You know that moment when you have a pot of water boiling and realize the peeler is in the dishwasher, or missing entirely, or hiding in a drawer that has not been cleaned since last year? That was me on Thanksgiving.

Here is the trick that saved the mashed potatoes.

Score, boil, ice, done

The skin of a potato lets go almost by itself if you treat it right. The whole thing takes a few extra minutes but zero peeling.

1. Score a shallow line around the middle of each potato with a knife.
2. Boil them until a fork slides in easily.
3. Drop them into a bowl of ice water for about 30 seconds.
4. Grab each end and the skin slips off in one piece.

The scoring step matters. Without it, the skin tears in little pieces and you spend longer chasing them than you would have peeling.

Why this beats wrestling a peeler

For one thing, you lose almost none of the potato. A peeler always shaves off a little extra. For another, this works on awkward shapes and tiny fingerling potatoes that a peeler can barely grip.

I did mess it up the first time by skipping the ice water. Lukewarm potatoes do not release the skin cleanly, so I ended up scraping at them with a butter knife and making a mess. The cold shock is what does the work.

Now I use this even when I do have a peeler. It is faster when I am doing a whole bag at once.