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 for the tips on peeling tomatoes. Very helpful for a beginner.
You’re welcome Leslie!
Many thanks from Zimbabwean!
When making sauce I no longer peel or seed tomatoes. I just cook then, then break out the immersion blender. Works great. However, today I want to can whole plum tomatoes so I’m giving the hot and cold water a try. I’ve peeled tomatoes without the ice water but it seems to me that this way will work better. Then I’ll just stick the whole tomatoes into a quart canning jar and continue to march.
#1 Freeze them. Boiling water dip… the skins just slide off.
#2 Send them through a tomato press. Removes skin and seeds. Leaves a smooth pure. I oven roast then freeze tomatoes by the case load for the winter using this method.
I used the boiling water method and it worked. I couldn’t believe how easy the pealing came off. It almost came off on its own.
I am making a tomato consommé recipe which called for 20 peeled baby plum tomatoes!
I was just about to kill myself when I came across Tori’s method.
I tried the boiling water method and it worked like a dream – thanks Tori!
All I would say is watch the timing depending on what size toms you are using; my baby plums only needed 10 seconds.
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Fantastic method! Thanks
Kidding aside, thank you for the tips.
I’m going to peel a bunch to use in a sauce and this should save some time. I want to seed the tomatoes as well so I am going to try seeding some and then skinning and skinning followed by seeding on others to see which works the best.
Either way, the kitchen is going to be smelling really good today.
My Grandmother taught me by running the tomato under hot tap water for a bit, then using a sharp paring knife to poke under the skin and pull it away in strips. I haven’t tried the other methods yet, but hers still seems simple and efficient.
All these methods are for Wimps!! I’ve found that the best, most-manly way is to obtain a cheap, used four-inch side grinder(I got mine at auction when a local body shop went out of business.) With a wire brush, get as much of the body putty or other grimy residue out of the grinding disc that was in the machine when you bought it. It is not necessary to buy a clean, new disc. In fact, it is considered frivolous, wasteful and unsporting. With grinder firmly in your right hand, run the grinder up to it’s maximum speed. Then with your left hand, slowly rotate the tomato, so that eventually, you should have very effectively removed all the skin. Do not do this while wearing a white shirt.
I should have read Tom’s entire post. My Little White Dress is now a theater prop?
Thanks Thomas!
I only have a 9-inch grinder – do you think that will be a problem?
When you say removed ALL THE SKIN, you weren’t referring to your fingers! Lol, just kidding!
great to find your tom peeling tips. I have over 60 Mortgage Lifter tomato plants reaching for the moon so will have a task making relish etc (gallons ???) when they fruit. These tomatoes can attain a weight of a kilo for one tomato.
Thank you! We had heirloom tomatoes with lots of grooves that we wanted to peel. This was really helpful. We did Method 1 this time and it worked perfectly. We’ll try it over the flame next time for contrast!
Besides the boiling method, couldn’t one also use a steamer? I have a boiler insert that I use for broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Seems like it would also work well for peeling tomatoes. Maybe I will try it. I’ll have to guess on the length of time needed.
Mark, let us know if you try it!
I found a website that suggested 3 minutes in a steamer. That’s versus 30 seconds to a minute in boiling water. In either case, you don’t want to overcook the tomatoes. I pull them out as soon as I see the skin split. A secondary ice water bath is recommended regardless of whether you steam or boil.
I make roasted tomatoes halves and although the original recipe does not call for the skins to be removed, there’s a sort of melt in your mouth texture when they’re peeled.
you could always use a food mill.
Bonnie, that works for purees and sauces, but certain recipes require whole peeled tomatoes.
I appreciate all these ideas and have used most of them YET I would point out that if you are in a hurry to get you pot going for standard tomato sauce or other use which will be liquid in nature you can get by by NOT peeling them. I would admit you need to core them to remove the stems/cores then fill a blender with 40 percent of water by volume and then add your first tomato, I suggest cut in quarters, allowing the blender to grind up your tomato in the fluid. Once done add a second tomato and allow it to become fully ground into the liquid. By now your blender is probably pretty full so you must now pour off 60$% of the blender contents and then add the next two tomatoes and then pour off 60% of the liquid again.. repeat this process until all of your tomatoes are fully ground up into liquid adding water as needed to maintain a slurry. Now your sauce is own its way complete with those healthy wholesome skins.included. You will also find it takes less cooking time to get the sauce to a creamy texture for sauces. Now I will admit this technique does not work for any other tomato uses.
I use the method my father taught me to peel tomatoes, the method his father taught him and his father before him so on and its probably many centuries old, lol get the misses to do it lol so simple.
Flame method worked like a charm. . . though I am not sure why I need to remove the skin for my recipe!!
Always blanched & peeled – thanks for the additonal options! Love the gas method 🙂
After I peel them, can I put them back in the fridge? I am making dinner tomorrow but I want to get as much word done ahead of time. I am new at this and its for a date, so I do not want to end up bailing on the idea when it all goes wrong.
Depends on what you’re making– if it’s for a sauce, it shouldn’t be a problem, as long as you keep them covered in an airtight Tupperware or something similar so they don’t dry out too much. If it’s only a day ahead, it should be ok. Good luck!
Thanks so much for this tutorial! I really needed it last night. I tried using a knife & gave up. I can’t wait to try these methods!