How to Blanch Tomatoes

Prepare your fresh tomatoes to use them in sauces or salsa. A great, simple way to effectively clean AND peel tomatoes almost effortlessly!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fresh Tomatoes
• One large pot of boiling water
• One large pot of ice water
• Spoon
• Sharp knife

1. 
   Prepare water for blanching

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a 2nd large pot/bowl with ice water.

2. 
   Cut a small slit in the skin of the tomatoes

   Remove the stems from your tomatoes. Using a sharp knife, cut a *small* slit in the skin of a fresh tomato, and add the tomato to the pot of boiling water. You may add as many tomatoes as you pot can hold.

3. 
   Remove tomatoes from hot water as soon as skin begins to loosen

   As SOON as you see the skin starting to peel away from the tomato, remove it from the hot water.

4. 
   Place tomatoes in ice water

   Immediately plunge the tomatoes in the ice water. This will ensure that the cooking process has stopped, and will make the tomatoes easier to handle and peel.

5. 
   The tomatoes are ready for peeling and coring

   The tomato skins will easily slide off. Remove all the skins, and use a sharp knife to remove the stem and core. Cut, slice, or leave whole for canning or cooking (depending on the needs of your recipe).

Tips & Warnings

• It is very important that you do not leave the tomatoes in the boiling water too long, or you'll end up with mushy, cooked tomatoes.
• Green tomatoes will take slightly longer to loosen the skin in the boiling water.
• Tomatoes are acidic and can irritate sensitive skin. If you have sensitive skin, you might consider wearing gloves if you'll be blanching and peeling a large batch of tomatoes.

Resources

• Blanched Tomatoes In Homemade Salsa