There must be a better way to...

[Fat Guy]

Peeling carrots. There has got to be a better way.

[Dianabanana]

Forget carrots, how about chestnuts? Or winter squash?

[heidih]

Fat Guy- what is it about carrots that bothers you? A cheap swivel peeler takes off thin shavings and better yet lets you make nice long curls if you press harder.

Winter squash became my friend when I learned to nuke them, let rest, nuke again as needed - usually 3 minute intervals - until the knife can be inserted firmly but easily. Then peel and cut up into the shapes you want.

Chestnuts- my fingernails would like to know. None of the standard things have ever made it easy or foolproof.

[Dianabanana]

Brilliant, Heidi. Thanks!

[Lisa Shock]

I am thinking that chestnuts might do well in the peeler attachment for my DeLonghi mixer -something I have contemplated buying but never had a pressing need to acquire. It's essentially a bowl with a rough surface. You add the food and some water and let everything tumble, like a rock polisher. The manufacturer recommends it for potatoes and other root veggies (carrots would probably work, after all, those bagged 'baby' carrots are just tumbled broken mature carrots), but, it might do the trick for chestnuts.

[boondocker]

Carrots are easy, not sure why you have a problem with it.

Butternut squash isn't too bad either. Other squash i cut into wedges, scoop the seeds, par roast, then cut the meat out.

Chestnuts suck. Roasting them leaves the fuzz, steaming does the same thing. I found that if you score, then boil a few at a time they peel easily while they are still ripping hot. Did 20 lbs for new years, had blisters on most my fingers after that

[nakji]

Peeling carrots. There has got to be a better way.

Sometimes I don't peel carrots, I just scrub them clean.

[Taubear]

Topping, tailing and destringing beans

Edited February 4, 2011 by Taubear (log)

[Pierogi]

Second the green beans, and add stringing snap or snow peas. That job just truly sucks.

[Beebs]

De-husking that brown skin on hazelnuts. Toasting & rubbing in a towel does NOT do it well at all!

[Mjx]

Peeling carrots. There has got to be a better way.

If skipping the peeling really isn't an option, you could try a pair of those scrubby complexion gloves... I think I've even seen them marketed (in brown, rather than white or pastels, and with a significant markup) as 'potato scrubbing gloves'. They work quite nicely. I usually just get small carrots, and wash them well, no peeling or scrubbing necessary.

Forget carrots, how about chestnuts? Or winter squash?

Chestnuts: http://hedgewizardsdiary.blogspot.com/2006/10/peeling-chestnuts-easy-way-chestnuts.html

Essentially, simmer in boiling water for a couple of minutes, a few at a time, then peel (wearing gloves to mitigate heat damage to your hands).

The easiest way I've found is to roast the halved squash for about half an hour at 200C/400F, then work a broad, flat spoon between the peel and flesh: it will still be firm enough cube.

De-husking that brown skin on hazelnuts. Toasting & rubbing in a towel does NOT do it well at all!

Have you tried blanching and rubbing, the way you do with almonds?

[ChrisTaylor]

Peeling really small onions and potatioes. A pain.

[rarerollingobject]

De-husking that brown skin on hazelnuts. Toasting & rubbing in a towel does NOT do it well at all!

Blanching hazelnuts with baking soda and then rinsing them quickly in cold water denudes them completely. And doesn't effect the taste at all.

[nakji]

De-husking that brown skin on hazelnuts. Toasting & rubbing in a towel does NOT do it well at all!

Blanching hazelnuts with baking soda and then rinsing them quickly in cold water denudes them completely. And doesn't effect the taste at all.

People have told me that about chickpeas, too, but I've never found it works.

[Jenni]

^^

Nakji, I find chickpea skins rub off pretty easily once they are cooked. Of course, it's still a bit of a pain and I must confess I often don't bother.

I also will confess to never peeling carrots! Why would I when the carrots we get have pretty clean, non-grotty skin, and I can save time and nutrients by not bothering!

[JeanneCake]

De-husking that brown skin on hazelnuts. Toasting & rubbing in a towel does NOT do it well at all!

