How To Peel Tomatoes

During my travels, I noticed that most tomatoes served in salads or as decorative garnishes were peeled. They always looked beautiful and tasted great. Since peeling them is easy enough, you might want to consider doing it more often than for the occasional soup.

Here's how:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. With a sharp paring knife, cut an X just through the skin on the bottom of each tomato (Notice the picture above). Drop the tomatoes, a few at a time, into the water for 30 seconds. Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a bowl filled with ice water to cool them down. The skin will easily slip off each tomato. If the tomatoes are to be cooked further, the ice water bath is unnecessary.