7 ways to peel a tomato: peel tomatoes easily and simply using a secret from housewives

Tomatoes are a popular vegetable that is often used in culinary recipes. Depending on the cooking method, it is important to process them correctly. Options such as washing, cutting, and removing seeds are not difficult to deal with. However, not everyone knows how to peel a tomato.

In this article we will look at the most popular and simple ways to peel tomatoes, and also tell you what can be prepared from them.

Why peel tomatoes?

Peeling tomatoes before preparing soups, stews, lecho, sauces, and preservation allows you to give a more appetizing appearance to the dish, since after heat treatment the skin peels off and rolls off. In addition, the skin is difficult to digest and is undesirable for consumption, especially for elderly people and children.

Do I need to peel tomatoes before eating them?

Tomatoes are vegetables high in vitamins and nutrients. There are beneficial properties in both the seeds and the skin.. But due to the content of a large amount of insoluble fiber and cellulose in the skin, its use should be limited, and even contraindicated for gastrointestinal diseases.

It is advisable not to give unpeeled tomatoes to small children because the skin of tomatoes is thin and tough - a child can choke on it. If there are no medical contraindications, tomatoes can be consumed with the skin.

Reference! Tomatoes contain a lot of serotonin, the hormone of happiness, so the vegetable is considered a natural antidepressant.

Methods for cleaning tomatoes

There are many ways to peel tomatoes. In some cases you will need kitchen appliances, in others you can get by with simple tools. But they are all quite simple and accessible to everyone.

Peeling tomatoes by hand

Using a peeling knife, you can preserve the beneficial properties of the vegetable, since there is no need to use high temperatures.

You can use a special knife to peel vegetables, but you need to take into account that it also removes part of the tomato pulp, which will have an adverse effect on the product: if it is ripe, juice will flow. An ordinary kitchen knife must be sharpened well before the procedure. When cutting the skin, control the pressure, avoiding squeezing the tomato.

This is a simple and quick way to peel several vegetables, but for canning, when you need to peel a lot of fruit, it is quite labor-intensive.

Using fire

A gas stove will help remove the skin. To do this you need:

1. Wash the tomato and place it in cold water.
2. Dry and thread onto a fork.
3. Turn on the stove to maximum heat.
4. Hold the tomato over the heat for 15 seconds, constantly rotating.
5. Assess the condition of the skin - it should burst.
6. Remove the skin.

For this method, it is better to choose large and unripe fruits.

Important! There should be no light veins in cut tomatoes. Once you find them, place the tomato in ice water for at least an hour, and only then eat the vegetable.

Using a microwave

Using a microwave oven you can quickly and easily peel tomatoes, the main thing is to strictly follow the instructions:

1. Peel the vegetable and wipe with a paper towel.
2. Make longitudinal cuts.
3. Place the tomatoes in a flat dish and place in the microwave.
4. Turn on maximum power for 40 seconds.
5. Open the oven - the skin should come away from the vegetable on its own.

If peeling fails, remove any remaining skin using a kitchen knife. Repeated heating may spoil the pulp.

Blanching

Blanching is a method of heat treatment of products using steam or boiling water. This method allows you to preserve the color of the tomato.

Processing technology:

1. Heat water in a saucepan.
2. Wash the tomatoes and make cuts in the stem area.
3. Place in a sieve and blanch for 30 seconds.
4. Remove and plunge into ice water for 5 seconds.
5. Remove the skin from the tomato.

Cleaning should occur immediately while the tomatoes are warm. Using steam instead of boiling water, vary the processing time. Steam is gentler, so you need to scald the tomatoes for at least a minute.

Using boiling water

This is the most common method of peeling tomatoes. It is widely used due to its ability to process large quantities of tomatoes.

Processing technology:

1. Heat water to 100°C.
2. Wash the tomatoes, make cuts and place in a bowl.
3. Scald with boiling water and leave for 30 seconds.
4. Remove and rinse with running water.
5. Remove the skin with the back of a knife.

If the vegetables are poorly peeled, repeat the procedure again, reducing the time in boiling water to 15 seconds.

Baking

The oven is a great helper in the kitchen. It is used not only to prepare dishes, but also to remove peels from vegetables.

Processing technology:

1. Wash the vegetables, dry with a paper towel, cut at the base.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
3. Place vegetables on a sheet.
4. Place in the oven for 3 minutes.
5. Use the back of a knife to peel the hot fruit.

