Yesterday I posted a recipe for matbucha, a Moroccan cooked tomato salad. When making this salad with fresh tomatoes (rather than canned), you want to use peeled tomatoes. After I posted the recipe, I suddenly thought I should post a little tutorial on how to peel tomatoes. You can’t exactly use a potato peeler, especially if they’re very ripe or soft. There are three easy ways to peel a tomato (that I know about), so I thought I’d write up a quick “how to” post. I’ve written the instructions and posted step-by-step photos below. With tomato season starting soon, it’s a helpful thing to know how to do.
So, why peel a tomato? Tomato skins, when cooked slowly in liquid or sauce, tend to separate from the soft tomato flesh. This can create a stringy, unappealing texture in an otherwise lovely sauce. Here are three simple ways you can peel a tomato. All of them are easy-peasy and take less than a minute per tomato.
In a few days, I’ll do a post about seeding tomatoes and another about roasting them– both are useful techniques to have under your belt. Can you tell I’ve got tomatoes on the brain? I’m really looking forward to the warm weather coming back. I can almost smell those fresh, ripe, sweet tomatoes at the farmer’s market…
How to Peel Tomatoes
Ingredients
- Tomatoes
Gas Flame Method
- Gas stovetop
- Fork
Boiling Water Method
- Pot of water
- Large bowl of ice water
- Sharp knife
- Slotted Spoon
Knife Method
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
Instructions
Gas Flame Method
- Using a gas flame is the easiest way to peel tomatoes, in my opinion. It also produces the best results. You will need a gas stovetop and a fork.
- Remove any stems that are still attached to your tomatoes. Rinse the tomatoes clean and pat dry. Spear the tomato with a fork at the top, where the stem core is visible.
- Turn the stovetop flame to medium-high. Hold the tomato an inch over the flame, turning slowly, until the skin begins to split and blister. It should take about 15-25 seconds for the skin to loosen all the way around the tomato. Don't hold it over the flame too long or it will start to cook the tomato.
- Place the tomato on a smooth surface and let it cool off enough for you to comfortably touch it. Begin peeling the skin where it split, making your way all around the tomato till all the skin is peeled off.
- Discard the skin and proceed with your recipe.
Boiling Water Method
- The boiling water method is useful for when you have a large batch of tomatoes to peel. You can process 3-4 tomatoes at a time using this method.
- Place a pot of water on the stove and let it come to a rolling boil. Place your bowl of ice water next to the stove so it is easily accessible. Rinse your tomatoes clean and remove any stems that are still attached.
- Using a sharp knife, slice a shallow X into the bottom of the tomato (opposite the stem side).
- Gently place the tomatoes into the boiling water. If you have several tomatoes, boil them in batches of 3-4 at a time.
- Boil the tomatoes until you see the X begin to split open wider, or for 25 seconds, whichever comes first. Do not boil them for longer than 25-30 seconds or they will begin to soften and cook.
- Remove the tomatoes immediately from the boiling water using a slotted spoon.
- Place the tomatoes directly into the bowl of ice water and let them cool off. This will help to stop any "cooking" that has started.
- Remove the tomatoes from the ice water. Begin peeling the skin at the X, pulling the skin back gently.
- Not much tomato flesh should come off with the skin-- if the flesh comes off or the tomato seems soft/mushy, you've cooked it a bit too long. Try cooking it for a shorter time on the next round.
- Discard the skin and proceed with your recipe.
Knife Method
- This is my least favorite method for peeling tomatoes because you can end up discarding some tomato flesh no matter how good you are with a knife. However, it's the only method that doesn't involve heating the tomatoes. I'm including it so you have all the options. Rinse your tomatoes and pat them dry. Slice the tomatoes into large wedges.
- Work with one tomato wedge at a time. Place a wedge on a cutting board, seed side facing up, skin side facing down. Press the tomato wedge firmly to the board to keep it stable. Using a sharp knife, starting at one tip of the wedge, slice the skin away from the tomato flesh. Keep the knife as close to the skin as possible, so you're slicing off the skin only and not slicing off the flesh of the tomato.
- Work your way from one tip of the tomato wedge to the other, until all the skin is removed from the wedge.
- Discard the skin and proceed with your recipe.
Thanks so much for the tips! They were extremely helpful! I will never struggle to peel a tomato again. 🙂
You’re welcome!
I would like to offer another method to peel tomatoes if you
would like not to heat it!
Put your knife with a short angle on the tomato, and rub it all over the tomato skin. Then slice a shallow X into the bottom of the tomato and start skining.
good luck.
