Économe Peelers

Économe peeler. Fred Klein / wikimedia / 2007 / CC BY-SA 4.0

An Économe peeler is a popular make and style of vegetable peeler in France. It is considered the classic, default vegetable peeler in France.

The blade has two slits made of stainless steel that come directly out of the end of the handle.

There are many different handle designs now, from plastic, to wood, to brightly-coloured designs.

There are two versions of the peelers: one for left-handed people, one for right. ^[1]”Mais oui, cet éplucheur qui ressemble à un couteau et dont il existe une version pour gaucher et une pour droitier…” Menétrey, Viviane. Rex, tu épluches mes patates? Micros Magazine. 11 September 2017. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.migrosmagazine.ch/rex-tu-epluches-mes-patates

The blade is fixed, and does not pivet or swivel. Some people say they find this design awkward:

“She explained how the very classic French peelers, which do not have a swivel blade, make it more difficult for the blade to grab the peel because you have to hold it at the right angle.” ^[2]Clisset, Christine Cyr et al. The Best Vegetable Peeler. New York Times. 7 December 2018. Accessed August 2018 at https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-vegetable-peeler/

Remember to wash produce first before peeling to reduce surface bacterial load that might be pressed into the flesh of the produce.

History

The Économe peeler was invented in the 1920s by Victor Pouzet in Thiers, Puy-de-Dôme, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. ^[3] Exact dates for the invention seen are 1923, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, with no actual backup provided for any of them.

Pouzet was was a knife maker.

The peeler was first advertised as an “improved kitchen knife” that would deliver a “30 % saving” on both time and potato.

Économe peeler 1930 advertisement

It was first made of carbon steel (it is now made of stainless steel): “D’abord équipé de deux lames rasoir en acier carbone, qui s’oxydaient facilement, l’Économe est aujourd’hui monté en lames en acier inoxydable ayant subi un traitement thermique dans le but de durcir la lame et de prolonger la vie du couteau”.  ^[4]Gloire à un inventeur méconnu … Victor Pouzet. Blog Entry. 1 July 2020. Accessed August 2020 at http://www.bigmammy.fr/archives/2020/07/01/38403640.html

In 1970, the Économe company merged with the Therias knife-making company to become “Therias et l’Économe”, and in 2015, the merged company was purchased by the Guy Degrenne company. ^[5]A Thiers, Guy Degrenne rachète l’inventeur du couteau économe. Alimentation Générale. 3 September 2015. Accessed August 2020 at https://alimentation-generale.fr/en-continu/a-thiers-guy-degrenne-rachete-linventeur-du-couteau-econome/

Language notes

The word “économe” in French means “thrifty.” “Un économe” in French has now become a way to say “a peeler”. It can also mean a “thrifty person”.

Sources

Économe. Encyclopédie Gastronomique. Accessed August 2020 at https://www.gastronomiac.com/ustensiles_et_vocabu/econome/

Économe peeler with wood handle. Farce Réjeane / wikimedia / 2015 / CC BY-SA 4.0