If you have a standard long potato peeler, hold it like a paint roller, with your thumb balancing it in your fingers, but still away from the blade. If you have a Y-shaped potato peeler, hold it like a pencil. This way is more efficient, and you’re less likely to hurt yourself. It should be resting between your middle finger and thumb (of your dominant hand), with your pointer finger holding it in position.
This goes for both shapes of potato peelers, even the y-shaped ones. Though it’s possible grandma held it differently and drew it into her, this way you’ll find results in a much cleaner potato. Some potatoes are a bit fussier than others and the skin will come off in chunks – especially if the potato isn’t smooth and round. Pay special attention to these areas to get every last bit off; they’ll need extra work (and a slower peel, lest you hurt yourself).
This isn’t a speed contest; go as slowly and patiently as you have to to avoid hurting yourself or taking off the good parts of the potato. Going slowly at first can help you perfect your technique for later, too.
Sometimes the dark “meat” of the potato goes pretty deep (this is often called an “eye”). If this is the case, cut out the area with a knife or the edge of your peeler. The potato won’t be perfectly round, but it’ll still be good to eat.
Rinse with cold water when finished. Your potatoes are then clean and ready to be prepared.
Don’t make the cut too deep; it just needs to go past the layer of skin. Try to cut every potato evenly so each one cooks evenly, too.
Don’t even worry about draining the pot just yet – move right onto the next step so the potatoes’ heat is preserved.
They don’t need to be left in there for too long to cool down – 5 -10 seconds is plenty. With each potato, you may need to add an ice cube or two to the water; the heat of the potato will likely have transferred.
Dispose of the skin one by one in the garbage (or in a designated bowl next to you), to keep the bowl of ice water clean and as cold as possible.
