I hate peeling potatoes, which is why when you come to my house there will be a distinct lack of potatoey foods on the table. Either that or the slow-cooker baked potato soup and the mashed potato side dish will all have bits of skin mixed in (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since potato skin contains about half of the spud’s fiber content).
But it turns out I — and probably many others — are just doing it wrong and adding tons of work to the process that doesn’t need to happen. Naturally, I was today years old when I discovered my error through TikTok, which happens to be my source for finding that a lot of things I do are wrong and inefficient (note to self: adulting is hard).
The post in question comes from @jenniabs3, who explains that the reason why potato peelers have a blade that swivels back and forth is because this allows you to continuously peel a potato with a backward and then a forward motion without lifting the peeler. This speeds up the process.
Here’s her viral post, which has gotten 13.1 million views:
@jenniabs3 Did you know? #kitchengadgets ⬠original sound – Jenni-abs
Fortunately, I’m not the only person who appears to be surprised by this use of a potato peeler.
As one commenter said, “I’ve always gotten mad cause I thought mine was just always loose.” Same, Trainer3233.
And Neb Rekae, who is no stranger to peeling potatoes, bemoaned, “I’ve been living a lie.”
Another commenter pointed out that this swiveling function also allows people to use potato peelers whether they are left- or right-handed.
However, some people also pointed out that peeling a potato this way can be more dangerous if you’re not used to the motion, as you may end up peeling your skin as well. The solution is, of course, to make sure you have a good peeler and to practice safely.
Did you know this trick, or the fact that the point at the end of the potato peeler is great for taking out potato eyes? There are many other tips you can learn on TikTok, from the easiest way to separate egg whites and yolks to the right way to open an English muffin.
One popular source of this kind of video is @sidneyraz, who has 4.3 million followers. He often starts his videos with “Here’s something I didn’t know until I was in my 30s.” In this one, for example, he demonstrates how to knock the core out of a head of lettuce.
@sidneyraz lettuce learn from this #todayilearned #tipsandtricks #lifehack #lettuce #cookingathome ⬠original sound – sidneyraz
Have fun going down the rabbit hole!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories.
