From M.A.S.H. to any other (you name it) war movie there always seems to be someone peeling potatoes. Why? Is that something that really happened back in the 50's-60's-70's? Today we order 'Home fries' and they come with the skin on. Some places mash the potatoes with the skin on them.

What was the purpose of peeling a potato? Seems the skin would be a little more nutrition and filler for those who worked up an appetite.

No food prep for me. I scrubbed pots and pans. Or commanded the clipper. In Texas. In the summer.

It may have come from the Beetle Bailey comic strip. My european wife says beggers in Russia do not eat potato skins. My father who was in WWII would put butter on the skins & eat them. I was only on KP in Basic Training Jan/Feb 1967 & I got to clean plates for the dishwasher. I do remember some Nashville fern bars having potato skin appetizers in the 1980's.

Yes, potatoes definitely were peeled back then, and I suspect they still are. Back then, French Fries were not as commonly offered and potatoes were usually mashed, without skins. I think the troops preferred them without skins (I do) and any added nutritional benefit of them was not an issue. I doubt that troops on KP peeling potatoes is still done, though -- they have machines that do that faster. (It was a good form of minor punishment, however.)

flashguy
Former USAF Food Service Officer 1960-1962

I first had KP at Ft. Polk, LA, in January 1967. Although I was detailed as 'pots and pans' that day (as in washing them), my first task was peeling spuds for mashed potatoes. The mess hall had an automatic peeler. This was a machine like a small washer with an abrasive drum. Hook up a hose, turn it on, toss in a couple dozen potatoes, and let the spinning drum grind off the skins while the water flushes the residue. Pull out the peeled spuds and repeat until done.

KP during my time was mainly unloading, moving, and washing pots and pans. God Bless

USAF, 1966, Elmendorf AFB. When I had KP I seemed to get the Potato Peeling duties.

Being in the Air Force we were a bit more advanced; we had a washtub sized Potato Peeler. We put the Potato's in and it ground the outer skin off. You only had to make sure you didn't grind away too much.

Within a couple years they hired civilians in the Mess Hall, that was the end of KP for me.

At Ft Benning (I don’t care if they change the name, I’m always going to call it Ft Benning) during basic and infantry school KP was a punishment and yes, we still peeled potatoes. They used them to make mashed potatoes and fries but we also scrubbed and cleaned if we got into trouble. I say we even though I didn’t have KP but other guys did.

July-September 1964, Fort Knox Ky. KP once, peeling potatoes and DRO (Dining Room Orderly).

In the CG and Navy it’s called “mess cook” and basically we cleaned everything and set tables for the wardroom. The rotation varied depending on the size of the ship or unit. It was usually limited to E3 and below, although I messcooked for a week as a GM3(E4) when all the nonrates were at the base for some mandatory training. (Ship was inport for a scheduled period)

I did help the cook by prepping what I could but it wasn’t demanded.

Mess cooking also got you out of your regular duties such as look out or daily duties like painting etc.

I had KP 4 or 5 times whilst in the National Guard. I don’t recall ever peeling potatoes. Washing dishes, setting tables, garbage man, yes, potato peeling no.

A CS in the Navy actually has a crew of FNGs from all ranks, including a lot of undes that will perform a lot of the grunt work or busy work in the kitchen. While the CS’s manage the situation.

Not a bad gig and quite different than how it’s portrayed.

I was in the army starting in the mid -60s and yes KP involved potato prep although I seem to recall they ended up installing some machine that whirled the spuds against a rough tub liner that removed the peels which were washed away by the machine's continuous spray.

And yes I moved from army enlisted to naval officer

I cranked in the wardroom on a cruiser in 1993. Was part of the initial group of food service attendants. On that ship most of the food was prepared in the galley and brought up to be served. I served meals, washed a lot of dishes, delivered laundry, cleaned the head and showers. Was also supposed to change the XO’s sheets once a week, but no one told us until he asked after a couple months. Never peeled potatoes though.

I peeled potatoes for part of one day in Navy boot camp, 1956.

Arrived to my unit after graduating Army MP school in 1989 as an E-3. Thought I was pretty hot stuff until I was ordered to the Mess Hall within 30 minutes of checking in. Found myself peeling potatoes for the rest of the day on the back porch. Had to ask the E-6 how to use a potato peeler. I was real good at it within an hour.......

Waiting to be drafted I volunteered and asked to go infantry, airborne and Vietnam. It was a given that we would go to Nam. Told to go take a test to be a helicopter pilot which meant if you qualified you'd to almost 4 years. I refused as that was too much time in the Army. As punishment for my refusal was sent to KP to clean pots and pans the worst of KP. Did my task and then off to basic training for my 2 year stint. Actually enjoyed my time in the Army, went from boy to man in a hurry. Leaving active duty I was ready for college with a serious attitude. The military stint set up a path for my life. No regrets about my service.

I had kp once on a TDY to Italy. I was a buck sergeant in the AF, and low man on the totem pole, so I "won", Scrubbing pots.

USMC 1979-1983

We rotated thru Mess Duty every year as we got ready to go overseas.

No food prep for us. Cooks did that. We served it up, cleaned the cooking utensils or had garbage duty.

Aboard my ships KP was cleaning, scrubbing and helping off load food from pier to ship and stocking.
Only cooks handled food.