peel the potatoes

Meaning

This phrase means to remove the outer skin of potatoes using a knife or a special kitchen tool called a peeler. This is a common step before boiling, mashing, or roasting them.

Examples

• My mom asked me to peel the potatoes for the salad.

  My mom asked me to peel the potatoes for the salad.

• It takes a long time to peel the potatoes by hand.

  It takes a long time to peel the potatoes by hand.

• You don't need to peel the potatoes if you are making rustic fries.

  You don't need to peel the potatoes if you are making rustic fries.

• He used a small knife to peel the potatoes quickly.

  He used a small knife to peel the potatoes quickly.

• Can you help me peel the potatoes for the soup?

  Can you help me peel the potatoes for the soup?

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Please skin the potatoes.

  ✓ Please peel the potatoes.

  While animals have 'skin' that can be removed, for vegetables and fruits we almost always use the verb 'peel'.

• ✗ I will clean the potatoes' skin.

  ✓ I will peel the potatoes.

  To remove the outer layer of vegetables, the correct verb is 'peel'. 'Clean' only means washing them with water.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Grab the peeler and help me ___ for dinner.

  💡 Remove the outer skin of the vegetables

  Show answer

  peel the potatoes

• If you want smooth mashed potatoes, you must ___ first.

  💡 Take the skin off the potatoes

  Show answer

  peel the potatoes