How to Peel a Tomato

I'm just going to say it even though I know people will give me good reasons. I don't know why one would spend one's time peeling tomatoes. I mean, what's a little tomato skin anyway?

Even more puzzling to me is seeding a tomato! That gets rid of the best part as far as I'm concerned. I can see the need for removing the juices in some recipes, such as tomato pie, but not for very many that's for sure.

But back to peeling. Have you ever tried to pick up a tomato and start peeling away? Not as easy as it sounds. While the method below creates more dirty dishes than I'd like, it really does make peeling tomatoes simple. Not that tomatoes are peeled in my kitchen.

My friend and former co-worker Chef Max liked tomatoes to be peeled and seeded. Even though I had internal struggles with this, I dutifully peeled the tomatoes as instructed...

Start by bringing water to a boil. Fill a bowl with water and ice cubes and have it waiting.

Cut an "X" across the bottom of the tomato.

Carefully place the tomato in boiling water for a few seconds.

The skin will start to peel away where you made your X.

Remove from boiling water and dunk in the ice water to quickly cool it down.

The skin will easily slip off.