Peel Out

by Mark R. Vogel

POTATOES

Potatoes also do not have to be peeled. If you do, use the tip of a straight peeler to remove the eyes. Store peeled potatoes in water to prevent them from browning if you are not going to cook them right away.

ASPARAGUS

Large green asparagus usually need to be peeled. The skins of mature specimens tend to be tougher than their thinner, younger counterparts. Use a peeler that is not too aggressive.

You only need to remove the outermost layer. White asparagus, regardless of the size, is very fibrous and always needs to be peeled.

CELERY ROOT

A must-peel vegetable, it has a tough, gnarly surface. You can use a strong peeler but sometimes it is easier to employ the base of your chef's knife.

Make one slice off the bottom to create a flat platform so you can rest it on the cutting board in a stable manner. Then work your knife in a curving fashion from the top toward the bottom. A chef's knife is also the best tool for pineapples.

GARLIC

No need for a peeler here. Take a slice off the root end, lay your chef's knife over the clove horizontally and give it a whack with your hand. The skin will come right off.

CITRUS FRUIT

The best tool for zesting citrus fruit is a microplane grater. Just don't remove more than the outermost peel. The underlying white pith is bitter.

Then there are the foods that are peeled not by a specific tool, but by a cooking technique. As the old adage states, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

TOMATOES

To peel tomatoes, cut a small X in their south pole and drop them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Then submerge them in ice water to stop the cooking and peel them with your hands.

PEARL ONIONS

Simply boil them for one minute to loosen the skins.

PEPPERS

You can peel peppers by dropping them in hot oil until the skins burst, broiling them, placing them on the flame of your gas stove, or grilling them. For bell peppers, you can cut them down the shoulders to create four fairly flat pieces or leave them whole.

Obviously, if left whole you'll need to rotate them as each side chars. When the skin turns black, you're done. Then place them in an enclosed container for a few minutes to steep. This facilitates the removal of the skin.