Peeling Tomatoes
by simoriah on Nov.29, 2008, under food
I had to look this one up once upon a time because I just didn’t know how the heck you peel a tomato. Once I saw how, it made perfect sense. Blanch them!
First, you need to get a big bowl/pot full of ice water. Not cool… LOTS of ice! Then, cut out the stem portions of the tomatoes. Then make a smallish X-cut across the bud end. This is the end opposite the stem.
Ready to blanch
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Throw your tomatoes into the pot and let them cook for about 60-90 seconds. You’ll know they’re done when the skin starts to split. When it splits pretty good, wait another ten seconds then pull the tomato out and put it into ice water to stop the cooking. When cold, peel the tomatoes.
Ready to peel
Ok… but what just happened? You quickly cooked the outer portion of the tomato. That’s why the skin has that thin layer of soft tomato pulp on it. The tomato, inside, is still very raw. It didn’t cook. It’s still firm. The skin just slides right off. Neat, eh?
This is also how you peel peaches and other similar fruits.
