How to Peel and Seed Tomatoes

Tomatoes are frequently peeled and seeded in recipes. But how do you go about doing it? So there you have it.

Steps:

1. Bring a saucepan 3/4 full of water to  boil over high heat.
2. Peeled tomatoes should be dipped in boiling water for 1 minute.
   
3. Remove the tomatoes and set them aside to cool enough to handle.
   
4. With the point of a sharp knife, gently pierce the skin of the tomatoes, just barely. With the knife, loosen the skin and peel it away. Rep with the remaining tomatoes.
   
5. Peeled tomatoes should be cut in half.
6. Hold a half of a tomato in your hand and place it over a small bowl.
7. Squeeze the tomato half gently so that the seeds fall into the bowl. Seeds should be discarded.
   
8. As directed in the recipe, use tomatoes.

Tips:

Before dipping the tomato in the boiling water, some people cut a little “x” in the base of the tomato. The skin around the x cracks slightly; peel back the x’s corners to remove the skin.

If the tomatoes do not peel easily, return them to the boiling water for another 30 seconds.

When you cook tomatoes without peeling them, the skins will fall off, leaving fragments of tomato skin in your dish. Similarly, the tomato seeds will drift around. Tomato seeds aren’t a major deal in many meals, but rolls of tomato skin can be a pain to chew.