Are you an expert cook who wants to make the most of your meals? Have you been searching for the best and most reliable cooking methods?Have you been particularly seeking hot tips to handle your tomatoes? Did I hear you answer ‘yes’ to any of these two questions? I must say you have landed on just the right page. It is questions of these kinds that we are here to answer about how to peel a tomato. So let’s talk about How To Peel a Tomato?
Tomatoes are by far the single most used spice. It is used to cook all kinds of recipes. In light of this, it has to be handled with care in case the best possible outcomes may be achieved. This calls for the adoption of the right kinds of cooking methods. In these discussions, we are going to dig deeper into the subject matter of how to peel a tomato.
We are going to tackle this topic by first and foremost identifying the common strategies through which you may accomplish this noble objective. We are going to list the tools of trade you need to implement each strategy. We are thereafter going to explain each strategy in greater details. We shall indeed explain in a step-by-step format how to go about the listed strategies.
What you will need to follow this tutorial
Gas Flame Method
- Gas stove-top
- Fork
Boiling Water Method
- Pot of water
- A large bowl of ice water
- Sharp knife
- Slotted Spoon
Knife Method
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
Poaching Method
- Stove
- Cooking Pot
- Knife
- Ice
- Cutting board
Roasting Method
- Broiler
- Knife
- Fork
- Cooking Spoon
Freezer Method
- Freezer
- Paring knife
How To Peel A Tomato : Step By Step Instructions
Gas Flame Method
This method is faster but only suited for the extremely ripe tomatoes. It may not work well for those tomatoes that are unripe.
Light the Gas Flame
Start by lighting the gas flame. Next set the temperature of the flame strategically. Let it not be too hot or too faint. Being too hot will damage your tomato whereas being too faint will take longer to produce the desired outcomes.
Wash and Pierce the Tomato with a Fork
Wash the tomato first and foremost with clean running water. Proceed thereafter to pierce it with a fork or a sharp-edged knife or any other relevant piece of kitchen cutlery. Do so gently in order not to inflict damages to the tomato as a whole.
Hold the Tomato atop the Gas Flame
Hold the tomato atop the gas flame for some time. While at it, rotate the tomato gently from side to side to let each side be uniformly impacted. Avoid overheating the tomato as this might spoil it completely.
Leave to Cool
After you are satisfied that all the sides of the tomato are equally impacted, leave it to cool. Do so by placing it on top of the cutting board or clean kitchen countertop. If you have some frozen water, dip it in there to accelerate the cooling process.
Peel off the Outer Layer
Finally, peel off the outer layers of the tomatoes. By this time the layer will have weakened enough to enable you to do so. Be gentle as you do so to minimize the likelihood of damaging the tomato and its outer coating.
Boiling Water Method
This method is faster, safer, and more efficient. It is however not recommended for those tomatoes that are too ripe as this might damage them completely.
Boil some Water
Boil some water. Make it too hot for faster and more effective results. Pour the water into some clean bowl and place the bowl on top of the kitchen countertop.
Wash and Place the Tomatoes in the Water
Wash the tomatoes thoroughly. Remove the stem and other unwanted parts of the tomato. Proceed to place them in the bowl that contains the hot water. Cover the bowl completely to minimize the likelihood of the loss of heat energy.
Wait for Sometime
Wait for some time to enable the hot water to act on the skin of the tomatoes. This should take anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes. Do not leave it longer as this might damage the tomato by making it too soft to handle well.
Leave to Cool
Gently remove the tomatoes from the bowl and place them in another bowl or cutting board. Leave the tomatoes exposed to the air for some time to let them cool. This should be approximately 5 minutes long.
Peel off the Skin
Gently peel off the skin of the tomato using bare hands or other sharp-pointed cutlery like the knife or fork. See to it that you do not rush as you might eat away some portions of the tomatoes.
Knife Method
Even though it is faster, this method is less effective. It eats away large portions of the tomatoes and is also not good for tomatoes that are too ripe. Follow the procedures below to actualize it:
Wash and Rinse your Tomatoes
Start by washing and rinsing the tomato. At this stage, remove any twigs, leaves, or other materials that are unwanted. Be gentle yet thorough enough to see to it that all the portions of the tomatoes are impacted uniformly.
Slice the Tomatoes into Smaller Pieces
Slice the tomatoes into smaller portions. The preferred number of slices is around four. Start by placing the tomato in the vertical position. Proceed to cut it into the half. Rotate the tomato while it is still in the vertical position. Cut it into another half again.
Slice the Skin from the Tomato
Get hold of each piece of the tomato and slowly cut away the skin. Be gently and place the knife as close to the skin as possible. This is to minimize the wasted flesh from this process.
Discard the Skin
Finish off by discarding the skin safely in a compost or backyard. If you can, you may also wish to eat it or feed it to a pet.
