How to Peel All Those Annoying Foods That are Tough To Peel

Have you ever found yourself getting super annoyed because you don’t know how to peel an egg?  How about that pesky peach or potato?  We find ourselves having to spend way more time in the kitchen than we need to because the peeling process can be extremely annoying on those foods that are stubborn enough to get squashed, ripped, bruised, or in some way damaged because of our efforts that don’t work as well as we’d like.  Wouldn’t it be great if everything could be successfully peeled in under 30 seconds?

While that may not be the case every single time, I figured I would do a little video research to locate some of the most well known and reliable videos that teach you how to peel some of the most common peeling foods that everyone seems to run into trouble with.    Whenever you run into trouble, you can always refer back to this article.  If you have any videos or suggestions you’d like to share, please be sure to reach out to us in the comments!

Here are five foods that we always run into trouble with and how to peel them:

How to Peel a Mango in 8 Seconds

Yup, you can do it in 8 seconds. If however, you don’t believe this video, here are a few pointers on how to peel a mango.

1. Peel the mango from top to bottom

Using the Y-shaped peeler, work your way around the mango, removing the skin. If the fruit is not quite ripe, keep peeling it away until the pulp is bright yellow. As you expose more pulp, use a paper towel to hold the peeled mango so it doesn’t slip out of your hand. Peel away the tips.

2. Determine the tallest line of the mango

Place the mango on the cutting board and find the side that seems the tallest—the pit will be sitting along that line.

3. Slice in half, avoiding the pit

Holding the mango with a paper towel, position the chef’s knife, aiming it at the center of the fruit; you may need to adjust the angle of the knife if you find that you hit the pit. Slice the sides off the mango, avoiding the pit.

4. Cut around the pit

Holding the fruit vertically, trim the remaining flesh off the pit.

5. Slice the cut halves

Finish the mango by slicing the pieces horizontally into smaller wedges.

How to Peel a Hard Boiled Egg in a Glass of Water

Does anyone remember this crazy video?  Needless to say I tried this and it didn’t work.  Frankly there’s no perfect way to peel an egg but there are some tips that may very well help you out.  And here they are.  Adding vinegar or baking soda to the water when boiling the eggs may make them even easier to peel. Another simple method of peeling hard boiled eggs is to use a spoon. Alternatively, you can also try this technique to peel 5 hard boiled eggs at one time!

How to Peel a Butternut Squash

Microwave your squash before peeling it.

This easy step will save you hours of terror before approaching your squash and however many excruciating minutes it usually takes you to peel your squash. The microwave not only softens and loosens the skin, making it fall off more easily. It also cooks it slightly, which means you don’t have to roast it quite so long. Here’s what to do:

Poke holes in the squash with a fork.
Slice the top and bottom off the squash.
Stick the squash in the microwave for three and a half minutes. (You could go a little longer if you want)
Let the squash cool slightly and then peel the skin using a vegetable peeler or knife. Delight at how easily the skin comes off.
Cut the squash open and scoop out the pulp and seeds.
Chop the squash into cubes or slices, depending on how you’re going to use it. See below for some awesome butternut squash recipes.

How to Peel Tomatoes

Some tomato recipes call for peeling and seeding the tomatoes. Tomato skin can have a plastic mouth feel so it’s luxurious to eat it when the skin is removed and all you get is the juicy flesh. Seeding rids the tomato of the pesky seeds and when you take out the seed sacs, you also eliminate the extra moisture, ensuring that your tomato dish will not be watery.

Tomatoes don’t give up their skins easily but a quick dunk in simmering water provides the motivation. Cut a shallow “X” on the bottom of the tomato before you immerse in the hot water to give you a head start when peeling. Leave the tomato in the water just until the skin begins to separate from the flesh. It takes seconds. Plunge in a bowl of ice water to cool down immediately.

To seed a tomato, cut in half along the equator and gently squeeze out the seeds. Use a spoon to scoop out any stubborn seeds that are left.

You can also use the peeling technique for stone fruits such as peaches, plums and nectarines.

How to Peel a Potato in Five Seconds