An Easy Way To Peel A Tomato

If your looking for an easy way to peel a tomato, well...your in luck! Many recipes require a tomato to be peeled, and if you don't know the trick of the trade you are probably lopping off large parts of succulent flesh every time you attempt to remove the skin. Lucky for you, there is a better way to peel a tomato, and it couldn't be easier. Just follow the simple steps below, and the skin will literally slide right off of your tomato.

Step 1. Bring Some Water To A Boil. In a medium sized saucepan, bring about 1 quart (or enough water to completely immerse your tomato) to a boil.

Step 2. Prepare An Ice Bath. Grab a large bowl and dump a tray or two of ice cubes into it. Now fill it up with enough cool water to reach a depth capable of completely submerging your tomato.

Step 3. Remove The Stem From Your Tomato (If it is not already removed). If the stem is stubborn, and will not remove easily, a sharp paring knife should do the trick.

Step 4. Put A Couple Of Small Slits On The Bottom Of Your Tomato. Using your paring knife, make two small slits in the shape of an X on the bottom (non-stem end) of your tomato. You only need to make the slits deep enough to break the skin. See Figure 1 below

Step 5. Drop Your Tomato Into Your Prepared Boiling Water. Only leave your tomato in the water for about 20 seconds or so, as we are not trying to cook the tomato. Your recipe may call for cooked tomatoes, and you'll get the chance to do that later, but not now. A large pair of tongs will be helpful for easy removal. See Figure 2 below

Step 6. Immediately Dunk Your Tomato Into Your Prepared Ice Bath. This will prevent your tomato from cooking prematurely and preserve it's freshness for the freezer or later use in a recipe. See Figure 3 below

Step 7. Peel Your Tomato. The X shaped slit you made to the bottom of your tomato should make for an easy way to peel the tomato. Just grab one of the "easy peel tabs" that the X created, and the skin should slide right off. See Figure 4 below