This tip from Rose Levy Beranbaum has never failed me: Boil them in water with a little baking soda, drain, rub in a towel then toast.

The water becomes pretty black!

ETA: Sorry for the repeat

Edited February 4, 2011 by JeanneCake (log)

[mkayahara]

I agree on the hazelnuts. I've tried everything from roasting to blanching with baking soda to steaming, and nothing seems to work consistently. In all cases, some skins come off completely with no hassle, and others just never come off at all. If I want perfectly skinned hazelnuts, I just make sure to buy more than I need! I suspect the quality and freshness of the nuts is the likely culprit here.

I actually don't mind topping, tailing and de-stringing green beans or peas, but you'll never catch me removing the tails from bean sprouts. Just ain't gonna happen.

[rickster]

Blanching hazelnuts with baking soda and then rinsing them quickly in cold water denudes them completely. And doesn't effect the taste at all.

I disagree. While it works better than oven toasting to get rid of the skins, I think it definitely affects the texture and flavor.

Edited February 4, 2011 by rickster (log)

[Darienne]

Blanching hazelnuts with baking soda and then rinsing them quickly in cold water denudes them completely. And doesn't effect the taste at all.

I disagree. While it works better than oven toasting to get rid of the skins, I think it definitely affects the texture and flavor.

I sometimes find I have to then carefully roast the hazelnuts to return them to their former crunch state. But then perhaps I am not working quickly enough.

[rickster]

Blanching hazelnuts with baking soda and then rinsing them quickly in cold water denudes them completely. And doesn't effect the taste at all.

I disagree. While it works better than oven toasting to get rid of the skins, I think it definitely affects the texture and flavor.

I sometimes find I have to then carefully roast the hazelnuts to return them to their former crunch state. But then perhaps I am not working quickly enough.

That's been my fix too and maybe my problem is also not working quickly enough. My current approach to the problem is to buy blanched nuts via mail order and forget about doing it myself.

[sparrowgrass]

Bring your green beans, peas and snap peas to me. We can sit on the porch in the rockers and chat while we do them. If I have to do them alone, I listen to the radio. I used to can dozens of quarts of green beans each summer and freeze lots of sweet corn. I just got into that Zen zone we were talking about in another thread.

I don't tail the green beans, anyhow, and have never noticed any problem. Unless they are string beans, then I break them several times to remove the strings and tail. It is easier just to plant the stringless ones and pick them before they get old.

[Toliver]

Peeling carrots. There has got to be a better way.

Sure there is...delegate the job to someone else.

[technophile50]

I scrub carrots with a stainless steel pot scrubber. It acts like a micrograter, and you can remove as much as necessary. I bet a stainless wire brush would work too. I bet I could make an attachment for a Kitchenaid with wire wheels that would act like a centerless grinder for carrots. See http://www.efunda.com/processes/machining/grind_centerless.cfm - replace the grinding wheel with a wire brush wheel, and the regulating wheel with a sponge backed green scrubber to allow irregular diameters - viola! a $150 replacement for a $5 pot scrubber.

[andiesenji]

I don't peel carrots either. I scrub them with a nail brush which has shorter, stiffer bristles than the "vegetable" brushes and is easier for me to hold.

I do peel parsnips but have never thought it much of a demanding task.

For hazelnuts/filberts and Brazil nuts I use the exfoliating gloves sold at Walmart or other stores in the beauty products department - two to a package.

I roast the nuts spread them on a terrycloth towel, cover for a few minutes, which seems to loosen the skins and then rub them between my palms in the gloves, dropping them into a wire colander where I can shake off the bits that remain.

Mostly I just buy the blanched raw filberts from LehighValley.

[ojisan]

I don't peel carrots either. I scrub them with a nail brush which has shorter, stiffer bristles than the "vegetable" brushes and is easier for me to hold.

Japanese traditional "Turtle" tawashi vegetable scrubber:

http://korin.com/Tawashi-Brush

http://www.simply-natural.biz/Veggie-Brush-Large.php