I am currently designing a new potato peeler gadget.

Hand-held veggie peelers, manual or electric, have a high work-content
and level of hand-eye coordination. Potatoes present a challenge in
that there appears to be a wide size-and-shape variation. However when
you take a closer look at them, the variation is not as severe as
first appears.

The answer? The path to the solution is found by studying what shape-
features a potato has that can be utilised in the peeling operation.

My aim is to de-skill domestic potato-peeling and make it fast,
simple, and repetitive. To achieve this with a very inexpensive and
totally new Gadget!

It really requires thinking well outside the box. I have succeeded
with three other similar projects. I am very nearly there on this
one!! The major tricky problems have been solved. But as we all know,
"nearly there" is not good enough! Wish me luck.

I don't mind using the plain old peeler. Gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Like raking leaves.

Andy

On Mar 24, 8:19*pm, wrote:

> I am currently designing a new potato peeler gadget.
>
My wife has one of those. She calls it a husband.

--Bryan

Mark Thorson wrote:
> wrote:
>> It really requires thinking well outside the box. I have succeeded
>> with three other similar projects. I am very nearly there on this
>> one!! The major tricky problems have been solved. But as we all know,
>> "nearly there" is not good enough! Wish me luck.
>
> Seems like a misguided effort. Potatoes are a
> low-value crop. Waste some potato and nobody cares.
>
> What makes more sense is a peeler for a high-value
> crop. One in which losses of recoverable flesh
> are very much to be avoided. And, a crop which
> is difficult to peel, thus calling upon whatever
> design talent you have.
>
> That device is, of course, the pineapple peeler.



In Hawaii many, many stores sell a combination peeler-corer
for pineapple. It looks kind of like an elongated donut cutter.
You cut off the greens, place the tool on top, and kind of
screw it
down. Works quite well. I don't recall ever seeing this device
on the mainland.

gloria p

Mark Thorson wrote:
> wrote:
>> It really requires thinking well outside the box. I have succeeded
>> with three other similar projects. I am very nearly there on this
>> one!! The major tricky problems have been solved. But as we all know,
>> "nearly there" is not good enough! Wish me luck.
>
> Seems like a misguided effort. Potatoes are a
> low-value crop. Waste some potato and nobody cares.
>
> What makes more sense is a peeler for a high-value
> crop. One in which losses of recoverable flesh
> are very much to be avoided. And, a crop which
> is difficult to peel, thus calling upon whatever
> design talent you have.
>
> That device is, of course, the pineapple peeler.

How about an avocado peeler?

--
Janet Wilder
way-the-heck-south Texas
spelling doesn't count
but cooking does

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message
...
> Janet Wilder wrote:
>>
>> How about an avocado peeler?
>
> Wouldn't that be like a banana peeler? Avocados
> are among the easiest fruit to peel without waste.

not the soft peel varieties.

On Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:22:13 -0600, Puester >
wrote:

>In Hawaii many, many stores sell a combination peeler-corer
>for pineapple. It looks kind of like an elongated donut cutter.
>You cut off the greens, place the tool on top, and kind of
>screw it down. Works quite well. I don't recall ever seeing this device
>on the mainland.

I used to have one. A friend shared an office building with Dole or
someone. They were throwing a bunch of them away. That sucker was
heavy! I wonder what happened to it?

Carol

--
Change "invalid" to JamesBond's agent number to reply.

wrote:
>
> It really requires thinking well outside the box. I have succeeded
> with three other similar projects. I am very nearly there on this
> one!! The major tricky problems have been solved. But as we all know,
> "nearly there" is not good enough! Wish me luck.

Seems like a misguided effort. Potatoes are a
low-value crop. Waste some potato and nobody cares.

What makes more sense is a peeler for a high-value
crop. One in which losses of recoverable flesh
are very much to be avoided. And, a crop which
is difficult to peel, thus calling upon whatever
design talent you have.

That device is, of course, the pineapple peeler.

Mark Thorson said...

> Janet Wilder wrote:
>>
>> How about an avocado peeler?
>
> Wouldn't that be like a banana peeler? Avocados
> are among the easiest fruit to peel without waste.


Who on earth peels an avocado???

You need the skin on to hold onto to slice open and get the pit out without
slicing off fingers! Then scoop out or knife carve into slices/dices.

There are avocado slicer gizmos that are certainly unnecessary and incapable,
imho.

Sheesh!

Andy

Andy > wrote:

>Who on earth peels an avocado???

I've peeled avaocados, usually the Fuerte or Bacon, not
the Hass variety which has more peel-adhesion.

If I'm bored, I'll spiral-peel an avocado and stare at
it before slicing it up.

Steve

Steve Pope said...

> Andy > wrote:
>
>>Who on earth peels an avocado???
>
> I've peeled avaocados, usually the Fuerte or Bacon, not
> the Hass variety which has more peel-adhesion.
>
> If I'm bored, I'll spiral-peel an avocado and stare at
> it before slicing it up.
>
> Steve


Oh a trouble maker!?!

