacillating over which style to buy, it really comes down to which movement you’re more comfortable with.“When it comes to peelers, the very inexpensive Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Y-peelers are the best thing you can have behind your bar,” says Hartranft. However, in our testing of both styles of peelers, we didn’t find this held true. Several reviews suggest that Y peelers work better for large, round fruits and vegetables (such as potatoes and apples) while swivel peelers handle thinner carrots and asparagus best. In fact, peeling toward yourself with a swivel peeler mimics the traditional European style (which is done with a paring knife). Holding a straight swivel peeler, on the other hand, is more like using a traditional paring knife, where your wrist just moves back or forth. For a Y peeler, your wrist will generally rotate more (basically in a 180-degree range). Both styles can be used to peel toward or away from yourself, yet the range of motion you use for each is slightly different. When it comes to peeling, people generally fall into two camps: those who prefer a Y- (or harp-) shaped peeler and those who like a straight swivel peeler.