How to Peel a Taro

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Things You'll Need

  • Latex or rubber gloves

  • Taro root

  • Large saucepan

  • Water

  • Cutting board

  • Kitchen paring knife

If you've ever attended a Hawaiian luau, then you've eaten taro in the pasty side dish known as poi. While poi is usually an acquired taste, it shouldn't put you off taro as a vegetable, especially the starchy, sweet potatolike corm, or stem, which is a staple ingredient in Pacific Island, African and West Indian cuisine. Never handle or peel raw taro, however, as the skin and flesh contain calcium oxalate, a skin irritant neutralized by cooking the root.

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Step 1

Put on latex or rubber gloves, and wash taro root well under running water.

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Step 2

Place taro root in saucepan, and fill with water until the root is covered.

Step 3

Boil the taro root in the saucepan for approximately 10 minutes to blanch the root and neutralize the calcium oxalate irritants.

Step 4

Remove taro root and place on cutting board. Allow it to cool slightly.

Step 5

Peel the taro using a paring knife by inserting the knife just slightly beneath the skin, and guiding it along the taro's flesh, keeping the cuts as shallow and close to the skin as possible.

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Step 6

Repeat Step 5 until all the taro skin has been removed.

Step 7

Use the taro as called for in a recipe, or you can complete cooking it much like you would a potato -- roasted, boiled or baked.

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