Many recipes call for peeled tomatoes. This is because the skin of ripe tomatoes will be stringy and taste and bitter. Therefore, knowing how to peel tomatoes quickly is a great kitchen skill to have. There are three easy ways to peel tomatoes as described below; using boiling water, using a stove fire, and using a knife. Read this article to find out which way is right for you!
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using Boiling Water
Step 1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan
This method is especially useful if you need to peel more than one tomato, as you can peel three or four tomatoes at once.
Step 2. Prepare a large bowl of ice water
Place the bowl near the stove, as it will be needed later.
Step 3. Rinse and mark the tomatoes
Rinse the tomato skin in cold water, then pat dry with a paper towel. Remove the tomato stalks, then reposition the tomatoes, and make a thin cross at the base of the tomato using a sharp knife. This will make the stripping process easier.
Step 4. Put the tomatoes in boiling water
Use a spoon or a long-handled strainer to prevent the tomatoes from sinking into the pot and avoiding splashing the boiling water.
Step 5. Soak the tomatoes in the water until the skin begins to crack, usually about 15-25 seconds
Don't leave the tomatoes in the water for more than 30 seconds, as they will become ripe and mushy.
Step 6. Use a slotted spoon to lift the tomatoes
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Place the tomatoes immediately in the bowl of iced water next to the stove. This will cool the tomatoes and stop the ripening process from taking place.
Peel Tomatoes Step 7 Step 7. Remove the tomatoes from the bowl of iced water and peel them
When the tomatoes have cooled enough, remove them from the bowl. The skin becomes shriveled and loose. Look at the part of the tomato skin that was previously cross-marked and pull the skin off. The skin will come off very easily. Continue until all the tomato skin is peeled off. If there is a tomato skin in certain areas that are difficult to peel, you can use a small sharp serrated knife to slice it.
Peel Tomatoes Step 8 Step 8. Chop the tomatoes into finer pieces if needed
You can also remove the seeds if necessary. Then use the tomatoes according to the recipe as usual.
Method 2 of 3: Using Stove Flame
Peel Tomatoes Step 9 Step 1. Prepare the tomatoes
Wash the tomatoes in cold water. Dry by patting with a tissue, then remove the stalks.
Peel Tomatoes Step 10 Step 2. Prick the tomatoes with a fork
Insert the teeth of the fork into the tomato stalk. Tomatoes should be firmly pierced with a fork.
Peel Tomatoes Step 11 Step 3. Turn on the stove
The stove fire should be on medium heat.
Peel Tomatoes Step 12 Step 4. Position the tomatoes about 2.5 cm above the stove fire
Gently swirl the tomatoes so that the heat reaches all the sides. Do this for 15-25 seconds until the tomato skin starts to crack and blister. Think of it like roasting marshmallows.
Peel Tomatoes Step 13 Step 5. Turn off the stove and cool the tomatoes
Do not heat the tomatoes for more than 30 seconds as they may become overcooked. Place the tomatoes on a clean, flat surface until they are cool to handling.
Peel Tomatoes Step 14 Step 6. Peel the tomato skin
If the tomatoes are no longer hot to the touch, pull the peeled skin off. The tomato skin will come off very easily. Continue until all the tomato skins are removed.
Method 3 of 3: Using a Knife
Peel Tomatoes Step 15 Step 1. Prepare the tomatoes
Wash the tomatoes in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Remove the stalk.
Peel Tomatoes Step 16 Step 2. Cut the tomatoes into quarters
Cut the tomatoes into four equal parts using a sharp knife on a cutting board.
Peel Tomatoes Step 17 Step 3. Place the tomato pieces on a cutting board and the skin on the bottom
The part of the tomato that contains the seeds is facing up. Do this with one tomato slice first. Hold the tomatoes over the cutting board.
Peel Tomatoes Step 18 Step 4. Peel the tomatoes with a sharp knife
Carefully slice the skin of the tomato to separate it from the flesh, starting from one side of the edge of the tomato slice. Try to slice only the skin, don't let the meat get sliced. Do this from one side of the tomato slice to the other, until the skin is completely peeled off.
Peel Tomatoes Step 19 Step 5. Repeat this step with the other tomato pieces
Use the same method of peeling the tomato skin for the other tomato pieces. Don't worry if a bit of tomato flesh gets sliced along with the skin, this is normal. This is a great way if you don't like heating tomatoes before they are peeled.
Tips
- There is a special tool that is a smooth fruit skin peeler or tomato peeler.
- Peaches and nectarine (a kind of peach) can also be peeled using the boiling water process.
- This method will slightly ripen the tomatoes, but only the outsides. If you need to ripen the tomatoes, you must continue to cook them.
