Oh, What A Peeling!

Pretend you hear Lionel Richie when your read that title, okay?

One of my wedding shower gifts was a Cutco pizza cutter and peeler set. After I wash these items (in the dishwasher, not by hand as recommended), I place them back in the navy box in which they came. Then, I put the box into a cabinet that Bub can't easily access.

Both items do their jobs extremely well. At the risk of sounding like an infomercial bimbo, I will say that using the Cutco peeler makes peeling almost fun. It's just so easy!

Or, it was so easy until I lost my peeler. I suspect that it got gathered up with a paper towel full of pear peelings and thrown into the garbage. I actually hope that's the case, as opposed to finding one of the boys playing with the peeler one of these days and making a bloody mess. In case you are worried for my kids, I'm 95% sure the peeler got accidentally tossed.

On Saturday, hubby and I went to Old Orchard (outdoor mall in a nearby suburb) to take my defective laptop to the Apple Store and to get him measured for a new suit during a sale that was going on. Grandma and Grandpa were visiting and happy to stay with the boys so we were out and about for almost three hours all by ourselves. NTB. I even got an Auntie Anne's pretzel and a fountain diet coke. NTB.

Giddy with the freedom and the retail environment (remember, I rarely have time to shop anywhere but Target or Kohls these days), I wondered if I "needed" anything else. Aha! A new peeler! An excuse to browse in Williams Sonoma.

We walk in the store and when greeted by the sales associate, no-nonsense-shopping-buzzkill hubby says, "Show us where your peelers are." So much for browsing.

There were two on offer. One was an OXO that looked similar to the lost Cutco peeler; it cost $14.00. I was thinking about it. Yes, I know "a paring knife can do the trick," but I am not great with a paring knife and my Bub prefers his fruit "with no outside." I prefer my fingers with no gashes.

Then, the sales associates says, "We also have the kind the chefs on the Food Network use." That got my attention. If Ina and Giada have a preferred peeler, then you better believe I want the same one (though, to be clear the associate did not name specific chefs). But, of course, how much would such a special peeler cost?

$3.50!!! That's how much. So now I have a generic looking "clearpeeler" that retails for $3.50 and seems to be getting the job done and supposedly is better at just getting skin and peel, not flesh (of the fruit/vegetable). Though using the clearpeeler did not feel as easy as the Cutco one, it definitely got the job done on the apple I peeled this morning.

So there. Do you need a peeler? There's one for $3.50 at Williams Sonoma and you can brag that it's what Food Network chefs use.

Any kitchen gadgets or bargains to recommend?