1. Tomato peel is poorly absorbed in the body (it is especially important to remember this when preparing meals for children and the elderly).
2. During heat treatment, the skin is separated from the tomato and rolled into a tube. In a finished dish, this does not look very appetizing and spoils its appearance.

Wash and dry the tomatoes. In the place where the stalk was, prick on a fork. On the other hand, make a cross cut with a sharp knife. Dip the tomato in boiling water for 10 -20 seconds, then dip it in ice water. All that remains is to pick up the curled skin and remove the skin from the tomato.

If you need to peel several tomatoes, dip the cut tomatoes in boiling water for half a minute, then put them in cold water with a slotted spoon. The wrinkled skins will come off easily, just help yourself with a fork.

There is an easier way to peel a tomato. To do this, cut the tomatoes in half, put the cut side on a flat plate and place in the microwave for 5 minutes, the skin will wrinkle and it will be easy enough to remove it.

Cooking is a real art! But it is impossible to achieve true mastery in cooking delicious dishes without mastering the most elementary skills, and first of all, the ability to competently prepare products.

Agree, the ready-made dish with tomato skins does not look very appetizing. These tough, inedible pieces spoil the aesthetic impression and taste. And you can't put such a treat on a festive table, because who wants to secretly extract unboiled cellulose from everyone's mouth?

Why peel tomatoes

Of course, for preparing salads, some first courses and hot dishes, it is permissible to use whole vegetables. But for the same sauces and pastes, uniformity is above all, and the dense shell does not contribute to it.

In addition, the human body does not digest pure cellulose poorly. And this is another good reason to get rid of it, especially for people with an eating disorder, the elderly and children.

How to peel a tomato

The most suitable cleaning method is determined by the maturity of the tomatoes and the requirements for their appearance. So, for tomato paste, sauce, softer specimens are selected, and their appearance and accuracy of cleaning do not matter.

Gently: blanching

This is a heat treatment used in cooking to get rid of germs. In children's institutions, all vegetables and fruits are blanched without fail in order to protect the growing body from dysentery and other foodborne diseases. Also available in all catering outlets.

Vegetables with a thin shell, some types of fish are also poured over with boiling water to make the process of cleaning them easier.

• Make a few cuts crosswise at the base.

• Scald with boiling water. For this, it is more convenient to use a sieve.
• Pull the corners that have turned up from the hot water and pull them out.

Effective: from warm to cold

This method is used to peel unripe or medium ripeness tomatoes, since their skin does not lend itself to simple blanching.

• Cut them crosswise at the base, being careful not to hurt the flesh.
• Pour water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
• As soon as it starts to boil, turn off the burner and immerse the selected specimens in water.

• Wait about 20 seconds, the cut edges should be folded.
• Transfer them immediately to a container of cold water and clean by pulling on the folded edges.

Did not work out? So the vegetable is not ready yet. Repeat the process again and longer.

Fast: in the microwave

Today, almost every apartment has such a useful household appliance as a microwave oven. But not everyone knows that it can be used to peel tomatoes very easily and quickly. How?

As before, cut the fruits at the base, place them in a loose dish with a flat bottom and hold in the microwave for about 40 seconds in the heating mode. The skin heated by microwaves will begin to lag behind the pulp, and you can easily remove it with your hands.

Easy and handy: gas burner

• Place the tomato on a regular fork from the side of the stalk.
• Hold over the switched on burner, turning slowly along the axis.
• After a minute, as soon as the skin is cracked, unplug the stove.
• Let the product cool and clean with your hands, prying off the cracked shell.

Simple: a vegetable knife

You can also peel tomatoes with a simple vegetable knife, by the way, this is exactly what many housewives do. The only drawback of this method is that the remaining pulp is not too presentable. But for some dishes, it is not important.

It is even easier to use a special knife for cleaning vegetables, even a child can cope with this task.

How to remove seeds? Some recipes require peeling tomatoes not only of the peel, but also of the seeds. To do this, cut the tomato into 6 equal slices, and separate the seeds from the pulp with a sharp knife.

Useful: after baking

You don't have to bother at all if you bake whole vegetables. For example, stuffed. The fact is that after baking, the hard shell will separate from the pulp by itself. And you can remove the wrinkled skin right before serving.

In addition, ripe fruits will retain more useful vitamins and minerals. Their taste will be brighter and the smell will be much more aromatic.

