Tomatoes are delicious and healthy, they can be eaten both raw and cooked, as well as added to soups, sauces, meat, fish and other dishes. Tomatoes have a thin edible skin that can be left on. After cooking, however, the skins of tomatoes can be a little bitter and tough, so it is sometimes better to peel them, such as when making soup or sauce. There are several ways to peel tomatoes. The easiest way to remove the peel from tomatoes is to first pour boiling water over them or lightly fry them.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Boiling Water Treatment
Step 1. Boil water in a frying pan
When blanching, food is briefly immersed in boiling water and then dipped in an ice bath. After processing with boiling water, the skin is easily removed from the tomatoes, and immersion in ice water prevents them from boiling. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil over medium to high heat.
- If you only need to peel a few tomatoes, use a small skillet. If there are a lot of tomatoes, use a larger skillet or saucepan.
- Blanching is very effective when you need to peel a lot of tomatoes.
Step 2. Prepare an ice bath
Take a large enough bowl, fill it halfway with ice, and add cold water. Place a bowl near the stove to quickly move the tomatoes from the boiling water to the ice bath.
If you need to peel several tomatoes, a small bowl is sufficient. Use a larger bowl if you need to peel a lot of tomatoes
Step 3. Remove the stems and cut the tomatoes
Cut the remaining stems out of the tomatoes, then turn the fruits over and use a knife to cut the skin in the shape of an “X” to make it easier to remove.
Step 4. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds
When water boils in a saucepan or skillet, gently dip the tomatoes into it. Do not boil the fruits for more than 30 seconds, otherwise they will boil and become soft. After 30 seconds, remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon.
Step 5. Transfer the tomatoes to ice water
As soon as you remove the tomatoes from the boiling water, immediately transfer them to your pre-prepared ice bath. Hold them there for 30 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon.
When blanching, it is recommended to soak fruits and vegetables in cold water for the same amount of time as in boiling water
Step 6. Peel off the skin with your fingers
After blanching, the skin will wrinkle slightly and you can easily peel it off the tomatoes. Start with your pre-cut “X” and separate the skin from the flesh. Peel the tomatoes completely.
If you come across hard areas of the skin that are difficult to remove by hand, cut them off with a knife
Method 2 of 4: Using fire
Step 1. Tear off the tails and cut the skin of the tomatoes
Tomatoes are much easier to peel when heated. To do this, you can use not only boiling water, but also a flame. Remove the stems, carefully cut the stalks and cut the skin of each tomato at the bottom with a cross (in the form of the letter "X").
If you cut the rind, you can easily separate it from the pulp
Step 2. Light the gas burner and set the heat to maximum
The easiest way to burn tomato skins is with a gas stove. If you do not have a gas stove, you can use the following devices:
- gas burner;
- wood stove or fireplace;
- gas grill.
Step 3. Hold the tomato over the fire until it darkens
Take a tomato with metal tongs, bring it 2–3 centimeters to the flame and swirl very slowly for 15–25 seconds. Don't keep the tomato over the fire any longer, or it will soften. Move the tomato away from the flame as soon as it bursts or bulges or darkens slightly.
- If you don't have metal tongs, place the tomato on a fork where the stalk was.
- If you are using a blowtorch, place the tomato on a shallow heat-resistant plate and aim the flame at it. While doing this, move the lamp from side to side to completely peel the tomato.
Step 4. Set the tomato aside to cool
When the skin has come off the pulp, place the tomato on a glass or wooden cutting board. Do not use a plastic board as it may melt. Wait about five minutes (or as long as it takes) for the tomato to cool down.
To speed up the process, grab the tomato with tongs and dip it in a bowl of ice water
Step 5. Remove the skin from the tomato
When the tomato is cool enough, pry the skin off the cut. Peel off the skin with your fingers. If necessary, you can cut off hard areas with a knife.
Method 3 of 4: Peeling Tomatoes by Hand
Step 1. Use a potato peeler
Take a tomato and press the blade of a potato peeler against its surface. Press lightly on the potato peeler and slide it over the surface of the tomato. Peel all the skin off the tomato.
- Peel tomatoes and other vegetables away from you. This will prevent you from cutting yourself with a knife or a potato peeler.
- Although regular potato peelers are not suitable for soft tomatoes, there are special peelers with serrated blades that are convenient for peeling tomatoes.
Step 2. Cut off the peel with a knife
You can peel a tomato with a knife just as you would with an apple, although the tomato has a softer core and skin. Proceed as follows:
- cut about 13 millimeters from the top and bottom of the tomato;
- place the tomato, cut side down, on a cutting board;
- take a sharp knife and carefully peel off the peel, while trying to cut off as little pulp as possible;
- cut off the entire skin from the tomato.
Step 3. Freeze the tomatoes before peeling them
Freeze the tomatoes in the freezer so you can peel them off more easily. Place the tomatoes in the freezer and wait for them to cool. Then remove them and wait about 15 minutes for them to warm up to room temperature. Peel the tomatoes gently with a sharp knife.
Method 4 of 4: Using Peeled Tomatoes
Step 1. Cook the soup
Tomato soup is delicious and healthy for colds (or when you just feel like snacking on something hot). Peeled tomatoes are great for a tender, thick tomato soup. Tomato soup can be eaten by itself, or supplemented with a salad, sandwich or main course.
Step 2. Stew the tomatoes
Stewed tomatoes can be eaten on their own or with bread or crackers. In addition, they can be used to make a delicious tomato sauce for pasta and other dishes. Stewing tomatoes is quite simple: just cut them into wedges and cook over low heat for quite some time.
Stewed tomatoes keep well in winter
Step 3. Prepare homemade tomato sauce
Tomato sauce can be added to a wide variety of dishes: pizza, pasta, soups, and the like. Although you can find ready-made tomato sauce in stores, you can make your own using peeled fresh tomatoes. The good thing about tomato sauce is that you can give it a wide variety of flavors. Anything you like can be added to tomato sauce, including the following foods:
- garlic and onions for flavor;
- herbs and spices;
- various vegetables;
- cheese.