Make Your Meals Look Fancier With This Kitchen Tool You Probably Already Own

Good-looking food doesn’t necessarily taste better, but if you’re of the opinion that we eat with our eyes first, you probably appreciate a beautiful plate. Epicurious suggests an incredibly easy way to make your dishes look more appealing: use a peeler.

You probably already have a Y peeler lying around the kitchen, and you can use it to create beautiful ribbons of avocado, asparagus, or chocolate. At the Epicurious test kitchen, Food Director Rhoda Boone uses the method for toast toppings, and she writes:

“Why would you want to do this?” Totally fair question. Does shaving make the food taste better? Not really. For some dense or fibrous vegetables, like asparagus, or beets, thinly shaving the raw vegetable makes it easier to digest. The peeler can also help you jump on the carb-free pasta trend without having to buy a spiralizer. But the biggest reasons to ribbon everything is that it’s fun to do and it makes your food look really pretty. And who doesn’t like eating pretty food? I know I do.

You might not use this for everyday meals, but when you’re cooking for friends or just want to take your dinner up a notch, this is an easy way to do it. It’s relatively straightforward to create the ribbons—just lightly peel the food item. However, Boone offers some specific tips depending on the food at the link below.