I can tell you exactly what many vegetable peelers look like: tarnished metal with 14 little grater holes poking out of the V-shaped handle and a blade that couldn’t cut the fuzz off a ripe kiwi. And yet, many home cooks still have them lingering in their utensil drawers ready to peel potatoes for tonight’s supper.
Up until a few years ago, this was the case in my own mother’s kitchen. Whenever I visited, I would wrangle with Mama’s decades-old peeler. I’d cringe while I prepped cucumbers or broccoli, thinking I just might lose a thumb or an eye.
Scalpel-quality vegetable peelers make a home cook’s life so much easier. Like great chef’s knives, they do all the work so you don’t have to labor — and potentially jab yourself — when peeling mangos or butternut squash. Well-made, razor-sharp peelers cost $10 or less at the local kitchen store or online. And they are the key to quickly making salads and other plant-based dishes, including my Carrot Ribbon Salad.
Shaving thin, playful ribbons from a small bunch of carrots creates an unexpected way to enjoy them. They add a bright pop of color to a springtime table, especially for Mother’s Day or graduation. Try to buy them with the green tops attached. Similar to parsley, the tops have a slightly bitter, but fresh flavor, and they finish off this salad — or any other carrot dish — beautifully.
The simple date dressing adds natural sweetness and creaminess to the salad. When tossed together with toasted cumin seeds, the taste of the sweet carrots is amplified.
Credit: Christina Peters
Credit: Christina Peters
Carrot Ribbon Salad with Date Vinaigrette
Chadwick Boyd is a frequent TV guest, judge on Hallmark Channel and cookbook author. Find more of his work at chadwickboydlifestyle.com.
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