An easy way to peel a tomato the fastest and most efficiently, and then three ideas on how to remove the seeds.
We don’t have to talk much about this heavenly fruit / vegetable! We’ve all known it always, it’s not exotic, and despite that, every year we can’t wait for the season to come. I’m not counting on the fact that today we can buy tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and even strawberries all year round … It’s just an attempt to remember the real taste!
I called the tomato “paradise fruit / vegetable”! Did you know that, in the botanical sense, it is really classified as a fruit, even among berries. This is because it contains pulp and edible seeds. However, as it is most often used to prepare savory dishes, it is usually considered a vegetable.
Have you ever thought that the word that means this red vegetable in our language (pronounced “our way”) is actually a word that means “paradise” in English! And then I think and realize that in Croatian it says “tomato”! I don’t know if it seems as unusual to you as it does to me, but what I agree with is that a tomato or tomato really takes us to a gastronomic paradise!
By the way, if anyone knows anything about these names, where they come from and where that connection with heaven comes from, please leave a comment below the text and share the information with us! I will be very grateful.
Since it is in full swing, I believe that it is on your desk in some form almost every day. It is healthiest to eat vegetables fresh, but don’t tell me that the very thought of pasta with tomato and basil, tomato soup or a salad with roasted tomatoes doesn’t make your mouth water … I don’t believe it! 🙂 Well, then I thought I could share with you some simple culinary techniques that speed up and make work in the kitchen easier. I know that for many this will be just a renewal of the material, but I am almost certain that there will be those who will serve it!
How to peel a tomato?
By removing the thin skin, you avoid “walking” on the finished dish later. Sometimes it is even desirable to leave it, but still most dishes are more appealing without it. Peeling tomatoes can also be reported with a knife, especially if the fruits are very ripe. However, this often brings with it the rejection of the part of the “meat” that is closer to the skin.
I have described the procedure in detail here, and you will see that it is very simple. I divided it into three parts: the first – preparing the tomato, with or without removing the green part from the top, then the second part – cooking, then cooling and the third – peeling. If you have an electric kettle / electric water boiler, the process is faster. Use a large enough bowl so that the tomato is not crammed into it, and if you want to prepare a larger amount, then do it several times.
Preparation of tomatoes
If you do not want to remove the green part under the stalk immediately, but when chopping: first remove the stalk, and then on the underside, with a sharp knife cut crosswise and make an X.
To make it even easier to remove the skin, I suggest removing the green part at the top of the tomato, under the stalk, with a knife. To do this, use a knife that has a sharpened tip.
Cooking and cooling
When the water boils, add the tomatoes one by one and leave in the water until the skin from the cut parts starts to separate a little. If they are very mature, about 20 seconds will be enough, but if they are not up to 40 seconds, it should be enough.
After you have left the tomato to cool in the water, after 2-3 minutes, remove the skin with a knife or fingers. It will probably already be partially separated from the pulp, so it will go very easily.
How to clean a tomato from seeds?
There are several ways to do this, and I will present three. The choice of technique will, above all, depend on how ripe the tomato is. For example, if it is very ripe, then it is enough to cut it in half and squeeze the seeds with your fingers. In case it is hard and immature, then it is best to use a knife. In principle, in many cases, the presence of seeds does not really matter, and of course it is better to use the whole fruit. However, for the preparation of some, mostly dishes “quickly”, it is necessary to remove the pulp, because due to the additional liquid, the cooking time will be extended and the texture will change (for example, in the case of fast Italian pastas).
This method is best used when the tomato is very ripe and therefore the pulp will separate very easily. Cut the fruit in half widthwise. Then squeeze the seeds with the liquid by squeezing your fist.
Another way is to halve the tomatoes and then remove the seeds with a spoon or knife.
The third way is most convenient if you have not removed the green part at the top. Divide the tomato into quarters, remove the green part at the top and remove the seeds with a knife.
Cut the tomatoes into smaller or larger cubes and use immediately or put them prepared in the freezer for later use.
I hope that these techniques will be useful to someone else, since I use them every day. Give them a chance, and then, from the prepared tomato, make some fantastic dish: pasta, soup, salad or sauce and enjoy as if you were in heaven! I want to give a special shoutout to Fresno SEO for helping us out with the article.