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    Home » Recipes » How To

    How to Peel and Slice Tomatoes

    Published by Melissa on September 20, 2020 | Updated June 10, 2022 | 4 Comments

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    Ever wondered how to peel and slice tomatoes for seed-free soups, sauces, and stews? Here is a step-by-step tutorial on just that: everything you need to know to peel and remove the seeds from fresh tomatoes. 

    small white bowl with diced, peeled and de-seeded fresh tomato

    Whether it’s fresh tomato season and your garden or farmer’s market is spilling forth with beautiful red fruit or it’s the middle of winter and you’re craving homemade tomato soup, knowing how to peel and seed tomatoes is a handy (and easy) cooking technique to master. 

    Pin it.

    pinterest button with a bowl of diced, seeded and peeled fresh tomatoes

    After you’ve successfully prepped your fresh tomatoes, treat yourself to Instant Pot Garden Fresh Minestrone Soup from scratch!

    peeling tomatoes
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    5 from 1 vote

    How to Peel and Seed Tomatoes

    Here is the best way to de-seed and peel fresh tomatoes:
    Active Time10 mins
    Total Time10 mins
    Course: How To
    Author: Barbara Bakes LLC

    Equipment

    • Medium pot
    • Large bowl
    • Paring knife

    Materials

    • Fresh tomatoes

    Instructions

    • Bring a medium pot of water to a rapid boil on the stove. 
      boiling fresh tomatoes and shocking in ice water to peel, dessed and dice them
    • Score a small “X” on the bottom of each tomato with a paring knife. (You can also cut the “X” after putting the tomato in the boiling water if you prefer.)
    • Submerge the tomatoes into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Then put the tomato in the ice water.
    • When you remove the tomato, the skin around your “X” should be peeling away slightly. Grab hold of the peel and the tomato skin should come right off.
      peeling tomatoes
    • Then slice the tomato in half and easily scoop out the seeds.
      scooping the seeds out of a peeled tomoato half
    bowl of diced seeded and peeled fresh tomatoes
    Print Pin This
    5 from 1 vote

    How to Dice a Tomato

    The key to slicing fresh tomatoes evenly and cleanly is to use a very sharp knife. 
    Active Time2 mins
    Total Time2 mins
    Course: How To
    Author: Barbara Bakes LLC

    Equipment

    • Cutting board
    • Chef’s knife

    Materials

    • Tomatoes

    Instructions

    • Lay the seeded tomato halves cut-side down on your cutting board. 
    • Slice the fruit into ½ inch thick lengths. 
    • Turn your knife and slice ½ inch pieces in the other direction, making ½ inch dice cuts. 

    Notes

    I prefer to remove the tomato seeds and peels before adding the tomatoes to the recipe. 

    Peeling, Seeding and Slicing Tomato FAQ’s

    bowl of diced seeded and peeled fresh tomatoes

    What kind of tomato is best for cooking?

    While you can cook with any variety of fresh tomato, different kinds have varying water contents. For example, roma or plum tomatoes, tend to be denser and contain less liquid. For this reason, they are a better choice for sauces, quiches, and tarts. 

    Why remove tomato seeds?

    The reason to remove the peels and seeds from tomatoes is for a smooth, seed-free dish. Seeds and peels tend to clump up and unpleasant texture in smooth tomato soups and sauces.

    If you keep the peels on and seeds intact, you can strain your sauce or soup through a fine-mesh strainer after cooking. However, it’s easier to remove the seeds and skins before cooking. 

    How to slice a tomato very thin?

    If you want super thin, delicate slices, choose a sharp serrated knife. The same knife you use for bread cutting is actually the best choice for slicing through thin tomato skins.

    Hold the fruit in one hand anchored to your cutting board and use long, slow cutting motions to slice thin rounds from the fruit. 

    You need to choose a tomato that is still firm to get thin slices. Tomatoes that are very soft are better for dicing as shown above.

    More Cooking How-Tos

    While you’re expanding your culinary skills by learning how to peel and slice tomatoes, check out these other helpful how-to guides for home cooks:

    • How to Cut up a Pineapple
    • How to Slice Peaches
    • How to Slice Watermelon (Three Ways)
    • How to Freeze Lemon Juice
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    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Marc

      October 13, 2021 at 9:00 am

      Do you put the tomatoes in the ice water after boiling water? Instructions miss this step and go from boiling water straight to peeling.

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        October 13, 2021 at 10:21 am

        Hi Marc – yes, you want to put the tomato into the ice water after the boiling water. I’ve updated the post. Thanks!

        Reply
    2. Eva Géczi

      September 21, 2020 at 8:46 am

      Thank you very much for these useful pieces of advice.
      I always enjoy what you share.
      Have a nice day!

      Reply
      • Barbara Schieving

        September 21, 2020 at 8:47 am

        That’s so sweet – thank you Eva!

        Reply

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