• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Display Search Bar
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work With Me
Follow stetted on Twitter Follow stetted on Facebook Follow stetted on Instagram Follow stetted on Pinterest

stetted

recipes, decor, and more for a better life

  • Recipes
  • House & Home
  • Blogging 101
  • Travel
  • Shop

How to Peel Tomatoes

July 20, 2017 / Tomato, Videos, Preserves, Featured

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin
  • Yummly
  • Email

It’s tomato season! Learn how to peel tomatoes to make the most of them. They’re great for using in all sorts of canning and cooking projects.

It's tomato season! Learn how to peel tomatoes to make the most of them.

Ever since I got the canning bug a few years ago, I try to put up a large amount of tomatoes to last us through the winter. The quantities and recipes change as we continue to figure out what we like best (and what we’ll use most), but the satisfaction remains the same.

If you are a canner you know what I mean. There’s nothing like hearing the ping of the jar sealing, seeing your tidy rows in the pantry, or cracking open a sweet summer preserve in the dead of winter.

I shared some of my tips in my post about bulk tomatoes and canning, but I realized I’ve never done a post about one of the most important steps in tomato canning: how to peel tomatoes!

Learn how to peel tomatoes in a flash.

While peeling the tomatoes might seem like a lot of work when you’re staring down 20 pounds or more, it’s an essential step in many canning recipes. Once you learn how to peel tomatoes, you’ll be surprised how easy it actually is!

It really only takes a few minutes of work. Once you have a system down for organizing your counter space you can peel pounds and pounds of tomatoes very quickly.

I like to set up my counter so I can move the tomatoes from station to station easily. For me that means a cutting board, a large bowl for cut tomatoes, a large bowl of ice water, and the pot on the stove. If I’m lucky I have a kitchen helper (i.e. my husband) to make the work go faster, but I have a good rhythm for how to peel tomatoes myself.

Learn how to peel tomatoes to use up your summer crop.

All you need to do is cut a shallow “X” in the bottom of each tomato, boil them briefly, and dunk them in ice water. Heating and then shocking the tomatoes in this way makes the skins peel right off! But be careful to not boil too long, otherwise the tomatoes will start to cook and get too soft to handle easily.

It’s up to you whether you want to core the tomatoes before or after peeling. For me, it depends on the tomato. If I am canning paste tomatoes like San Marzano or Roma, then I core when I am cutting the X. Their cores are generally easy to remove with a simple circular cut with a paring knife.

For larger standard tomatoes I core after peeling. I feel like it’s easier to core after I’ve halved the tomatoes. But again, it’s up to you!

Learn how to peel tomatoes for cooking and canning. It's easy!

Why learn how to peel tomatoes, anyway? Well, because peeled tomatoes make for the smoothest pasta sauce, ketchup, and barbecue sauce, and because plain canned tomatoes require peeling before processing.

Don’t want the peels to go to waste? Dry them in the oven and then pulverize them for a tasty tomato sprinkle you can add to your favorite recipes.

How to Peel Tomatoes

How to Peel Tomatoes

© Megan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 11 minutes

Learn how to peel tomatoes the easy way!

Ingredients

  • Tomatoes
  • Ice water

Instructions

  1. Set a large pot of water on the stove to boil while you prepare the tomatoes.
  2. Turn tomatoes over to the bottom and, using a paring knife, cut a shallow X in the bottom. Core tomatoes, if you like.
  3. Carefully lower tomatoes into the boiling water, in batches. Remove after about 30 seconds, once skins start to crack.
  4. Immediately put tomatoes into the bowl of ice water.
  5. Once tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel skins from tomatoes and use in your favorite recipe.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Victorinox Paring Knife
    Victorinox Paring Knife
  • Hiware Stainless Steel Spider Strainer Skimmer Ladle
    Hiware Stainless Steel Spider Strainer Skimmer Ladle
  • Cuisinart Stainless 2-Quart Saucepan with Cover
    Cuisinart Stainless 2-Quart Saucepan with Cover

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @stetted on Instagram and hashtag it #stetted
Solve Date Night In with Total Wine & More
Perking up Water with Gululu

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

I focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients in my family-friendly meals. Come live a balanced life with me!

Read More ยป

Subscribe via Email

to stay in the loop on new posts!

Reader Faves

Learn how to peel tomatoes for cooking and canning. It's easy!

How to Peel Tomatoes

Bison One-Pot Dinner

Bison One-Pot Dinner

Raspberries and Cream Pie

Raspberries & Cream Pie

DIY mascarpone is a versatile ingredient you can easily make at home!

How to Make Mascarpone

Browse Around

  • Muffins
  • Side Dishes
  • Cookies
  • Vegetarian
  • Cakes
  • Videos

    Footer

    Seasonal

    Caramel apple slab pie is a sweet welcome to fall that feeds a crowd. Make it for potlucks, tailgating, or whenever you need to use up some apples.

    Caramel Apple Slab Pie

    Spicy glazed brussels sprouts are a quick and easy side dish. It gets its flavor from the fiery Korean condiment, gochujang.

    Spicy Glazed Brussels Sprouts

    Cranberry Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake

    Cranberry Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake

    Popular

    This comforting Instant Pot Irish lamb stew is full of tender lamb and vegetables. It's a wonderful way to end to the day.

    Instant Pot Irish Lamb Stew

    Baked bison meatballs are quick and easy to make any night of the week. Use them for pasta, sandwiches, and more.

    Baked Bison Meatballs

    Copycat Starbucks Breakfast Sandwich

    Copycat Starbucks Breakfast Sandwiches

    winter squash

    No autumn brunch is complete without pumpkin pancakes. Make a big batch so you can have extras for snacking.

    Pumpkin Pancakes

    Pumpkin bread pudding is a great fall dessert. Leftover bread combines with a pumpkin custard for a luscious way to end a meal!

    Pumpkin Bread Pudding Recipe

    Pumpkin fruit dip is an excellent addition to your appetizer or dessert spread.

    Pumpkin Fruit Dip

    Follow stetted on Twitter Follow stetted on Facebook Follow stetted on Instagram Follow stetted on Pinterest
    • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Privacy Policy
    Copyright © 2019 Megan MyersTheme by Once Coupled & Melissa Rose Design