Hey Hasan, Thanks for this tip. I definitely didn’t want to have to start messing around with boiling and ice water.
These are great tips. I use and have used the boiling water method my grandmother taught me when I was ten. I am 75 now and have canned my husband’s garden produce for years.
I am thankful to my grandmother for her teaching and love.
Bless your grandma Leanora! I am grateful for the wisdom my grandparents shared with me, too.
Great tips for a first timer like me! I did choose the ‘old-fashioned’ way as it reminds me of all of the great cooking secrets that I learned from my Grandma. I just finished peeling a dozen tomatoes in less than 10 minutes. Wahoo! Now to make that sauce I’ve been thinkin’ about. . .
Nice blog by the way!
Thanks Vince! Happy saucing. 🙂
I will use the butter knife and bruising method. I am trying to stay away from the fluoridated municipal water supply and have yet to buy a RO filter for the kitchen so I am using distilled water for now.
Very helpful article for those new to cooking. Helped me a lot.
Thanks for the tip. I don’t like tomatoes at all, but my husband does and always wants them peeled. I’ve destroyed one too many tomatoes by trying to cut the skin off with a knife.
Should have looked it up sooner!
I have never had any luck with the boiling/ice water method. I always end up with only quarter or half peeled tomatoes. I’m definitely going to have to try the gas stove method as I have about 60 pounds of tomatoes to do!
I just did a whole batch by using a coarse cheese grater (1/4 inch size). Slice the tomato in half down the core and rub against the grate. I used a rubber jar lid opener to hold the tomato and protect my hand. You get a nice puree without all the pots and pans.
Great tip!
WELL!!!–I’LL BE DARNED MATT! GONNA HAVE TO TRY THIS ONE. I WILL STILL PROCESS THEM AND STORE FOR LATER USE (TOMATO SAUCE, GUACAMOLE DIP, ETC.) TY
Matt, I am going to try your method. It’s the end of the season and I have to cut off bad tops, etc. I can grate what’s left and toss the skins. Thank you. Tina
Thank you very much for this post! I had no idea what I was doing, and this made it uber easy.
Merci 🙂
You’re welcome!
Nice. Halfway through peeling 30 tomatoes for my sauce, I found your suggestion during a break (to rest my hands). I used the gas stove method on the rest and found that I didn’t even need to wait for them to split — 30 seconds was fine. I turned each over the flame using the fork and left them on the counter to cool while I completed the others. They peeled like a charm. Used on: Big Boy, Lemon Boy, and Big Beefsteak tomatoes from my garden.
Don’t you just love those little shortcuts? They make life in the kitchen soooo much easier!
Ann – just tried your method, worked perfectly!
Brilliant! I just used the boiling water / ice water method. The cross cut at the bottom made all the difference. It was simple to do and worth the extra effort because the skins just lifted off. Thankyou
I use a SERRATED vegetable peeler on tomatoes all the time and have no trouble. The straight edged vegetable peeler doesn’t work anywhere near as well.
Love your blog! I’m looking forward to you other two tutorials on seeding and roasting tomatoes. Tnx 🙂
Coincidentally, I just did the boiling water method with tomatoes last week. It worked like a charm. Now I’m definitely going to try the gas burner method next time. 🙂
Great tips! However, I found a fruit peeler which is different from a potato peeler and it works perfectly on tomatoes as well as on fruits like peaches, plums etc. I don’t remember where I got it though…
Great tips! Last year we had so many fresh tomatoes from the garden that I ended up freezing them. They were super easy to peel for use in my tomato sauce. Just ran them under warm water and the skin came right off.
Glad you mentioned this way. My mom did this. Just freeze whole skin on. Great for fall stews, chili, or to make your pasta sauces.
If anyone knows about the freezing method, doe you remove stems first?
good tips….thanks so much
The way my mom taught me to peel a tomato is like this.
Hold your tomato in your left hand and with your right hand use the back side (the non cutting side) of a butter knife. Go over the entire tomato “bruising” the tomato or scraping at the skin but not actually cutting it. When you’ve done the whole tomato use the tip of a sharp knife and lift a little bit of the skin. The skin should peel right off. If you get those mealy type of tomatoes this won’t work as well because the skin will take some of the flesh with it. This is a great way if you don’t have a gas stove top and you just want to peel a tomato for a sandwich.
Great tip Ann, thanks for sharing!
That’s exactly the way a dear, old friend taught me to do it, too, about 40-45 years ago. She was Austrian, married over 60 years to an Italian man. I don’t remember if it was the way HER MOTHER or her mother-IN-LAW taught her to do it that way, but over 100 yrs. ago, this is how it was being done!