Helping you prepare foods in a hurry!
How to Skin a Tomato
Alice Henneman, MS, RD, UNL Extension in Lancaster County
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If your recipe calls for skinned tomatoes, here's a quick way to skin them:
- Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile fill a large metal bowl or pan with ice water. If you plan to peel lots of tomatoes, make sure you have plenty of ice for ice water.
- Wash tomatoes under cool, running tap water.
- Use a pointed, short-bladed knife, such as a paring knife, to cut a shallow "x" in the skin on the bottom of the tomatoes.
The skin will split slightly around the x when the tomatoes are placed in boiling water in the next step, making it easier to peel off the skin.
- Using a long-handled tongs, dip just a few tomatoes at a time into the boiling water. If you add too many tomatoes, the water temperature may be lowered too much and the tomatoes will be overheated and mushy before the skins loosen.
- When skin starts to loosen (in about 15 to 30 seconds), remove tomatoes from the water with the tongs and place them in the ice water to cool.
- When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove them from the water.
- Using your short-bladed knife, pull off the skin, beginning at the x. Proceed with the directions for tomatoes in your recipe.
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