Have you ever wondered how you peel a tomato in 3 easy steps? We have the answers in this article, and there’s more than one way to peel them easily. These methods are easy so that you can cook your newly peeled tomatoes quickly.
This method works for peeling all types of tomatoes, including cherry, Roma and salad tomatoes.
What is a tip for peeling tomatoes without making any cuts?
One helpful technique for peeling tomatoes without making any cuts is by blanching them in boiling water. To do this you should bring a pot of water to a boil. While the water is heating up, score a small “X” on the bottom of each tomato using a sharp knife.
Once the water reaches boiling point, carefully place the tomatoes into the water and let them cook for about 30 seconds to a minute or until you notice the skin starting to loosen.
Then, using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water to cool them down quickly. The sudden temperature change will help loosen the skin even further. After a few minutes, take the tomatoes out of the ice water and gently peel off the skin using your fingers.
The skin should come off easily, leaving you with peeled tomatoes ready to be used in your recipe.
What do I need to peel tomatoes?
You only need a few things to peel tomatoes, and all of them are basic kitchen utensils which you can use for both methods.
- Heat-proof dish (Non-metallic for microwave method)
- A kettle to boil water
- A sharp knife
How do I peel tomatoes in three easy steps?
The following method is the standard process most chefs use in a commercial kitchen to peel tomatoes in three easy steps.
Step 1 – Cut a cross in the bottom centre of the tomato, skin-deep
Step 2 – Place tomatoes in a heat-proof dish and cover with boiling water. Leave for sixty seconds
Step 3 – Refresh the tomatoes with cold water & peel
You don’t need much to get the skins off your tomatoes. It’s a quick and easy process known as blanching in the cooking world which is simply boiling something quickly and cooling it down quickly.
To get going peeling your tomatoes, you will need the following:
And that’s it, simple as that! The taste of homegrown tomatoes peeled and made into your favourite sauce is second to none.
Peeling tomatoes in the microwave
You can also peel tomatoes in the microwave. You use a microwave to heat the skin therefore you don’t need to mess about with pans and hot water.
The only negative of microwaves is that they heat the skin and the whole tomato. Cooking the tomato can make it hard to peel as cooked tomato is very soft and may come away with the skin.
For this reason, we always recommend the accepted method mentioned above to peel your tomatoes in three easy steps.
How to peel tomatoes using a microwave in 3 easy steps
Step 1 – Cut a cross in the bottom centre of the tomato, skin-deep
Step 2 – Place tomatoes in a non-metallic dish and microwave on full power for around 30 seconds or until the skin begins to peel.
Step 3 – Remove the tomatoes from the microwave and place them into a bowl of ice-cold water for 5 minutes before peeling them with your hands.
What is the easiest way to peel tomatoes?
The easiest way to peel tomatoes is using the first method with hot water and cooling them off in ice water to peel with your hands. All you need to do is boil a kettle. This method has no drawbacks, unlike when using a microwave to peel the skin of a tomato.
What is the best temperature for peeling tomatoes?
After conducting experiments, I have discovered that peeling tomatoes becomes much simpler at room temperature. Based on my experience I therefore recommend using tomatoes that are allowed to reach room temperature for peeling.
How to peel tomatoes for sauce
To peel tomatoes for sauce, you can use the easy 3-step method detailed at the beginning of this article. It involves using boiling water to soften the skins before cooling off and peeling the tomatoes, ready to make your tomato-based sauce. You can use this method to peel tomatoes for salsa or any other tomato-based dish.
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