If you cook tomatoes for the subsequent preparation of the sauce, they do not need to be peeled, since the finished product is wiped with a blender.

Don't throw away the cut skins, you can use them to decorate your dishes beautifully!

For example, collect a rose from it to decorate a vegetable salad. To do this, start cutting the skin from the end opposite from the stalk. Gradually move the knife in a spiral pattern, adhering to the originally specified thickness. Finish the cut right next to the cutting. The thinner the spiral comes out, the more graceful and magnificent the flower will turn out.

Lay your twisted figurine on the table, skin side up, and collect the rose. The beginning of the cut should act as its base. Such a composition will hold tight without any skewers and will decorate any dish.

The figure in the shape of a lotus looks very impressive. To make it, cut the whole fruit into 6 slices of equal thickness and cut the pulp with a knife. Arrange the petals in a circle, point up.

Repeat the same with the second tomato, but place the petals in the center of the resulting circle, in a checkerboard pattern. The middle of the lotus can be decorated with an olive tree or half an egg.

Healthy culinary advice! Grind the skinless tomatoes in a blender, and pour the resulting paste into an ice cube tray. It is convenient and tasty to season sauces and soups with frozen cubes.

Anastasia Garina

Tomatoes and various dishes with their use have long been included in the traditional cuisine of European nations. Canning tomatoes in the fall is a must for almost every housewife. A dinner table in the summer is not possible without salads using this delicious vegetable.

And of course, it's hard to imagine a kebab, pizza or pasta without using ketchup.

How and why should you peel a tomato?

Recipes for delicious dishes using healthy vegetables, which no housewife can do without, are traditionally passed down from generation to generation.

Methods for preparing stuffed, pickled tomatoes and numerous sauces and seasonings from them are published in large quantities in print media and on the Internet.

However, words alone cannot convey all the nuances and subtleties of home cooking.

They can be learned only by observing the work of recognized masters of their craft, who have been improving their culinary skills for many years.

They know exactly what and where to add, when to turn over, determining the right moment not using a stopwatch, but by state, color and smell. And, of course, they have a secret of how to easily peel tomatoes.

So, to create any tomato sauce, you need a large number of peeled tomatoes. This is important to do so that the resulting gravy has a homogeneous mass, because during cooking, the skin curls up and becomes tough, which can ruin the taste and appearance of any dish and discourage even a very hungry person. In addition, tomato skins are difficult to digest, which should be borne in mind when preparing food for people with digestive disorders, the elderly and children.

Experienced chefs easily deal with this problem and are happy to share a method to peel tomatoes quickly and without unnecessary hassle. To do this, it is required to make cross-shaped cuts with a sharp knife at the base of ripe fruits without damaging the pulp. Put the water on fire in a large saucepan that can hold a large amount of prepared tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, turn off the gas and immerse the tomatoes as soon as the first bubbles appear on the surface.

After about twenty seconds, the corners of the skin on the previously made incisions will begin to bend. As soon as this happens, remove the tomatoes from the hot water and place them under cold running water. From chilled tomatoes, use a knife or hands to remove the skin by gently pulling on the peeled corners. If it does not immediately yield, this means that the tomato is not ready and should be kept in hot water a little longer.

There is another way to peel a tomato, similar to this one. It is more suitable for overripe fruits. To do this, you need to carefully make the same cuts at the base of the fruit as in the first version.

But do not dip them into boiling water, but simply scald the tomatoes and remove the peel by pulling on the corners that have turned up. Remember, if the recipe assumes the use of whole pieces of elastic pulp, then vegetables should not be cooked for too long.

This cooking method is called blanching.

It is used to get rid of germs and other harmful microorganisms, and to make it easier to clean thin-skinned foods such as peppers of all varieties, tomatoes and some river fish. Blanching should not be confused with similar processing processes - stewing or the so-called steaming, when cooking with a small amount of water under the lid.

The use of tomato skins in the decoration of dishes

With the help of tomato peel, you can easily and quickly decorate almost any dish. For this, more "Meaty varieties", since they give the required volume during registration. To make, for example, a decoration in the form of a pretty rose, you need to use a very sharp knife to start cutting off the skin with a small layer of pulp from the end of the tomato opposite the base.

