How to Quickly Peel Tomatoes to use in Recipes

Here’s an easy cooking tip this week for how to easily and quickly peel tomatoes so you can use them in delicious recipes!

How to Peel Tomatoes

Here is an easy Cooking Tip on how to peel tomatoes quickly that I use every year.  One of the things I love to do with tomatoes, besides “eating” them is to preserve them to use at a later date. The first step in canning tomatoes is to peel them.

We had a great tomato harvest this year in our garden.  Here is just ONE collection of tomatoes from our garden this year.  Yes, I know, it’s amazing!

Easy Tips on How to Peel Tomatoes

• Wash the tomatoes.
• Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove top.
• Place a small “X” in the bottom of each tomato and submerge in boiling water for 30 seconds.
• Immediately place the tomatoes in a bowl of ice water.
• Then careful pick up a tomato and begin to pull the outer layer of skin off.
• The outer layer of skin comes off very easily.
• Immediately place the tomatoes in a bowl of ice water.

Begin by placing a small “X” in the bottom of each tomato and then submerging the tomato in boiling water for 30 seconds.

Then place the tomatoes in a bowl of ice water.

Then careful pick up a tomato and begin to pull the outer layer of skin off.

The outer layer of skin comes off very easily.  I was having fun trying to get it off in one piece.

A beautiful bowl of peeled tomatoes ready to go into my crock pot to cook down. After the tomatoes have cooked down in the crock pot, you are ready to preserve or can them. You can also freeze the cooked tomatoes in plastic containers or freezer bags.

If you decide to can the tomatoes, make sure you follow the complete instructions for canning tomatoes using the water bath method. Beautiful jars of canned tomatoes ready to use during the winter months to make delicious sauce and other great recipes.

This is a photo of the very first tomatoes I canned with my cousin Traciene, who taught me how to can.  This photo was taken back in 2000.

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How to Peel, Cook and Preserve Fresh Tomatoes

Prep Time

1 hr

Cook Time

4 hrs

Total Time

5 hrs

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Tomatoes, Slow Cooker, Cooking Tips

Ingredients

• Garden Fresh Tomatoes

Instructions

How to Peel Tomatoes

1. Wash the tomatoes.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove top.
3. Place a small "X" in the bottom of each tomato and submerge in boiling water for 30 seconds.
4. Immediately remove the tomatoes from the hot water and place in a bowl of ice water.
5. Carefully pick up a tomato and begin to pull the outer layer of skin off.
6. The outer layer of skin comes off very easily.

How to Cook the Tomatoes

1. Place the peeled tomatoes in a blender or food processor.
2. You can also chop them by hand.
3. Depending how you like your sauce, you will either blend or process the tomatoes for a few seconds for a chunky, thick sauce or for a few minutes for a smooth, thinner sauce.
4. Place the processed tomatoes into a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
5. You can also cook them in a large stock pot on top of the stove for up to 2 hours depending again on how thick or thin you like your sauce.
6. Cooking the tomatoes longer will give you a much thicker sauce.

How to Preserve the Cooked Tomatoes

1. After the tomatoes have cooked down in the crock pot, you are ready to preserve or can them following the method for hot water bath with sterilized glass jars.
2. You can also freeze the cooked tomatoes in plastic containers or freezer bags.

How to Make Homemade Sauce from the Tomatoes

1. After the tomatoes have cooked down to the consistency you like, you can season them with your favorite seasonings for homemade sauce.
2. Serve over pasta or in your favorite recipes.

Recipe Notes

Sauce can be kept frozen for at least three months.

Homemade Meatballs and Tomato Sauce