As Long As Your Veggies Are Clean, Don't Waste Time Peeling Them

You do not have to peel your vegetables. That might surprise you, but the fact is if they are clean, most vegetables are ready to be cooked and feasted upon, skins and all. Cucumbers, beets, carrots, potatoes, and even eggplants can be consumed with their skin intact, and not only that, you are getting more nutrients when you do eat the entirety of the veggie. The skin is full of things like fiber and essential vitamins, and when you take your peeler and remove those exteriors, you are throwing good food down the drain.

But there are a few things to consider if you are going to eat these foods with their peels on. The first is the texture of the veggie's skin. The skin can be quite tasty and add a new depth to a dish, but if it is tough or doesn't taste good, by all means, remove it. However, if it is delicate, sweet, savory, or smooth, try the vegetable with the skin on and see if you like it. 

Whether or not you decide to leave the skin on can depend on how you plan to use the ingredient and the maturity of the vegetable. For example, you can easily leave the peel on the eggplant for eggplant parmesan when you are dealing with small eggplants. However, if the eggplant is exceptionally large, it may have a bitter, tough taste and you would be better off peeling it. Additionally, be aware of any veggies where a wax coating has been added to them. You often encounter this with cucumbers and turnips. In this case, you will want to remove the peel.

If it tastes good, there is another add benefit to not peeling your veggies: It cuts down on prep time. Peeling potatoes, carrots and the likes can be labor intensive if you are feeding a crowd. Not having to perform this step can save you time. Not to mention, it helps to eliminate clutter. Not needing a peeler means one less kitchen gadget in your drawers.