Poaching Method
This is similar in several regards to the boiling water that is described above. However, it is mainly suited for large-scale removal of skin from tomatoes. The boiling water method is only intended for single or a small number of tomatoes at a time.
Boil some Water
Start by boiling some water. Just as the case with the boiling water method discussed above, the water has to be extremely hot. This is to generate the desired outcomes faster and more effectively. Pour the hot water into a clean bowl once you are through with the boiling process.
Remove the stems from the tomatoes and slice an “X” in their bottom
Proceed to pull the stems from the tomatoes. Do this with the leaves and any other unwanted part or components of the tomato as well. Follow this by slicing an ‘X’ mark on the bottom of each tomato you intend to peel.
Fill a bowl with ice and water
Fill a separate bowl with ice cold water. Place the bowl next to the one that contains the hot water above.
Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water
Drop the tomatoes into the bowl that contains hot water. Cover the bowl tightly to minimize the leakage of heat and to hasten the process of softening the skin. Leave for some time; preferably 5 to 10 minutes to let the softening process work out.
Transfer them to the Ice Water Bath
At the conclusion of the 5 to 10-minute duration, remove the tomatoes from the bowl that contains the hot water. Leave to cool for some time after which you are to place them in the bowl that contains the ice cold water. Again, leave the tomatoes to cool for some time.
Transfer the Cutting Board
Remove them from the ice cold water and transfer them to the cutting board one at a time.
Peel off the Skins
Finish off by peeling the skin. Use a sharp knife, fork, or bare hands to do this. Be gentle at all times to prevent damaging the tomatoes and rendering them unsafe for consumption.
Roasting Method
Roasting requires less human input but is nonetheless ineffective. It is however great for those recipes that require roasted tomatoes. Follow the procedures outlined and explained below to actualize this.
Heat the Broiler
Begin by heating the grill or broiler. Let the heat be as hot as possible to hasten the process of softening the skin of the tomatoes. In case you lack these two types of cooking equipment, you may try out gas stoves or charcoal ovens because they too are equally effective.
Wash and Slice the Tomatoes in Half
Wash and rinse the tomatoes. Remove any twigs, stems, and leaves that may not be necessary as a part of the final product. Go ahead to slice the tomatoes in half. If they are large enough, you might slice them into four parts.
Broil the Tomatoes
Proceed to place the tomatoes atop the broilers or grills. The best way to go about the issue is to pierce the tomatoes with forks, knives, or any other sharp-pointed objects. Hold the tomatoes slices next to but not completely touching the grills. Remember to rotate the tomatoes to ensure that all the various parts are uniformly impacted.
Let to Cool
Place the slices on a tray or any other large utensil. Leave them to cool for some time. Do not seal the tray or cover the slices with any object as this will slow down the cooling process.
Pinch the Skin
Conclude the process by gently pinching the skin of the tomatoes. Be gentle and meticulous to minimize the likelihood of pinching way some flesh from the tomatoes. You may use a fork, knife, or sharp-pointed objects to help you out
Freezer Method
The freezer method doubles up as a means of preserving tomatoes rather than merely peeling off the skin. It, however, requires you to possess a deep freezer. You will find it untenable though in case you lack the means to acquire a freezer. It is also the most expensive of all these methods.
Prepare the Tomatoes
Start by preparing the tomatoes for the subsequent roles of peeling off the skin. Remove the twigs, stems, leaves, and any other unwanted portions from the tomato. Proceed to wash the tomatoes thoroughly and rinse using clean water.
Freeze them
Place the tomatoes in a container or food bag. Place them neatly in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator. Seal the freezer tightly to prevent the escape of cold air and with it, any possibilities of interfering with the cooling process.
Remove the Tomatoes from the Freezer and Thaw
Wait for at least 5 hours for the tomatoes to be completely frozen. Proceed to remove the ones you want from the freezer. Place those tomatoes on an open tray and leave for some time (around 1 hour). This is enough time to let the tomatoes thaw.
Peel off the Skin
Finish off by peeling the skin. By this time, the skin shall have softened to enable you to easily peel it off. Use your bare hands, a sharp knife, a fork, or any other sharp-pointed piece of kitchen cutlery to actualize this.
The Best Way to Peel a Tomato
Conclusion
It is our hope that you have found our explanations on how to peel a tomato above insightful. We have indeed tried our best to see to it that you do so reliably. Please note that some of the strategies listed above may require you to possess expensive kitchen appliances such as the freezer. In light of this, it I in your best interest to factor this as well while determining which method suit you.
Also, the strategies we have highlighted and explained above are by no means exhaustive. There are indeed several others which, owing to the limited time and space at our disposal, we had to inevitably leave out. Feel free to take over from where we have left especially if you find none of the strategies above satisfactory.