Moving in a spiral and observing a uniform width, you need to remove the peel from the entire surface of the tomato, ending the cut near the cutting. Keep in mind that the thinner the strip, the better it will wrap.

Spread the resulting spiral on the table with the pulp down and, starting from the inside, collect the rose, using the beginning of the cut as the base of the flower. For the strength of the structure, you can fasten it with a toothpick, but such a move can ruin the appearance, and the form can be held just like that, without additional tools.

Another option for using the peel of fleshy tomato varieties for decorative purposes will require a slightly unripe large tomato.

By cutting it into six even slices along the longitudinal axis, the pulp is completely removed. Lay out the slices in a circle, upward with petals and prepare the next slightly smaller fruit in the same way. Then they lay it out in a checkerboard pattern in the center of the circle formed by the cleaned slices of the first tomato, and give the whole composition the appearance of a lotus flower.

If desired, it can be supplemented with another inner circle, and a peeled boiled quail egg can be placed in the middle.

Quite often, when preparing certain dishes, the hostess needs tomatoes. They contain a large amount of vitamins and other useful substances, and by themselves they have a pleasant taste and aroma.

Usually, during cooking, you need to peel the tomato from the skin. Otherwise, under the influence of high temperatures, it rolls down and remains very tough, which can significantly spoil the appearance and taste of the dish. There are several proven methods for skinning a tomato. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

It all depends on what kind of dish you are preparing. Soup or tomato broth, oven-baked or pan-fried tomatoes, or maybe an assortment of vegetables cooked over the fire?

Method one: using boiling water

Many experienced housewives know how to peel tomatoes with hot water. This method is the most popular and widespread. Let's take a closer look at it.

You will need a large bowl or saucepan, boiling water, and the tomatoes themselves. Pre-cut each vegetable at the very top with a knife crosswise. Then place the food in a saucepan and cover with hot water. The maturity of the tomatoes must be taken into account. If they are very ripe, then it will take them half a minute for the skin to begin to recede by itself. If the product is not ripe, then hold it in water for at least sixty seconds. In this case, it is very important not to overexpose the vegetables, otherwise they will simply begin to cook.

Remove the tomatoes and place them in cold water. Now, using a thin knife, grab the end of the skin and pull on it. You will see how the peel separates itself from the tomato.

Method two: blanching

Surely everyone knows how to blanch vegetables before freezing. Did you know that tomatoes can be peeled very easily this way? So how do you use blanching to separate the skin from the tomato?

Rinse vegetables and boil water. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water in turn for twenty seconds. As soon as you see that the skin is cracked, immediately remove the product from the water. Place the tomatoes in cold liquid and peel them gently.

Method three: using the microwave

Nowadays, almost every home has such an equipment as a microwave oven. Not only can it help you reheat or defrost food, but it can also help you peel tomatoes. in the microwave?

Place the tomatoes on a flat-bottomed dish and make several cuts in the tops. Place vegetables in and turn on preheat for 30 seconds. During this time, under the influence of microwaves, the skin will heat up and begin to move away from the pulp itself. You just have to carefully remove it.

Option four

Some housewives choose a rather difficult way of how to peel a tomato. They simply make cross cuts in the vegetables and try to peel them off by peeling the skin from the pulp. This method is not easy, but it has a right to exist.

Method five: baking

If you cook tomatoes by baking them completely, you do not need to peel them first. It is recommended to add salt and your favorite spices to the tomatoes. Place vegetables on a baking dish and place in the oven. After heat treatment, the skin will become wrinkled and will begin to separate itself. You can peel the vegetable just before use. This method will maximally preserve the taste of the product and the juice in it, as well as all the useful properties.

Tomatoes cooked on fire should not be peeled beforehand. In this case, their peel becomes covered with a black crust and easily leaves on its own. A vegetable prepared in a similar way is best served in its original form, and peeled from it before use.

Removing the seeds

How to peel a tomato, you probably already understood. But sometimes the recipe requires cleaning the vegetable from the seeds. In order to carry out this manipulation as correctly as possible, it is necessary to cut the peeled tomatoes in half, and each half into three more parts.

Then, using a sharp knife, remove the seeds from the pulp and gently rinse the tomatoes.

It is much more pleasant to eat peeled tomatoes (pickled or stewed, fresh or boiled). The peel of a tomato is poorly absorbed by the human body and is practically indigestible. It also spoils the appearance of the dish, making it less appetizing. That is why many recipes recommend removing it.

