Ina Garten says you should replace your vegetable peeler once a year – she uses this $14 essential every time

'They're very cheap, so you can just throw them out and buy new ones': Garten renews this essential every year – and at this price, we can understand why

Ina Garten
(Image credit: Getty Images)

If anyone can make a vegetable peeler an exciting topic of conversation, it's Ina Garten. For decades, this chef has shaped America's culinary habits, comprising everything from blenders to knives to oven thermometers – but we've recently discovered her most accessible essential to date.

Every kitchen needs a vegetable peeler, whether you're an avid cook or not, but you shouldn't get too used to keeping the same one in your drawer. In an interview with Food & Wine, Garten explained that you should replace your peeler (and your zester) every single year – but thankfully for us, her favorite peeler is under $14 on Amazon (and it comes in a pack of three, which, in theory, can keep us going for three whole years).

'Vegetable peelers get rusty, they get dull, and they're very cheap, so you can just throw them out and buy new ones,' Garten says. 'Every once in a while, I do that.'

Made in Rikon, Switzerland (since 1986, no less), this peeler is not the only international icon with a place in Garten's kitchen. We recently wrote about how Ina Garten swears by European-style sponges, also known as Williams Sonoma's pop-up sponges. You might be thinking, 'a sponge is a sponge,' it's worth trusting Garten's recommendation in this case.

Garten's go-to sponges are highly absorbent, all-natural, and gentle on cookware. The founder of Williams Sonoma discovered them on a trip across Europe decades ago, and he knew he had to bring them back to the States. Now, they sit alongside the Swiss peeler in the chef's Hamptons kitchen.

If it's good enough for The Barefoot Contessa, it works for us. Both this peeler and the sponge speak for themselves. We might even say we would enjoy the potato peeling process from here on out.


Megan Slack
Head of Celebrity Style News

Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens, where she leads the celebrity/ news team. She has a history in interior design, travel, and news journalism, having lived and worked in New York, Paris, and, currently, London. Megan has bylines in Livingetc, The Telegraph, and IRK Magazine, and has interviewed the likes of Drew Barrymore, Ayesha Curry, Michelle Keegan, and Tan France, among others. She lives in a London apartment with her antique typewriter and an eclectic espresso cup collection, and dreams of a Kelly Wearstler-designed home.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.