How to Peel Tomatoes

I’ll never forget the first time I decided to learn how to peel tomatoes. I was determined to make tomato sauce from scratch and the recipe I was using called for peeled tomatoes.

Well, I’d grown up peeling cucumbers and potatoes. How much harder could it be to do that to a tomato?

Turns out really hard because I was doing it all wrong. I’d gone to the store and purchased a half dozen or so Roma tomatoes. When I got home, I took out the vegetable peeling that I would use on those aforementioned cucumbers and potatoes.

Almost immediately, the first tomato shot out of my hand and across the room. With the next tomato, I tried to grip it harder to peel it and, well, it crushed in my hands.

Of course, when I look back on my 22-year-old self trying to make sauce from scratch, I have to laugh that I literally tried to peel tomatoes with a vegetable peeler. That’s because I know now that you can buy canned, peeled tomatoes. Also, now I know that there is a much better and easier way to peel tomatoes like a pro.

Why peel tomatoes?

Peeling tomatoes is a great way to use fresh tomatoes in soups, salsas, sauces and baked dishes. Tomato skin is not ideal to find in your dinner as it can be tough and stringy. Romas or beefsteak tomatoes are perfect for peeling. Not so much thinner-skinned tomatoes, such as grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes.

Shruthi Baskin-Makanju of Urban Farmie favors these two tomato varieties. “Sauce tomatoes like paisano or San Marzano are the best to use after peeling,” she told me.

Gather the necessary tools

Before diving into the tomato peeling process, ensure you have the following tools readily available. Note: no vegetable peelers appear on the list below:

• Large pot
• Water
• Large bowl
• Ice 
• Fresh tomatoes
• Sharp knife
• Slotted spoon
• Kitchen towels

How to peel tomatoes

Once you’ve gathered your tools, it’s time to peel tomatoes. And by peeling the tomatoes, I mean that you will be prepping them in a way that the outer skin just slides off. This involves hot water followed by a cold bath. Or, in other words, blanching. You’re going to be blanching your tomatoes.

FYI, blanching is a technique you can use when preparing to freeze fresh vegetables, such as when you want to freeze string or green beans.

Star by filling the pot with water and set it to boil. While waiting for the boil, fill a bowl with ice and ice-cold water.

Wash the tomatoes. You don’t want to trim off the stem or cut the tomatoes except as directed below. Now, use your knife to slice an X in the skin across the bottom of the tomatoes.

Once the water is boiling, take a tomato and place it on the slotted spoon. Then, dunk the spoon into the boiling water. Don’t let the tomato fall off the spoon and all the way into the water.

After about 30 to 60 seconds, the skin should start peeling up around the score marks. Once you see the skin start to peel, remove the slotted spoon with the tomato in it and then plunge the tomato into the ice-water bath.

While the first tomato is chilling, start on the second tomato, following all of the steps above. Doing them one at a time may be time intensive. However, we prefer this method. It ensures that we don’t forget the tomatoes in the boiling water and ruin them.

That’s the chef’s choice. If you want to boil them all at once, go for it.

Back in the ice bath, let the tomato stay there until they are cool enough to handle. The skin will have started to peel up from the cooking. Now you can use your hands to finish peeling the skin off. Once peeled, trim out the stem.

Set the peeled tomatoes aside until the rest of the tomatoes are peeled. Then, after all of the tomatoes are peeled, you’ll want to cut them in half and gently remove the seeds.

How to use peeled tomatoes

Once tomatoes are peeled, they can be used in any recipe that calls for canned tomatoes, crushed tomatoes or stewed tomatoes. Need diced tomatoes? No problem. Dice the freshly peel tomatoes.

If the recipe calls for stewed tomatoes, you can add them whole. In other words, you don’t have to cut them up after peeling off the skin.

And if it calls for crushed tomatoes, you can crush them right in your hand or in a bowl with a spoon and add them to your recipe. Or you can use one of our favorite tools — the immersion blender. This will crush the tomatoes in no time in a single bowl.

Try using your homemade peeled tomatoes in place of Rotel or spaghetti sauce, too. For this Creamy Chicken Taco Soup you can add the equivalent of the called for Rotel and add some red pepper flakes for a little heat.

If replacing spaghetti or pasta sauce, add Italian seasoning, salt and a pinch of sugar. Using it as a pizza sauce? Crush the tomatoes, and cook them with a little olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, sugar and Italian seasoning.

Gen La Rocca of Two Cloves Kitchen told me that she’ll peel tomatoes when she wants a smooth, uniform texture. “A gazpacho, for example, would benefit from a completely smooth texture,” she says, “so I will take the extra step to peel my tomatoes for that dish.”

Taste your recipes

Be sure to taste your recipes when using fresh peeled tomatoes. Since they’re not processed with any salt, your recipes will probably need extra salt and even some extra herbs. Since you’re already cooking, this is an easy problem to solve.

Peeling tomatoes may seem like an extra unnecessary step in the kitchen, but the flavor that fresh tomatoes can bring to your recipes will be worth it. Learning a new skill is almost always rewarding. So grab an apron and get cooking like a grandma!

Portions of this article originally appeared on Food Drink Life