7 ways to peel a tomato: peeling tomatoes easily and easily with a secret from housewives
Tomatoes are a popular vegetable that is often used in cooking recipes. Depending on the preparation method, it is important to handle them correctly. With options such as washing, chopping, cleaning from seeds, it is not difficult to cope. However, not everyone knows how to peel a tomato.
In the article, we will consider the most popular and simple ways to peel tomatoes, and also tell you what can be prepared from them.
The content of the article
Why peel tomatoes
Peeling tomatoes from the skin before cooking soups, stews, lecho, sauces, preservation allows you to give a more appetizing appearance to the dish, since after heat treatment the skin peels off and rolls off. In addition, the skin is poorly digested and undesirable for consumption, especially for the elderly and children.
Do I need to peel tomatoes when eaten?
Tomatoes are vegetables high in vitamins and nutrients. There are beneficial properties both in seeds and in the skin.... But due to the content in the skin of a large amount of insoluble fiber and cellulose, its use should be limited, and even contraindicated in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
It is advisable not to give unpeeled tomatoes to small children for the reason that the skin of the tomatoes is thin and tough - the child can choke on it. If there are no medical contraindications, tomatoes can be eaten with the skin.
reference! Tomatoes contain a lot of serotonin, the hormone of happiness, so the vegetable is considered a natural antidepressant.
Methods for peeling tomatoes
There are many ways to peel tomatoes. In some cases, you will need kitchen appliances, in others, you can get by with simple tools. But they are all quite simple and accessible to everyone.
Peeling tomatoes by hand
Using a knife for cleaning, you can preserve the beneficial properties of the vegetable, since there is no need for high temperatures.
You can use a special knife for peeling vegetables, but it must be borne in mind that it also removes part of the tomato pulp, which will adversely affect the product: if it is ripe, then the juice will flow. An ordinary kitchen knife must be sharpened well before the procedure. When cutting the skin, control the pressure, avoiding squeezing the tomato.
This is an easy and quick way to peel a few vegetables, but for canning, when you need to peel a lot of fruits, it is quite laborious.
Using fire
A gas stove will help to remove the skin. This requires:
- Wash the tomato, put it in cold water.
- Dry, string on a fork.
- Turn the stove on to maximum heat.
- Hold the tomato over the fire for 15 seconds, rotating constantly.
- Assess the condition of the skin - it should burst.
- Remove the skin.
For this method, it is better to choose large and unripe fruits.
Important! Cut tomatoes should not have light streaks. Having found them, put the tomato in ice-cold water for at least an hour, and only then eat the vegetable.
Using the microwave
Using a microwave oven, you can quickly and easily peel tomatoes, the main thing is to strictly follow the instructions:
- Peel the vegetable and dry with a paper towel.
- Make longitudinal cuts.
- Place tomatoes in a flat dish and microwave.
- Turn on at maximum power for 40 seconds.
- Open the oven - the skin should move away from the vegetable by itself.
If peeling fails, remove the remaining skin with a kitchen knife. Reheating can spoil the pulp.
Blanching
Blanching is a method of thermal processing of products with the influence of steam or boiling water. This method allows you to preserve the color of the tomato.
Processing technology:
- Heat water in a saucepan.
- Wash the tomatoes, make cuts in the area of the stalk.
- Place in a sieve and blanch for 30 seconds.
- Take it out and dip it in ice water for 5 seconds.
- Remove the skin from the tomato.
Peeling should take place immediately, while the tomatoes are warm. Using steam instead of boiling water, change the processing time. The steam is softer, so you need to scald the tomatoes for at least a minute.
Using boiling water
This is the most common method for peeling tomatoes. It is widely used due to its ability to process a large number of tomatoes.
Processing technology:
- Heat water to 100 ° C.
- Wash the tomatoes, cut and place in a bowl.
- Scald with boiling water, leave for 30 seconds.
- Remove and rinse with running water.
- Remove the skin with the back of the knife.
If vegetables do not peel well, repeat the procedure again, reducing the holding time in boiling water to 15 seconds.
Baking
The oven is a great helper in the kitchen. With its help, not only prepare dishes, but also remove the peel from vegetables.
Processing technology:
- Wash the vegetables, dry with a paper towel, cut at the base.
- Preheat oven to 180 ° C.
- Fold vegetables onto a sheet.
