Peelers, like any kitchen appliance, are available in a wide variety of styles, shapes, and colors, from cheap ones you’ve been using for years without thinking about luxury options. and professional”. But many vegetable peelers are uncomfortable to hold and inefficient to use.
After researching the top picks from major retailers and kitchen stores –– like Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Williams Sonoma –– we tested 12 options in both straight blade swing styles and Y-yoke style. We made them work on fruits, vegetables, and hard cheeses during the preparation of many meals, and in the end two peelers stood out:
The best peeler in general
The OXO Good Grips rotary peeler is easy to clean, peels more smoothly on more surfaces of a variety of fruits and vegetables than others, and feels super comfortable to hold for long periods of time.
The best Y-Peeler
If you like Y-shaped peelers, buy the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler Set of 3. They have smaller blades and are cheaper overall, but they peel well and are easy to clean.
OXO Good handle Rotating peeler
NS OXO Good handle Rotating peeler It doesn’t look like anything special, but sometimes the best tools are the ones hidden in plain sight. The OXO peeler beats the competition because it is the most comfortable to use, with a wider handle that is easier to hold than others. It is the smoothest rind and excels on a wide variety of foods. Cleaning the OXO rotary peeler is simple –– the blade is easy to clean all around, with ample space for sponges, and swivels enough to get into any hard to reach places.
As someone who has struggled with carpal tunnel and tendonitis for many years, the standout feature of the OXO rotary peeler is its wide, thick handle and light weight. Competitors have designs that are uncomfortable to hold, like the Linden peeler, with sharp edges or are too heavy, like the Williams Sonoma Straight Peeler. The OXO’s handle also has two grip points near the base of the blade, to place your thumb and forefinger. Although it may seem small, this sharpener’s thicker handle makes a real difference in use, reducing pressure on the wrist and making it easier for you to use it for longer.
This peeler is also the most stable and its blades work smoothly on a variety of foods. Regardless of the ingredients, OXO only removes the top layer of skin. It never changes and pulls long, uniform bands with each pass. Even peeling squash that many competitors struggle to scrape is simple with OXO. It removes longer strips of the thick rind of squash with less effort than others. OXO also has a potato eye remover located at the top of the device, which is intuitive and simple to use.
Finally, cleaning this peeler is very easy, and stands out among the rotating peelers. There’s ample space behind the blade to put the sponge in and remove dirt. And if you need more space, the blade rotates far enough to make cleaning debris a little easier. Some peelers, especially those with a Y-shaped design, are easier to clean after use. But maintaining OXO is easy.
Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler 3-Pack
Set of 3 Bright Swiss Peelers by Kuhn Rikon is an interesting alternative to the OXO if you like Y-shaped peelers or are looking for a little more dynamic for your money or if you prefer Y-type peelers. These peelers have no feel. nothing special, but their tongues are sharp and get the job done impressively. We don’t like the clunky, plastic eye remover –– to be honest, it’s one of the worst we’ve tried –– but Kuhn Rikons by contrast works great, and if one does one is damaged or lost, you have two more to spare, which we recommend despite that incident.
Despite the Kuhn Rikon’s flexible plastic construction and tiny blade, it almost peels off the OXO. Kuhn Rikon even managed to get a good handle on the chewy pumpkin, pulling the right strips of skin off its surface. The only downside is the eye remover, which lacks an edge sharp enough to pull small, precise pieces from our test potato, leaving relatively large deep pits instead.
In addition to great functionality, the Kuhn Rikon is easy to clean and you get a bunch of them for your money. This 3-piece set is an ideal choice for those who may not need luxury kitchen equipment, or are prone to losing things. These peelers have sharp but non-precious blades so you don’t have to worry about washing them right away or taking any other measures to take good care of them. Simply put, they’re a solid, cheap option that will get the job done with no fuss.
We researched the best-selling peelers from retailers like Amazon, Bed Bath and Beyond, Williams’ Sonoma, and Sur La Table, and featured products with top customer reviews. . We also offer some more special “upgrade” options like the professional OXO line and some of the nicer stainless models from Williams’ Sonoma.