The seeds also do not carry much benefit to the body. That is why, in order to get the best from this product, it is necessary to thoroughly peel the tomatoes completely, leaving only the pulp. Enjoy cooking and choose the way you want to peel this vegetable. Enjoy your meal!

The peel of tomatoes can be bitter after heat treatment, and its texture often negatively affects the consistency of the dish, therefore, when preparing most dishes, it is suggested to remove this part of the vegetable. Some housewives try to grind tomatoes so as not to waste time getting rid of the peel, but this does not always meet the requirements of the recipe. And it's not so difficult to cleanse the fruit, you just need to choose the best option for exposure and carry out the manipulation according to all the rules. By the way, if you have to remove the skin very often and you need to do it quickly, then it is better to initially purchase a special knife for this purpose.

We use boiling water or a gas burner

Techniques that use pre-heat treatment of tomatoes are most often used at home. They are simple, affordable, allow you to remove the entire skin in a few seconds. The only drawback of the approach is that during this exposure, the tomatoes are already starting to cook. And this is unacceptable for a number of dishes in which vegetables must have a clear shape and dense texture.

• With boiling water.Boil water in a saucepan. Until it reaches the desired condition, the selected tomatoes need to be washed, peeled from the stems, dried and slightly cut with a cross at the pole opposite the stalk. Tomatoes, if there are no more than 4-5 of them, are placed in water and wait until the skin begins to part. Then we take out the vegetables with a spoon and quickly peel. Even if the products are large, it is not worth keeping them in boiling water for more than half a minute, they will begin to boil. In cases where you need to peel a lot of vegetables at once, work should be done in batches. If you put a dozen fruits in boiling water, and then take them out and peel, at least half of the vegetables will boil.

• Using a gas burner.Thoroughly wash the tomatoes and clean them of leaves and everything unnecessary, you can hold them in very cold water for a few seconds. We dry the fruits and string them on a fork or skewer from the side of the stalk. We turn on the burner of the gas stove and place the vegetable literally over the very flame. Rotating constantly, process the tomato for at least 15 seconds. Then we assess the condition of the skin, it should burst, which will make it easy to remove. If you have to work with a large tomato, then first you should make notches in several places, this will simplify the task.

Tip: There is one trick that will quickly stop the internal cooking of the tomato. Immediately after the skin can be removed from the surface of the pulp, the fruit should be placed in very cold water for a few seconds. But it must be pre-boiled or drinking, otherwise the taste of the product will give off with bleach.

It is worth considering that these techniques do not always help to remove the peel from not yet very ripe tomatoes. She just does not move away and constantly breaks off. In this case, it is not necessary to repeat the experiments using high temperatures. It is better to just peel the fruits with a knife, and in the future, be more careful about the process of their selection.

Advantages and disadvantages of "cold" methods

If the recipe requires it, you can do without boiling water and a gas burner. However, with such a straightforward approach, it will not be easy to remove the dense skin. And the result is not always pleasing, especially if the fruits are not yet fully ripe or the variety is very dense. The flaps of the peel will constantly tear, move away along with the pulp particles, the pulp itself will be crumpled with your fingers. Finally, if there are a lot of vegetables, it will take a long time to transport.

Manipulation will be a little easier if you adhere to the following rules in its process:

1. First, the tomatoes must be thoroughly washed and held in cold water, removed from the leaves, and then dried.
2. If the recipe allows, then the fruit should be divided into quarters, this is especially helpful when working with oblong, plum varieties.
3. We spread the parts on the table, skin down, seeds up. We take a very sharp knife, hold it along the very base of the tomato, trying to remove the pulp as close to the skin as possible. We do the same with the rest of the products.
4. If the tomatoes are large, then it is better not to cut them, but to take them entirely in your hand, to make several notches on the peel with a pre-heated knife. Next, we take a cold knife and try to clean the surface of the product from the skin, engaging the loose edges. This can take a lot of time, but the result will be optimal.

In general, if there is an opportunity to peel tomatoes using thermal approaches, for this it is better to take ripe, but not yet stale vegetables. But for mechanical cleaning, products that are already slightly overripe are more suitable, the skin from them will move away more actively and without pulp. But, regardless of the option of exposure, you need to remember that you need to get to work only after the fruits have been thoroughly washed, especially if they do not heat up further.