There can be several reasons for peeling tomatoes, as well as ways to do this without much difficulty. Our article will help you choose a method that is more convenient for you, suitable for the purposes for which you want to use tomatoes.

Why peel tomatoes?

The first reason you might need to peel tomatoes from tomatoes is to cook. For soup, vegetable stew, sauce, peeled in advance gives an advantage in taste and aesthetic qualities. If you leave the peel, during the heat treatment it will separate itself from the vegetable and remain in the dish, twisting into ugly and rigid spirals.

The second reason is the preservation of vegetables for the winter. This includes the preservation of, in particular, tomato juice, and freezing. After freezing, the tomato no longer has the same elasticity, therefore, in a thawed form it is more convenient when the skin is no longer on it.The third reason peeling tomatoes is the presence of nitrates and pesticides in it. If you grew vegetables yourself or took them from friends, the product is probably environmentally friendly. But greenhouse vegetables are brought to maturity by spraying with special substances.

When growing crops for production purposes, on a large scale, in addition to spraying, chemical fertilizers and pest control agents are used. All these substances accumulate mainly in the skin of a vegetable. Especially a lot of nitrates in the thick peel of red-orange varieties.

Important! If you cut the purchased tomato in half and saw thick bright veins inside, place the tomatoes in cool water for an hour. After that, they can be consumed.

Ways to peel tomatoes

To facilitate the process of ridding tomatoes from the peel, we identified three most convenient methods. They are equally suitable for slightly unripe and ripe vegetables. The fastest way - exposure to high temperature in the microwave. But this option does not always work, due to the features of the technique. Whatever method you choose, you need to work with high temperatures quickly. Procrastination will lead to the fact that the tomato loses its appearance and spreads.

Blanching

For blanching, you will need a knife, a saucepan, a slotted spoon, a bowl of ice water.

Did you know? Tomatoes contain serotonin - the hormone of happiness, and thiamine, which turns into serotonin in the human body. Therefore, these vegetables can be safely called antidepressants.

Sequencing:

1. Remove the stiff core from the knife with a knife.
2. At the base of each vegetable, make a cross-shaped incision on top.
3. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water for 10 seconds.
4. Then, with a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the fruit to cold water at about the same time.
5. Remove vegetables and, starting from the cuts, separate the peel from the pulp, holding the corner between the knife blade and thumb.

Video: how to peel tomatoes from blanching

Using a microwave

If you have a microwave and do not want to mess with pots, this method is for you:

1. Wash the tomatoes with cool water and dry them.
2. Make cuts on each tomato on top and small cuts on the sides.
3. Arrange the vegetables on a large flat plate and place in the microwave.
4. Set the heating mode for 30 seconds and wait for the result.

The principle of action is simple - the peel heats up and begins to lag behind the pulp itself. All that remains for you to do is to remove the exfoliated flaps.

Important! Strictly observe the time so that the tomatoes do not burn out and start to start juice. If nothing works out from the first approach, don’t put the tomatoes in the microwave a second time, try a different method.

Clean manually

This method is only suitable for very ripe fruits. Its advantage is in preserving all the useful vitamins and minerals in the vegetable than heat treatment cannot boast.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Wash and dry the tomatoes.
2. Cut all the tomatoes into 4 parts.
3. Take each slice, hook it with a sharp knife on the edge of the peel and, without rushing, pull, removing the flap.

On a ripe tomato, the peel leaves easily, sometimes it will need to be trimmed a little. If the vegetable is slightly immature, put the quarter on a cutting board and cut the flesh with a sharp knife. You can use a special knife for peeling tomatoes.

Video: how to peel tomatoes by hand

Is it possible to eat peeled tomatoes?

The peel of tomatoes is a real storehouse of vitamins: there are more useful substances in it than in the whole vegetable. If the recipe does not require peeling, you can eat it. But taking into account the content of nitrates, thoroughly wash the tomatoes before use or leave them in cold water, then completely dry (you can use a paper towel).

The peel is useful for the intestines: it is quite dense and acts on it like a massager, forcing it to be in good shape. Due to this, useful elements from food are absorbed more fully and faster by the intestinal walls. All the methods for cleaning tomatoes described above are equally good, but in the case of the manual method, the tomato will not remain whole. Try all three options and choose the most convenient for yourself.