Brits stunned to be told we've been peeling carrots wrong our whole lives

Peeling veg is a chore we all do on autopilot.

But have you ever stopped to really look at your veg peeler and discover its full potential? It's likely something you've done since childhood, and now as an adult, it's part of your routine to ensure you're hitting that five-a-day target.

However, it seems many of us have been using the humble vegetable peeler incorrectly for years. Let's be honest, peeling might be simple, but it's also tedious. So when TikTok sensation @mealswithmax dropped a video showing the proper way to peel carrots, viewers were left stunned.

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In his viral clip, Max queries: "How old were you when you realised that vegetable peelers actually work both ways? All you have to do is move it up and down like this, and it peels it so much quicker." He demonstrates that by moving the peeler up and down, you can peel much faster.

Users flocked to the comments to express their surprise, with one saying: "I have wasted so much time," and others confessing they only learned this trick from the video. One user remarked: "Today, 47." Another chimed in with: "I was today years old.."

The secret lies in the peeler's loose blades which allow it to swivel, enabling a smooth glide both up and down. Next time, instead of just dragging the peeler up the carrot, try zigzagging it back down too.

Despite many of us cooking every day, it appears there are numerous kitchen appliances with mysterious uses we've never considered. Ever wondered why a spatula has holes in it? There's an important and quite unexpected reason for it. Similarly, people have only just begun to realise they haven't been straining their pasta correctly, as there's a much simpler method.

While the most common technique typically involves placing the strainer in the sink and simply pouring the pasta inside, there's a hack which eliminates the hassle of transferring from one to the other - and ensures you won't have any stray pieces of pasta in the sink.