When I was a child, I went to rural Tennessee to visit my grandparents. I remember going to the dime store and buying a vegetable peeler for my grandmother, who no doubt preferred to peel potatoes with a knife but lovingly accepted my gift as only a grandmother could do. I still have one of those in my kitchen drawer, but it is on the way out now that Ted has added ceramic vegetable peelers with turned wooden handles to his collection of handy kitchen utensils.
For the cutting mechanism, Ted uses WoodRiver’s new ceramic vegetable peeler kit. The heavy-duty metal casting holds a very sharp peeler blade made from zirconium oxide ceramic, which is second only to diamond in hardness. Even better, the ceramic blade will remain sharp far longer than steel and will not react with food.
Ted uses his lathe to turn the handles from assorted hardwoods, with no two alike. Because one size doesn’t fit all, Ted turns and shapes the handles so that there is bound to be one that is just right for you. The handles are finished with multiple coats of durable polyurethane. As with all of Ted’s turned wooden kitchen utensils, please don’t put the peeler in the dishwasher or allow it to soak in water. Clean-up requires only a quick wash with mild soap, a rinse, and drying with a soft towel.
In the photo below, the handles (L to R) are turned from SpectraPly (Ruby Ridge), stabilized spalted maple, SpectraPly (Royal Mountain Camo), figured maple, and dyed spalted maple.
Seriously, isn’t it time to replace your vegetable peeler with one of these new ceramic models? You know you want one. They are available at Ptarmigan Arts in Homer, Alaska. Feel free to contact us if you’d like more information or would like to place an order.