There are two basic shaver styles to consider: rotary and Y-shaped. We’ve tried options of both and in each case a slight preference for those with potato-based makeup removers. , a handy nifty feature. We tested peelers made from both plastic and stainless steel. While neither material makes a huge difference in function, we’ve noticed that metal trimmers tend to be heavy and uncomfortable during long periods of use. We also prefer peelers that work on a wide range of foods over using a specific peeler –– such as a cheese-only machine, or a julienne peeler.
After taking note of the design, we mainly test usability. First, we held each peeler, noting how the feel of each shape and any handles was particularly uncomfortable or heavy. Then we put in the peeler the carrot, pumpkin, potato, apple, lemon and parmesan cheese. We’ve noted how smooth they are when peeling, if there are any problems or if the shell gets stuck behind each blade, and how consistent each model performs on different foods. If the peeler has a potato eye remover, we tested them, noting how intuitive the placement of the tool is and how well they work.
Finally, we rinse each peeler. The Y-shaped peeler is easy to clean overall, as the blades are in full contact, making it easy to wipe clean with a sponge. However, rotary peelers tend to collect dirt behind the blades. We tested each one with a sponge, to see how easy it was to remove stubborn dirt.
Chef’n PalmPeeler Vegetable Peeler ($6.99; amazon.com)
Chef’n is the worst peeler we have tried. Its protective sheath never stays, the blade pops off while we clean it, and the sheaths caught between the blade and the guard are cradled in the palm of your hand during the peel. Furthermore, Chef’n isn’t intuitive to use, as it’s impossible to see where it flakes when in use, making it easy to traverse the same territory without even knowing it.
Kuhn Rikon Serrated Rotating Shaver ($13.75; amazon.com)
This peeler is strange to hold, possibly due to its domed handle, and the eye remover sits behind the blade, making it insensitive to use. The serrated peeler also seemed to remove more skin than others we’ve tested, and left visible streaks on the vegetables we tested, a feature that may not work for everyone’s preferences.
Linden Sweden Jonas Original Vegetable Peeler ($8.99, original $9.99; amazon.com)
Made up of a single cast stainless steel band, the handle of the Linden peeler is difficult to hold and very uncomfortable to use for any length of time. It also peeled poorly most vegetables, and couldn’t pull strips of peel off any of the vegetables we tested consistently.
Microplane Pro straightener, black ($19.95; williams-sonoma.com)
This peeler works well with most vegetables, but struggles with the thick and soft zest of lemons. It is also very heavy, making it unattractive for extended periods of time.
OXO Good Grips Pro Swivel Peeler ($14.99; amazon.com)
If you are looking for a high-end peeler, the OXO Pro Rotary Peeler can be a good choice. When peeled off it’s a bit more slippery than the basic OXO swing, but its stainless steel construction is also much heavier. Because of the heavy weight, we don’t think this peeler will do well for extended kitchen work.
OXO Good Grips Pro Y-Peeler ($14.99; amazon.com)
The OXO Pro Y-Peeler’s ultra-wide handle is uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. It has the same flatness issue as the standard OXO Y paring machine, but the wider handle makes the problem appear more obvious.
OXO Good Grips Y-Peeler ($9.89, original $10.95; amazon.com)
Like the OXO Swivel, this peeler has a wide handle, but strangely the handle has no depth. Its grip is as wide as other OXO models, but flat, making it feel like it put pressure on our tester’s wrist. However, this model is somewhat more comfortable to hold than the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss, if you are looking for a nicer Y-shaped sharpener.
Swissmar Swiss Red and Black Double Edge Straightening Machine ($11.95; amazon.com)
Like the serrated Kuhn Rikon, the Swissmar peeler also has an eye release that turns away from the blade, making it difficult to grip. There’s nothing technically wrong, but it doesn’t impress.
Williams Sonoma Prep Tools Straight Swivel Peeler (starts at $17.95; williams-sonoma.com)
Our main problem with this peeler is that the area behind its blade is very small, making it difficult to reach for the sponge to clean. The peeler is also quite heavy. However, it did excellent at removing potato eyes and was very smooth and consistent on most vegetables.
Zyliss Smooth Glide Wide Peeler ($9.95; surlatable.com)
This super wide Y-shaped peeler is only useful for foods like cheese. Its 4.5-inch wide blade is almost comical next to other peelers we’ve tested, and it’s impractical for everyday peels. While Zyliss is light and easy to handle, it’s not as agile as a vegetable.
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