Here is how you can easily blanch your tomatoes to peel them.
Blanching helps you peel your tomatoes effortlessly within minutes, and you don't need any special equipment to do this at home.
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What is blanching?
Blanching is a short cooking method that is used for vegetables, fruits, nuts, and even meats to achieve a certain purpose.
In the case of tomatoes, blanching is the way to go if you want to peel your tomatoes easily without damaging the fruit pulp.
The tomatoes are submerged in hot boiling water for a few seconds until the skin shows cracks.
Then, the tomatoes are taken to cold water, so to stop the cooking process.
That way the skin can be peeled without you burning your fingers.
How to blanch and peel Tomatoes?
You don't need to cut a cross in the tomatoes, this step is not necessary. We didn't do this in culinary school.
Step 1
Heat up a pot with water and bring to a boil.
Rinse tomatoes to get rid of impurities and pesticides.
Place tomatoes into boiling water.
Step 2
Blanch tomatoes for 30–60 seconds. Set a timer. The skin will crack open.
Take out tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place into cold water to cool them instantly and stop the cooking process.
Step 3
Peel tomatoes. The skin will come off without resistance.
📖 Recipe
How to blanch Tomatoes to peel
Instructions
- Rinse your tomatoes to get rid of impurities and pesticides (if any).8 Tomatoes
- Keep a pot to boil with water. Cover for the water to boil faster over high heat.5 cups Water
- Reduce heat setting to medium and place fresh tomatoes into the cooking water.
- Keep a timer at 30-60 seconds (for roma/medium-sized tomatoes) and watch how the skin starts to crack. Don't keep the tomatoes blanching any longer than that.
- Take out tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place them into a prepared bowl with cold or ice water. You can also take the blanched tomatoes through running cold water. This will stop the cooking process instantly.Cold Water or Ice Water
- When the tomatoes have cooled, peel them by simply taking off the skin with your fingers. The skin should go off easily.
- Use tomatoes in your food or store them in the freezer or can them. The skin can be discarded or dry the skin in a dehydrator, to turn into powder to use as a seasoning.
Equipment
- Slotted Spoon
Nutrition
Uses
Your blanched and peeled tomatoes will find good use in your food! Here are some ideas:
- Soup — such as my tomato basil soup
- Salad — the simple tomato salad is a good example because the tomatoes are peeled and then sliced.
- Salsa — Picco de Gallo
- Marinara sauce for pasta or pizza — you can start out with the best pomodoro sauce or other canned sauces such as our herb flavored tomato coulis.
- Chutney
- Tomato bruschetta
Preserving
Place peeled tomatoes into a freezer container or vacuum bag.
It makes sense to work in serving-sized batches. That way your tomatoes will thaw better.
You can also can your peeled tomatoes to preserve them in a water bath.
The skin can be dehydrated or dried and then turned into a powder to use as a seasoning. So nothing is wasted.
FAQs
Depending on the size of your tomatoes, blanch your whole tomatoes for 30–60 seconds in boiling water or until you see cracks forming on the skin.
No. You can core and take out the seeds if a recipe asks you to do this, after you blanched your tomatoes.
Peeled tomatoes are required and called for in some recipes. This is needed if you want to freeze or can your garden tomatoes, so to preserve them. Besides, some people don't like tomato peel in their food.
Yes, you can blanch red, yellow, black, and green tomato varieties, large and small. But some are easier to blanch than others. Large tomatoes will take longer and the skin might not come off that well. Small cherry or grape tomatoes can be blanched in 20 seconds. I used Roma tomatoes in this post.
Yes, you can blanch your tomatoes in advance and then peel and freeze them in batches. That way, you can out your blanched frozen tomatoes whenever you require them in a dish.
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