Apparatus for peeling and optionally cutting vegetables

An apparatus for peeling vegetables of a round, oval or elongated shape, said apparatus comprising:

• a frame defining a hole provided with a center, said hole being sized to receive and let pass the vegetable to be peeled;
• a given number of knives mounted onto the frame in such a manner as to be radially slidable toward the center of the hole, said knives being distributed in an equal manner all around the frame and each comprising a blade extending tangentially within the hole in order to peel an adjacent part of the vegetable introduced into and pushed through the hole;
• and
• springs for applying in a permanent manner a radial force onto the knives in order to push said knives toward the center of the hole, wherein:
• the frame comprising two shells each comprising a peripheral edge, an external face, an internal face and a central opening, the internal face of each shell being provided with two walls positioned in a symmetrical manner on both sides of the central opening in such a manner as to define together a rectilinear channel extending transversally across the shell above the central opening of the same;
• the frame also comprises means for detachably connecting the shells to each other in such a manner that their internal faces be in front of each other, their central openings be aligned to form together the hole of the frame, and their rectilinear channels be oriented at 90° with respect to each other;
• each of the knives comprises a rigid block sized to fit into one of the channels and to slide within said channel, said block comprising two opposite flat sides that are in direct contact with the walls of the channel, the block also comprising a recess facing the central opening;
• each of the knives also comprises a blade mounted in a pivotable manner across the recess of the corresponding block, the blade consisting of a thin piece of metal that is slightly curved in transversal cross-section, said piece also having an elongated central slot with a pair of opposite cutting edges;
• and
• the springs are positioned in the channels behind the blocks in such a manner as to contact the peripheral edge of the corresponding shell and to push the blocks towards the corresponding central opening.