Is it possible to sharpen a peeler? And if it is, how should I do it?
Are there any things to look out for? (Such as ending up with concave blades.)
This is the sort of peeler I'm talking about:
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3 Answers
Sort of. There's a trick to fix up peeler edges: rub the back side of a paring knife along the blade, at roughly the same angle as the peeler blade's edge. Use the tip of the knife if needed. You may need to do this with both sides of the peeler blade.
I suspect the result is closer to honing the edge, but the trick works well enough that I haven't bought another peeler since my kitchen manager showed it to me.
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1Today I discovered a video of this technique: chow.com/food-news/55249/how-do-you-sharpen-a-vegetable-peeler Commented Aug 10, 2015 at 8:23
You could theoretically pop the blade out of the handle and try and run it over some sharpening stones (by no means easy with the odd shape), but considering that would take time, effort, and at least a £5 sharpening stone, you're probably better off just dropping £1.50 on a new peeler.
answered Mar 8, 2012 at 13:42
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1@Ladadadada: Definitely agree it's not worth it to sharpen peeler blade. If you do find yourself buying a new peeler in the future, look into buying a peeler with a ceramic blade. Those will stay sharp for much longer than its steel counterparts.– JayCommented Mar 8, 2012 at 14:23
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@Jay: Ceramic is harder, true, but it is also prone to chipping or breaking when banging around in a utensil drawer. For this reason, I suggest carbon steel blades are the better option: they hold a better edge longer, but they flex rather than chipping. For this reason, I highly suggest the Kuhn-Rikon Y-peelers.– BobMcGeeCommented Mar 10, 2012 at 13:19
Sypderco ceramic sharpening rods; that is the easiest for me. Very easy to do, holding the rod like a carrot to be peeled, then run the peeler down the edge of the rod. To see how to do it at the end of their three-part training video (their site or youtube). You can buy their sharpening system, or just buy the replacement rods (other companies sell them too).
Or you can use a Dremel, ceramic round tip, either in a Dremel (rotary tool) device or a power drill. Run the ceramic tip along both cutting edges of the peeler (remove burrs of the back side of the blades if you wish). I also use the Dremel technique to resharpen my sewing seam rippers.
