Quickly Peel a Tomato
A good cook always knows how to peel a tomato to remove the skin that can spoil many a good sauce or stew. Although it's not the most exciting kitchen task, it is an essential one, and knowing how to do it in 5 seconds or less will curry favor with the busy cook! It's simple to slip off that tomato jacket in 5 seconds or less!
Steps
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.
- Slightly score across the base of the tomato in a cross fashion. Then drop one tomato at a time in the boiling water. Leave for about 20 seconds.
- Evacuate each tomato to a bowl of ice water. Leave long enough for the tomato to cool.
- Use a knife to make a cut around the "equator" of the tomato. The "northern hemisphere" and "southern hemisphere" of the tomato will now slide off intact.
Tips
- Do not leave the tomato in the boiling water too long or it will start to cook. The idea is to only break the connection between the skin and the tomato flesh.
- An alternative way to peel the skin off after cooling it down is to (carefully) slide it off with your fingers. However, the acidity of the tomato can soon irritate under your fingernails, so be careful not to overuse this method.
- Try not to puncture the flesh of the tomato while peeling.
Warnings
- Tomato is hot (only for a few seconds) when taken from the boiling water, so protect your hands.
Things You'll Need
- Boiling water
- Pot
- Ice water
- A knife
