Here are a rounded view at a couple of other tools that most of us use in the kitchen. It helps to know and have a better idea of what you are looking at for when you do actually want to purchase them.

PEELERS

There are several vatriations of peelers out there. I am going to focus on 3. The swivel peeler, The Y peeler and the Lanchashire or straight peeler. Each one does the job well, and it’s up to you which you find easiest to use.

I personally find a Y peeler easiest due to my fibro hands. I used to use a Lancashire peeler as they are sturdy and have less likehood of breaking and the pivot ones I used for the kids when they were younger and prone to break stuff all the time because they were cheap and you could get 3 in a packet.

There’s no accounting for which is best it’s a matter for yourself, my job here is to show you each one in turn and explain thier origins, pros and cons.

THE LANCASHIRE PEELER 

This stock picture of a Lancashire peeler is a bit posher than the one I owned. Mine had a red wooden handle and just a bit of jute twine wrapped around the middle of the handle. It lasted me years and years and until the beginning of this year I still had it. Now it has been passed forward to someone who can use it better than I can.

Traditionally a Lancashire peeler has a wooden handle partially wrapped in twine with a fixed and rarely pivoting blade. Mostly it has a single blade but these days you can get a double blade version. The pointed tip is used to dig out eyes and blemishes in your spuds. Extremely hard wearing and good for both lefties and righties this peeler is a fantastic option for anyone with alot of root veg to peel or turn into ribbons.

The down side to this one is that it is only really good for hard root veg. If you were looking to do things like celery, cucumber or even apples and pears you are liable to take out huge chunks of the vegetable as it is made for hard work use and not delicate soft fruit and veg.

However if you do choose this one expect to hand it down to your grandchildren, if looked after properly it will last generations.

THE Y PEELER

A Y peeler has it’s blade horizontally to the handle. the metal loop at the side is to dig out eyes and blemishes and is used in a motion very similar to a razor.

For some the position of the handle on a peeler is incredibly important. These are a firm favourite with those who have hand or wrist issues, for example, arthritis or fibromyalgia. There is no wrist twist with this one and due to the double balde can be used in both a pulling and pushing motion allowing this peeler to be also known as “the speed peeler”. There are some versions that come with just one blade however the majority is double bladed (unlike what the tv salesguy will tell you who wants to sell you a gazillion of these because they have a fancy handle and he is showing you how it actually works in both directions and not just the one). Trust me is you pay more than £3 for any fancy version of one of these then it’s a rip off.

When these get old their blade tends to like to pop out, luckily for us though you can purchase new blades or just give the old one a bit of a shine up and then pop it back in. It’s not hard and if you get the metal version which is the chefs version it’ll last forever.

PIVOT PEELER

This stock picture is of a metal pivot peeler. As you can see the blade pivots and is not fixed to the blade like the Lancashire peeler. This can give a little bit more mobility when peeling around lumpy veg. It still has the pointy top which is for gouging eyes and blemishes and is the most common of all fruit and veg peelers.

This one pictured is known as a Jonas peeler and was designed in Sweden in 1953. It is useful for use for both lefties and righties and due to its metal nature can be sterilised in boiling water or the dishwasher without too much fuss if required. It is also extremely hard wearing and less likely for pressure breakages to occur as they will with plastic handled versions.

The pivot peeler is very useful for households who need to peel a variety of fruit and veg and will do a great job of it quickly and easily. A double bladed version will also work in a push and pull motion meaning it is also incredibly quick to use as long as you are careful.

This peeler has more tendancy to fly out of your hand due to the angle in which you need to use it. The blade is also prone to snapping under some pressure.

If you are going to use this version I do suggest purchasing the metal version as the balde is alot more sturdy and hardwearing and like the metal Y peeler can last a lifetime.

TIN OPENERS

Ok so some call them tin openers and some can openers at the very least we can agree on is that to get inside the metal cylinder with the baked beans or soup in it we need something to open it with. Here I am going to show you 3 versions of openers.

CLAW SHAPED OPENER

The very first can opener was invented on January 5th 1858 by American, Ezra Warner, 50 years AFTER Peter Durand of England patented a can made of wrought iron with a tin lining. Up until this kind of opener became popular a hammer and chisel was used to open the cans. 

The one shown here is a much more modern version but is popular with those who camp alot these days or to have as a backup. The one I have also has a cockscrew attached…. I digress.

It is perfect to have as an emergency backup as it does not require any electricity or have any parts that may not function for whatever reason. Oh and it’s incredibly cheap too.

BUTTERFLY OPENER

I think just about everyone on the planet has seen one of these in one form or another. This is the oldest, cheapest and most common sort really. Most people have one of these in thier camping equipment or as an emergency backup for their more modern plastic version that will take the top off the can rather than just the inner top.

The only time the metal version of these will breakdown is either they haven’t been cleaned regularly and have gotten sticky and gross and the wheel will spin of the grease and gunk or the wheel itself will actually end up wearing out from years of use. the metal one also tends to have a bottle opener on one of the handles which is a handy little addition. Oh and one final thing, these can be sold for scrap. They are metal recyclable, so when yours finally does give up never to be fixed it’s not just going to end up on landfill.

BENCHTOP OPENER

Mostly found in professional kitchens of one form or another these can openers are only for the incredibly serious.

Incredibly reliable and will honestly last as an heirloom if purchased and installed in a home kitchen. To be honest I’ve known one of these to be passed down through at least 3 generations of one restaurant and it still worked as well as the day it was bought.

They are incredibly easy to use and if you have the space then sure go for it. The actually main body of this comes off the bench attachment so it could be stored until needed. If we had the space this would definately be my choice. Those of us with less upper body strength of issues with hands or arms in anyway will love this. I have seen a woman so crippled up with arthritis in the hands use this opener with such ease where before she’d given up on any due to being unable to hold one properly.

Sure this one is a bit more expensive but honestly considering how many hand held openers most people go through in a lifetime, this one will work out cheaper.