Reference. Roasting can be used to remove the skin from peppers, beets, and other vegetables.

How to peel tomatoes using the “warm to cold” method

If the tomatoes are not ripe enough, use this method.

Processing technology:

1. Heat water to 100°C.
2. Cut the vegetables on one side.
3. Dip into boiling water for 30 seconds.
4. Remove and place in ice water.
5. Peel the skin.

If it doesn't clean well, repeat the procedure again.

How to peel green tomatoes

Peeling green tomatoes is a more difficult process. The skin is very hard, which precludes some methods of removing it. Manual cleaning is considered the best option, but this is not easy if you need to process a lot of tomatoes.

To prepare large quantities of fruits, it is better to use baking or blanching. Green tomato is toxic, its consumption can harm the body, and thermal processing methods reduce the concentration of harmful substances.

How to peel tomatoes from seeds

The seeds are tasteless and can spoil the dish, so they must be removed. The technology is simple:

1. Cut the tomato in half, and each half into three more pieces.
2. Remove the seeds from the pulp with a small kitchen knife.
3. Chop the pulp as required by the recipe.

Don't forget to sharpen your knives regularly. Fresh tomatoes are very soft and need to be handled carefully.

Using peeled tomatoes

It’s nice to eat vegetables without skin, especially since there is a category of dishes in which the skin will not only spoil the appearance, but also the taste of the dish. For borscht, lecho, various preserves, and stews, it is necessary to peel tomatoes.

Let's look at several recipes that require tomato peeling.

Peeled tomatoes in their own juice

Ingredients:

• 300 g tomatoes;
• ½ tsp. salt;
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar;
• 5 black peppercorns;
• citric acid to taste.

Preparation:

1. Place granulated sugar, salt, and citric acid in a jar.
2. Peel the tomatoes and put them in a jar.
3. Heat the water for sterilization and place the jar in it.
4. Boil, periodically add tomatoes to the jar when they settle.
5. Sterilize the jars for 15 minutes after they are completely filled with juice.
6. Roll up and put in the pantry.

This is an excellent side dish for potato dishes.

Important! For canning, use only rock salt - iodized salt is not suitable for canning.

Vegetable stew

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes;
• 1 bell pepper;
• 2 tomatoes;
• 0.5 pcs. zucchini;
• 1 onion;
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste;
• frying oil;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut the vegetables.
2. Blanch the tomatoes and remove seeds.
3. Fry carrots and onions in oil.
4. Add tomato and zucchini.
5. Add salt, add water, simmer for 7 minutes.
6. Add the rest of the vegetables and tomato paste.
7. Add water to cover all products.
8. Simmer over low heat for 40 minutes.

Cherry tomato sauce

A great addition to spaghetti and potato casseroles.

Ingredients:

• 20 cherry tomatoes;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 15 basil leaves;
• 2 tbsp. olive oil;
• spices to taste.

Preparation:

1. Coarsely chop the garlic.
2. Heat a frying pan, add oil and add garlic.
3. Scald the tomatoes with boiling water, remove the skins and place in a frying pan.
4. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
5. Add basil and spices to taste.
6. Cover with a lid for 3 minutes. Finally, remove the garlic from the sauce.

Can be served both cold and hot.

Using cut skins to garnish dishes

Carving is the art of artistic cutting of vegetables and fruits. Increasingly used in home cooking. Housewives strive to surprise guests not only with the taste, but also with the appearance of their dishes.After peeling tomatoes, do not throw away their peels - they can be used to prepare various decorations.

One of the options:

1. Cut the skin off the tomatoes in one spiral strip.
2. Place flesh side down.
3. Roll the rose with a wide strip inward.
4. Decorate salad, potatoes, chopped vegetables.

Similarly, you can use the skins of beets, carrots, and cucumbers.

Read also:

What types of tomatoes are there: key differences and features of choice.

How to make dried tomatoes with your own hands.

Conclusion

Eating tomatoes with their skins will not cause harm. However, there are recipes for dishes for which it is still necessary to peel the tomatoes. There are many ways to remove the peel: baking, treatment with boiling water, fire, blanching and others. The choice of option depends on capabilities and personal preferences.

Dishes made from peeled tomatoes have a more aesthetic appearance and a pleasant taste. Don't throw away vegetable skins - they can be used for decorative decorations. I wish you useful and original culinary masterpieces!