How to Peel Tomatoes
There are many different ways to peel tomatoes. In case you find yourself with a bumper crop of tomatoes, I’m going to share several different techniques to easily peel them. At the end of the post, I share what I feel is the easiest way to peel fresh tomatoes.
You can use any of these methods of peeling tomatoes on any types of tomatoes you grow or pick up from the farmer’s market. I’ve tried each method with paste tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, as well as hybrid varieties and it works great.
The only tomatoes I wouldn’t peel would be cherry tomatoes. They are difficult to peel because of their small size. You would be better off processing them through a food mill to remove the skins.
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Why Would You Even Want to Peel Tomatoes?
Many people don’t peel tomatoes before preserving and that is totally fine. But I have found that sometimes, leaving the skins in sauce or other recipes can cause the tomatoes to taste bitter.
And sometimes, you will find little bits of tough skin throughout your finished dish. That isn’t very appetizing to me, so I prefer to peel my tomatoes for any cooked dish.
How to Peel Tomatoes With a Knife
One way to peel tomatoes is to use a sharp knife to remove the skin. A small paring knife is probably the easiest type to use, but you can use a vegetable peeler if you prefer.
This is probably the best way if you are planning on using the tomato fresh. It is also the quickest way if you are only peeling a couple of tomatoes.
However, if you are peeling a lot of tomatoes for canning, freezing, or making salsa, peeling tomatoes with a knife can take a long time. Try one of these other easy methods below if you have pounds and pounds of tomatoes to process.
How to Peel Tomatoes Using Boiling Water
Many people recommend using the boiling water method, also called the blanching method, to peel tomatoes. This method works best with ripe tomatoes.
If the tomatoes aren’t quite ripe, the skins will be more difficult to remove and you will have to blanch the tomatoes longer, possibly turning them to mush.
To use the blanching method, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water.
Once the water boils, drop in 6-8 tomatoes. Allow the tomatoes to sit in the hot water for 30 seconds to one minute, until the skins split.
Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge the tomatoes into the ice bath.
Allow the tomatoes to cool until you can handle them. When you remove them from the water, the skins should just slip right off.
Keep adding tomatoes to the boiling water 6-8 at a time and plunging them into the large bowl of ice water after the skins split. Replace the bowl of water when the water turns warm.
Many people make an “x” with a knife in the bottom of each tomato before dropping them in the boiling water. I have never found this step to be necessary. The skins slip off just fine without it, so to me, it is a waste of valuable time.
How to Peel Tomatoes Using the Oven
To use the oven to peel tomatoes, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the tomato cores, and place each tomato cut side down on a baking sheet.
Bake the tomatoes for 5-10 minutes until the skin loosens on the tomatoes. Allow tomatoes to cool briefly. The tomato skins will slip right off.
Peel Tomatoes by Freezing
This method is a bit unconventional but you can peel tomatoes by freezing them. Place the tomatoes you want to peel into a freezer bag and pop them into the freezer. Allow them to freeze overnight.
When you remove the tomatoes, thaw them in a large bowl. Even if you placed the tomatoes in freezer bags, place the bags in a bowl or container to catch any drips.
Once thawed the skin of the tomatoes will slip right off when you pull on it. You can even just put the tomatoes into the freezer for a day to allow them to freeze solid.
Remove them the next day and allow them to thaw. The skins will slip right off.
What is the Best Way to Peel Tomatoes?
I think the best way to peel tomatoes is the one that is easiest for you. If you are wanting to process your tomatoes immediately, you obviously can’t use the freezer method.
However, the freezer method is now my favorite way of peeling tomatoes since it requires so little of my time. It also doesn’t heat up your house. The only downfall is you need to allow at least 12 hours for the tomatoes to freeze.
If I need my tomatoes immediately, I actually prefer the oven method. I used to use the boiling water method, but I have splashed the boiling water on my hands many times, so that method will now be my last resort.
How to Use Peeled Tomatoes
Once the tomatoes are peeled, you can use them in so many ways. Make tomato soup, tomato juice, pasta sauce, a fresh tomato sauce, or use them in your favorite recipes. Peeling your tomatoes also makes the canning process quicker and will give you a smooth texture in your finished product.
Related Posts
- This post shares lots of ways to preserve tomatoes as well as other foods.
- This salsa is a great way to put up your extra tomatoes. It is frozen, not canned so it is an easy recipe for beginning gardeners to try.