Never heard of such obvious nonsense!!!

Andy

On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:23:53 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

>Andy > wrote:
>
>>Who on earth peels an avocado???
>
>I've peeled avaocados, usually the Fuerte or Bacon, not
>the Hass variety which has more peel-adhesion.
>
>If I'm bored, I'll spiral-peel an avocado and stare at
>it before slicing it up.

I sure hope you can come to our cook-in this summer! I wanna watch
you staring at an avocado.

Carol

--
Change "invalid" to JamesBond's agent number to reply.

Puester wrote:
>
> In Hawaii many, many stores sell a combination peeler-corer
> for pineapple. It looks kind of like an elongated donut cutter.
> You cut off the greens, place the tool on top, and kind of
> screw it
> down. Works quite well. I don't recall ever seeing this device
> on the mainland.

I've seen those. Never used one because it wastes
way too much of the flesh, and much of what it wastes
is the best part. I always use a knife for peeling
a pineapple.

That's why an improved pineapple peeler is needed.
One which achieves results just like a sharp knife
in the hands of someone skilled in the art.

Janet Wilder wrote:
>
> How about an avocado peeler?

Wouldn't that be like a banana peeler? Avocados
are among the easiest fruit to peel without waste.

"Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:23:53 +0000 (UTC),
> (Steve Pope) wrote:
>
>>Andy > wrote:
>>
>>>Who on earth peels an avocado???
>>
>>I've peeled avaocados, usually the Fuerte or Bacon, not
>>the Hass variety which has more peel-adhesion.
>>
>>If I'm bored, I'll spiral-peel an avocado and stare at
>>it before slicing it up.
>
> I sure hope you can come to our cook-in this summer! I wanna watch
> you staring at an avocado.
>
> Carol
>

tee hee! That would be fun

Jill

When I was in the US Army, and had "KP" they had an electrical device that
was a round bin that was about the size of a 10 gallon drum. It had an
opening on the top and the insides were an extremely rough stone-like
surface. The bottom of this drum rotated fairly quickly. Potatoes were put
in the top and the device was turned on. In about 5 minutes the rubbing
action of the potatoes against the rough sides and bottom of this drum took
all of the skin from the potatoes. We still had to remove the "eyes" by
hand. Cleaning the machine was done by running a hose into it and flushing
out the skin.

sharkman

--
> wrote in message
...
>I am currently designing a new potato peeler gadget.
>
> Hand-held veggie peelers, manual or electric, have a high work-content
> and level of hand-eye coordination. Potatoes present a challenge in
> that there appears to be a wide size-and-shape variation. However when
> you take a closer look at them, the variation is not as severe as
> first appears.
>
> The answer? The path to the solution is found by studying what shape-
> features a potato has that can be utilised in the peeling operation.
>
> My aim is to de-skill domestic potato-peeling and make it fast,
> simple, and repetitive. To achieve this with a very inexpensive and
> totally new Gadget!
>
> It really requires thinking well outside the box. I have succeeded
> with three other similar projects. I am very nearly there on this
> one!! The major tricky problems have been solved. But as we all know,
> "nearly there" is not good enough! Wish me luck.

jmcquown said...

> "Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:23:53 +0000 (UTC),
>> (Steve Pope) wrote:
>>
>>>Andy > wrote:
>>>
>>>>Who on earth peels an avocado???
>>>
>>>I've peeled avaocados, usually the Fuerte or Bacon, not
>>>the Hass variety which has more peel-adhesion.
>>>
>>>If I'm bored, I'll spiral-peel an avocado and stare at
>>>it before slicing it up.
>>
>> I sure hope you can come to our cook-in this summer! I wanna watch
>> you staring at an avocado.
>>
>> Carol
>>
>
> tee hee! That would be fun
>
> Jill


I can almost picture his poker face!

I say the avocado's bluffing!

Andy

said...

> When I was in the US Army, and had "KP" they had an electrical device
> that was a round bin that was about the size of a 10 gallon drum. It had
> an opening on the top and the insides were an extremely rough stone-like
> surface. The bottom of this drum rotated fairly quickly. Potatoes were
> put in the top and the device was turned on. In about 5 minutes the
> rubbing action of the potatoes against the rough sides and bottom of
> this drum took all of the skin from the potatoes. We still had to remove
> the "eyes" by hand. Cleaning the machine was done by running a hose into
> it and flushing out the skin.
>
> sharkman


sharkman,

I get the idea. Abrasion peeling.

Have you ever seen the "How It's Made" potato chip factory assembly line?
It's almost Rube Goldbergesque in it's stages and complexity.

A thing of beauty actually, from start to finish.

I always get a kick out of the laser "eye" inspection station stage where
it can examine and eject a discolored chip correctly at lightning speeds!