- Place in the oven for 3 minutes.
- Peel the hot fruit with the back of the knife.
reference... Bake can be used to skin peppers, beets, and other vegetables.
How to peel tomatoes using the warm to cold method
If the tomatoes are not ripe enough, use this method.
Processing technology:
- Heat water to 100 ° C.
- Slice vegetables on one side.
- Dip in boiling water for 30 seconds.
- Take it out and put it in ice water.
- Peel the skin.
If it does not clean well, repeat the procedure again.
How to peel green tomatoes
Peeling green tomatoes is a more difficult process. The skin is very hard, which excludes some methods of removing it. Manual peeling is considered the best option, but this is not easy if you need to process a lot of tomatoes.
To prepare a large number of fruits, it is better to use baking or blanching. Green tomato is toxic, its use can harm the body, and with thermal processing methods, the concentration of harmful substances decreases.
How to remove seeds from tomatoes
The seeds are tasteless and can ruin the dish, so they must be removed. The technology is simple:
- Cut the tomato in half, each half into three more pieces.
- Remove the seeds from the pulp with a small kitchen knife.
- Chop the pulp as required by the recipe.
Remember to sharpen your knives regularly. Fresh tomato is very soft, you need to handle it carefully.
Using peeled tomatoes
It's nice to eat vegetables without the skin, especially since there is a category of dishes in which the skin will not only spoil the appearance, but also the taste of the dish. For borscht, lecho, various preservation, stew, peeling tomatoes is mandatory.
Consider a few recipes where tomato peeling is needed.
Peeled tomatoes in their own juice
Ingredients:
- 300 g of tomatoes;
- ½ tsp salt;
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar;
- 5 black peppercorns;
- citric acid to taste.
Preparation:
- Put granulated sugar, salt, citric acid in a jar.
- Peel the tomatoes, put them in a jar.
- Heat water for sterilization, put a jar in it.
- Boil, periodically add tomatoes to the jar when they settle.
- Sterilize the jars 15 minutes after being completely filled with juice.
- Roll up and put in the pantry.
This is a great side dish for potato dishes.
Important! For canning, use only rock salt - iodized is not suitable for canning.
Vegetable stew
Ingredients:
- 2 potatoes;
- 1 bell pepper;
- 2 tomatoes;
- 0.5 pcs. zucchini;
- 1 onion;
- 1 tbsp tomato paste;
- frying oil;
- salt to taste.
Preparation:
- Peel and cut vegetables.
- Blanch tomatoes and remove seeds.
- Fry carrots and onions in butter.
- Add tomato and zucchini.
- Season with salt, add water, simmer for 7 minutes.
- Put the rest of the vegetables, tomato paste.
- Add water to cover all food.
- Simmer over low heat for 40 minutes.
Cherry tomato sauce
A great addition to spaghetti and potato casseroles.
Ingredients:
- 20 cherry tomatoes;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 15 basil leaves;
- 2 tbsp olive oil;
- spices to taste.
Preparation:
- Chop the garlic coarsely.
- Heat a skillet, add oil and garlic.
- Scald the tomatoes with boiling water, remove the peel and put in the pan.
- Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
- Add basil, spices to taste.
- Cover with a lid for 3 minutes. Finally, remove the garlic from the sauce.
It can be served both cold and hot.
Using cut skins to decorate dishes
Carving is the art of artistic cutting for vegetables and fruits. They are increasingly used in home cooking. The hostesses strive to surprise guests not only with the taste, but also with the appearance of the dishes. After peeling tomatoes, do not throw away the peel from them - it can be used to prepare various decor.
One of the options:
- Cut the skin off the tomatoes in one strip in a spiral.
- Spread the pulp down.
- Fold the rose with a wide strip inward.
- Decorate salad, potatoes, cut vegetables.
Similarly, you can use the skin from beets, carrots, cucumbers.
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Conclusion
Eating peeled tomatoes is not harmful. However, there are recipes for which it is still necessary to peel tomatoes from the skin. There are many ways to remove the peel: baking, boiling water, fire, blanching and others. The option you choose depends on your capabilities and personal preference.
Dishes from peeled tomatoes have a more aesthetic appearance and a pleasant taste. Don't throw away vegetable skins - they can be used for decorative ornaments. Useful and original culinary masterpieces!