We’ve all been there: you want a potato in a bad way so you grab some at the grocery store and get them home, ready for some homemade french fries, a heaping bowl of fluffy mashed potatoes, or baked potatoes stuffed with all the fixin’s.
And then you realize, you have no peeler. You’re already committed to the idea of potatoes. In fact, at this point nothing else will do.
Fear not, spud lover. You can still make your mashed potato dreams come true. Read on to find out two ways you can peel a potato without a peeler. #AdultingHacks FTW.
Method One: Boil and Ice Bath
1. If you are boiling your potato to cook it, scrub your unpeeled potatoes before placing them into a pot with cold water. Cover it with a lid and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath for your spuds by combining cold water with ice. Place next to your pot.
3. Simmer until potatoes are tender upon poking with a fork. Now remove your potatoes from the hot water and submerge them in the ice bath.
4. Give the potato 10-20 seconds or so, remove from water, and then simply peel away the skin with your fingers or a paper towel. #magic
Method Two: Use A Paring Knife
1. Wash your potato and stand the potato on its bottom, gripping the potato from the top with your non-dominant hand.
2. Take your knife and starting at the top, making one straight downward cut to remove the skin, being careful to remove as little flesh as possible.
3. Rotate the potato slightly and repeat until skin is removed.
4. Touch up the top and bottom of the potato and remove any eyes or bad spots.
With these simple hacks, you’re only minutes away from your own perfectly naked potato, no peeler required.