How to skin tomatoes

  • 2 June

About this technique

Skill level

Easy

Equipment

Sharp knife

Heatproof bowl or large saucepan filled with boiling water

Fork or slotted spoon

Large bowl filled with ice-cold water

This is a foolproof way of skinning tomatoes.

Using a sharp knife, make a small cross in one end of each tomato.

Put the whole, fresh tomatoes in a heatproof bowl or large pan filled with boiling water. Set aside for 10–30 seconds, or until the skins have split (you will see they start to peel back slightly where you cut them). Don't leave the tomatoes in the boiling water for longer than a minute or they'll start to cook. Even if the skins haven't split after one minute, they will have loosened and so will still be easier to peel.

Remove the tomatoes from the hot water using a slotted spoon or fork. Place in ice-cold water to cool. When they're cool enough to handle, peel off the skins.

Recipes using this technique