Every so often, a gadget enters your life and leaves you wondering how you managed beforehand. It might sound frivolous, but for me this gadget is an orange peeler from the Italian brand Alessi. Designed to puncture and then score an orange longitudinally so that releasing its peel from its flesh is a breeze, this teardrop-shaped thing is a small revelation each time I use it. Imagine skipping that part of orange-peeling when you get oily peel and pith wedged under your fingernails from clawing with the force required to strip the skin from a particularly reluctant citrus.
When my husband and I moved in together and it came along with his other belongings, I initially balked at the design — it’s a little “moderne” (as we jokingly say with a French-accented inflection) for my tastes — but as soon as I used it, I stood convinced. It delivers an almost ASMR-level of satisfaction as its little hooked point draws down into and against the peel, releasing orange oil with a hiss, the pith offering pleasant resistance. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself newly addicted to peeling oranges. It now lives proudly on the ledge above my kitchen sink, patiently awaiting citrus season, and emerges, like a party trick, whenever an uninitiated guest reaches for the fruit bowl.
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