How to peel tomatoes

Pack away the vegetable peeler and pull out a saucepan instead. Peeling tomatoes is a little different compared with peeling your standard fruit and vegetables.

While it may seem a little fiddly, it’s an interesting process and delivers a lovely, clean result. Much nicer than the mushy mess you’d be left with if you attempted this process with a peeler.

Okay, let’s do this.

You can read the instructions below or scroll down to the video if you’re a more visually-inclined person.

How to peel tomatoes

1. Prepare a saucepan of boiling water and a bowl of cold water.
2. Wash tomatoes and remove stem.
3. Cut a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato using a small, sharp knife.
4. Place the tomato into the boiling water and after about 20 seconds the skin around the X should start to split further.
5. Immediately remove from boiling water and place into the bowl of cold water.
6. You should be able to remove the thin outer skin of the tomato quickly and easily with your hands.

Watch the how-to video