How to Peel Potatoes Without a Peeler

Thanksgiving is closer than you think and if you’re hosting a feast, mashed potatoes are a must. It’s true, you could peel potatoes using a drill, but that’s a safety hazard. And, peeling potatoes with a peeler takes forever and is especially annoying if you’re preparing a few pounds of potatoes to feed a crowd. With one swift slice of a knife and a cold bowl of water, it’s totally possible to peel potatoes without a peeler. No blood, sweat, tears, or a peeler involved—just your bare hands. The time-saving kitchen hack will make holiday prep significantly easier, so you could actually enjoy the company of your friends and family without stressing over the stove. 

You can peel boiled potatoes in seconds. Using a sharp knife, slice a horizontal line around the middle of each potato without cutting too deeply. Then, boil your potatoes as you usually would with the peel on. (The peel is actually packed with flavor, so boiling a potato with the skin on will pep up your final dish.) Once it’s possible to poke the potatoes with a fork, drain, and transfer them to a bowl of ice-cold water. Gently rub the surface of each potato after it cools and the skins should peel right off like magic. 

Although this hack is helpful during the holidays, it’s useful to keep in mind year-round as potatoes play a large role in many classic breakfast dishes. Think hash. Once you’ve peeled a few potatoes, you can chop them and throw them into a piping hot cast-iron skillet with olive oil, sliced onions, and peppers for a darn delicious morning hash. But, this potato-peeling technique is also perfect for our mashed potato egg clouds and 1-ingredient frittata.

Now what are you gonna do with all that extra time now that you’ve said ta-ta to all that tater labor?