Best,

Andy

wrote on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:19:56 -0700 (PDT):

> Hand-held veggie peelers, manual or electric, have a high
> work-content and level of hand-eye coordination. Potatoes
> present a challenge in that there appears to be a wide
> size-and-shape variation. However when you take a closer look
> at them, the variation is not as severe as first appears.

> The answer? The path to the solution is found by studying
> what shape- features a potato has that can be utilised in the
> peeling operation.

> My aim is to de-skill domestic potato-peeling and make it
> fast, simple, and repetitive. To achieve this with a very
> inexpensive and totally new Gadget!

I guess it is an interesting problem but only for domestic use.
Commercial vegetable peelers based on an abrasive drum do exist.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Puester wrote:
> In Hawaii many, many stores sell a combination peeler-corer
> for pineapple. It looks kind of like an elongated donut cutter.
> You cut off the greens, place the tool on top, and kind of
> screw it
> down. Works quite well. I don't recall ever seeing this device
> on the mainland.
>
> gloria p

I have something similar - bought it at the supermarket for $10. Not
worth a darn - even my husband couldn't force it down the pineapple. A
sharp knife works just fine, without waste.

Dora

I ususally get the bag with all the rejected off color chips...
heh heh

--
"Andy" > wrote in message ...
> said...
>
>> When I was in the US Army, and had "KP" they had an electrical device
>> that was a round bin that was about the size of a 10 gallon drum. It had
>> an opening on the top and the insides were an extremely rough stone-like
>> surface. The bottom of this drum rotated fairly quickly. Potatoes were
>> put in the top and the device was turned on. In about 5 minutes the
>> rubbing action of the potatoes against the rough sides and bottom of
>> this drum took all of the skin from the potatoes. We still had to remove
>> the "eyes" by hand. Cleaning the machine was done by running a hose into
>> it and flushing out the skin.
>>
>> sharkman
>
>
> sharkman,
>
> I get the idea. Abrasion peeling.
>
> Have you ever seen the "How It's Made" potato chip factory assembly line?
> It's almost Rube Goldbergesque in it's stages and complexity.
>
> A thing of beauty actually, from start to finish.
>
> I always get a kick out of the laser "eye" inspection station stage where
> it can examine and eject a discolored chip correctly at lightning speeds!
>
> Best,
>
> Andy
>

On Mar 25, 1:10*pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> wrote:
>
> > It really requires thinking well outside the box. *I have succeeded
> > with three other similar projects. *I am very nearly there on this
> > one!! *The major tricky problems have been solved. But as we all know,
> > "nearly there" is not good enough! * Wish me luck.
>
> Seems like a misguided effort. *Potatoes are a
> low-value crop. *Waste somepotatoand nobody cares.
>
> What makes more sense is apeelerfor a high-value
> crop. *One in which losses of recoverable flesh
> are very much to be avoided. *And, a crop which
> is difficult to peel, thus calling upon whatever
> design talent you have.
>
> That device is, of course, the pineapplepeeler.

You are right.

Potatoes are not a high money-value crop which means the peeling can
be a little wasteful. That is an advantage in designing. They do
however take lots of time and lots of peeling strokes. Especially for
clumsy guys like me.
It is the time saving aspect that is the main objective.

I have already done a peeler for kiwifruit which is a high-value crop
as you refer, as well as benchtop peelers for cantaloupe and honeydew
melons, also high-value crops.

Handpeel kiwifruit with a paring knife or vegie-peeler yields 72%
edible flesh. I can do it for 78% recovery and your fingers do not
even touch the fruit. But that is another story. My thread is pesky
potatoes.! and the exciting challenge they present.

On Mar 25, 10:15*pm, "James Silverton" >
wrote:
> *wrote *on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:19:56 -0700 (PDT):
>
> > Hand-held veggie peelers, manual or electric, have a high
> > work-content and level of hand-eye coordination. Potatoes
> > present a challenge in that there appears to be a wide
> > size-and-shape variation. However when you take a closer look
> > at them, the variation is not as severe as first appears.
> > The answer? *The path to the solution is found by studying
> > what shape- features apotatohas that can be utilised in the
> > peeling operation.
> > My aim is to de-skill domesticpotato-peeling and make it
> > fast, simple, and repetitive. To achieve this with a very
> > inexpensive and totally newGadget!
>
> I guess it is an interesting problem but only for domestic use.
> Commercial vegetable peelers based on an abrasive drum do exist.
>
> --
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Thank you. This is my first posting thread ever so I am trying to get
used to how it is done.

Abrasion potato peeling I believe was invented way back in the 40's by
a US company in New England. They did very well from sales to the US
Army in particular. I worked with this company for a short while but
never got to see one of their rumblers in action. Of course they were
for bulk potatoes.
The target is the domestic market and helping people to save time.