Orange Peel Remover

Whoever invented this is a genius...so simple a tool and yet so useful. Bought this from Daiso, the $5 shop located at the Curve. Comes in 2 per pack. I gave one away for I needed only one.

It's very easy to use (and easy to clean too!). For oranges with a thick peel, you'll need to score a little deeper by using a little more strength.

No more orange residual peel stuck under my nails : )

Apple Corer

Never knew there was such a thing till recently...yah, serious! I saw this gadget in Tesco and it was selling for 38 cents. Yes, 38 cents! I bought it, not knowing what it was, because it was 38cents. LOL! When I found out what it was, I was even more delighted to find that it works, really well. Come on, how many 38cents gadget can you find that works well. For that matter, what can you buy these days with 38 cents. Anyway, I've since bought every available unit of this gadget from the Tesco branch where I shop, to give to relatives and friends. I won't tell you which branch. LOL!

What is an apple corer? According to wisegeek.com, an apple corer is a kitchen tool which is designed to remove seeded core of fruits like apples and pears. Yeah, I know you knew that already. LOL! How to use it? Wisegeek says: The cylinder is placed over the center of the fruit while the use pushes down on the handle, forcing the cylinder through the fruit. When removed, the apple corer takes the core of the fruit with it, leaving the edible parts of the fruit behind. Very simple...I show you lah...

So the downside about using this gadget is you got to aim and make sure you push the cylinder along the core of the fruit. Otherwise you might not get to remove the whole core section.

I once knew a girl who ate the whole apple, skin, core and all. We spent 6 weeks sharing a room in YMCA Singapore, and everyday, my sis and I would watch her eat the whole apple..imagining what the seed tasted like, and knowing we didn't want to find out. Anyway, in case you didn't know, as I now know, apple seeds are poisonous. They contain cyanide...a poison that kills by denying blood the ability to carry oxygen and thereby causes its victims to die of asphyxiation. (No, I didn't come up with that very clever statement all by myself...check out this link). Hmmm...I do hope Wendy has stopped eating apple seeds...

The Humble Peeler

Every kitchen has at least one of these. Me? Hahaha...guilty! I have 6! Truth is I only use 2 of them. The others, well, errrr...

I used to have one that I found very easy to use, especially on potatoes. It broke and I threw it away. (What a pity it didn't make into the group photo...doesn't seem complete without it. LOL!) Quite costly though...about RM20 (from JJ)...and I was crazy enough to buy it! It worked well while it lasted. But since it was a little pricey and didn't last, I decided to try a cheaper peeler. A peeler is peeler right? Wrong. Bought the green one (2nd from right) to replace it. Bad choice. Don't like it.

The other one I use quite a lot is the black one (2nd from the left). I keep this one for fruits. Got it from Living Quarters as part of a 3-piece set years ago. Cheap and good.

About a week ago, went to this place called Euro Chef to look for a very special kitchen gadget (which I will blog about soon!). Ended up buying the yellow peeler as well for only RM8. It's called "The Rapid", Swiss Made and is available in various bright cheerful colors. I gotta say, it works great! Very easy to use. Love it! This is the one I use for everything now. Even the black guy has been kept in storage since the appearance of the yellow fellow. (The others? They've been in storage for a loooooong time. Maybe it's time to take a drive to the recycling center. Make space for new stuff! Yeah!)

The thing about peelers like this is, you gotta know how to hold it and peel in the direction away from your body. If you peel towards your body, you run the risk peeling your wrist. This peeler is quite sharp so do be careful.

I've always envied my sis, who can peel an apple with a knife and the peel comes out in one nice long strip...yes, just like Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle! I've never been able to do that, but with this peeler, I managed to do just that on my first try! Yippeee!

So I've tried this winner on carrots, cucumbers, potatoes and apples. Works great. Definitely recommend it. In fact, I think I might just buy a 2nd one since I like to keep a separate peeler for fruits.

As a bonus, let me share with you a tip: Don't you hate it when you are peeling over a rubbish bin and the peel keeps landing outside the bin? Well, lay a few layers of newspaper on your countertop, find a nice high chair, sit and peel onto the newspaper. When you're done, fold the newspaper and throw!

(Ok, I got carried away and couldn't stop peeling...should have laid a bigger piece of newspaper LOL! And by the way, the oranges were not peeled with the peeler...in case you are wondering).