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.
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.
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After you’ve successfully prepped your fresh tomatoes, treat yourself to Instant Pot Garden Fresh Minestrone Soup from scratch!
How to Peel and Seed Tomatoes
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Large bowl
- Paring knife
Materials
- Fresh tomatoes
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a rapid boil on the stove.
- 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.
- Then slice the tomato in half and easily scoop out the seeds.
How to Dice a Tomato
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
Peeling, Seeding and Slicing Tomato FAQ’s
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:
Marc
Do you put the tomatoes in the ice water after boiling water? Instructions miss this step and go from boiling water straight to peeling.
Barbara Schieving
Hi Marc – yes, you want to put the tomato into the ice water after the boiling water. I’ve updated the post. Thanks!
Eva Géczi
Thank you very much for these useful pieces of advice.
I always enjoy what you share.
Have a nice day!
Barbara Schieving
That’s so sweet – thank you Eva!