In many recipes on this blog, peeled tomatoes are used – whether for pasta sauces, salads such as acili ezme, tomato soup, or stews. Although it may seem complicated at first, it is definitely worth the effort – tomato skin can be unpleasant in certain dishes and is often a reason why children become picky about food. In addition, it is not always known what substances the tomatoes may have been treated with, and peeling them helps remove some of these residues.
The recommended technique is blanching – a quick boil followed by a thermal shock in cold water. The skin comes off almost on its own, with very little effort.
So, obviously, we need some nice tomatoes. Bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare a bowl with cold water and ice cubes.
Using a very sharp knife, remove the tomato cores.
Next, make two shallow cuts on the side opposite the core. Only the skin should be scored; this step helps the peel come off quickly after blanching.
Once the water is boiling, submerge the tomatoes for 30–60 seconds. The skin begins to wrinkle and loosen slightly.
Remove the tomatoes and transfer them directly into cold water or ice water. This “thermal shock” halts the cooking process and causes the skin to peel off very easily.
Starting at the X-shaped cuts, gently pull the skin away. Normally, the peel comes off almost by itself, without needing a knife.
If some of the tomato flesh tears away along with the skin, it usually means either the tomatoes were left in the boiling water for too long, or they were not cooled quickly enough afterward.