By ANNIE EPSTEIN
The Kitchen Tool Ina Garten Replaces Constantly
A dull vegetable peeler usually means a frustrating day in the kitchen, so the next time you're fighting with your veggies, take Ina Garten's advice and throw the peeler away.
"Vegetable peelers get rusty, they get dull, and they're very cheap, so you can just throw them out and buy new ones," Garten explained to Food & Wine.
Garten gives her peelers the boot once they start to fail. For her, that's after a year of use or so, but it often depends on how often you use your peeler and how it's cared for.
When shopping for a new peeler, you should ask yourself whether you liked using your old peeler. If the answer is no, you may be using the wrong shape for your peeling style.
You could either opt for swivel peelers with long, narrow bodies, ergonomic handles, and rotating vertical blades or copy the professionals and opt for an affordable Y-peeler.
As for the blade itself, you can buy a serrated or straight edge. A ridged tool is good at gripping and peeling delicate produce, and a straight blade glides through vegetables.