What else to do with a bunch of tomatoes? I decided to make some pasta sauce. I tried a new recipe. I didn’t love it. I am still working on perfecting the sauce. My husband thinks it might be the variety of tomato we have. The sauce was fine, but I just never could get the flavor I was going for. Anyone have any tips out there? Let me know. A part of making sauce is peeling the tomatoes. Do you know how? I thought I’d pass along what I know. I know it because of a fabulous book from William Sonoma called, “Tools and Techniques.” It’s a great book on how to do a variety of techniques in the kitchen. So, here’s the technique:
1. Score the Tomato – With a small knife, cut an X in the bottom of the tomato.
2. Blanch the Tomatoes – Boil water. Put the tomatoes in the boiling water for 15-30 seconds until skin is loosened. Pull them out with a slotted spoon.
3. Shock the Tomatoes – Transfer the tomatoes from the boiling water to a bowl of ice water. This halts the cooking process.
4. Peel the Tomatoes – At this point, you can peel the skin right of the tomatoes. I just used my hands, but you can use a small paring knife and start at the X if needed.
Thanks for this terrific and practical reminder. I forget this sometimes. Your tomatoes are gorgeous! I rarely make my own sauce…wish I could give you an idea what to do to make yours tastier.
Thanks so much for this post! I stumbled across it today on the web 🙂 I’ve always wondered what an easy way to peel tomatoes was, now I know. thank you thank you thank you!
I’m so glad this was helpful. I have learned so much about cooking from others, and I have just wanted to pass along little bits I pick up here and there. Thanks for commenting. I hope you’ll stumble back!
Without knowing what you put in your sauce, it’s hard to help you with the correct flavor. When I make sauce, I roast my tomatoes with fresh garlic and olive oil. Then I put it in a big pot at use my immersion blender to blend it all together. Then I taste and add seasonings that I feel are needed at that time. Salt, pepper, basil, more garlic sometimes, and some sugar to take the acidic bite out!
Sounds amazing. Thanks for giving us your tips!