Blanching and peeling
Score a cross, 20–60 seconds in boiling water, then straight into iced water — the skin comes away by itself. Useful for sauces, soups and preserves where the skin spoils the texture.
Cooking techniques
Cooking techniques
Most tomato dishes are built on a handful of simple techniques. Once you can peel, roast, reduce and freeze tomatoes, you can cook with them all year round without relying on a single recipe. Canning gets a section of its own: here it's not just about flavour but about safety too.
Canning is the one technique on this site where we advise against improvising. Feel free to experiment with everything else.
How this section works: a technique is included if it can be done in an ordinary home kitchen without special equipment, and the safety rules are based on recognised guidance.
Core techniques
Six techniques that most recipes rely on.
Roasting
In a hot oven, tomatoes lose some of their water and their flavour becomes deeper and sweeter. Use them as a base for soup and sauce or as a dish in their own right.
Baked tomatoes with cheese (in Russian)
Semi-drying and oven-drying
Halved plum tomatoes are dried at a low temperature for several hours until leathery. Store them dry in a closed jar or in the freezer.
Tomato sauce
Peeled tomatoes are simmered with oil, garlic or onion until thick. This is the base for pasta, pizza, stews and soups.
Homemade tomato paste
Puréed tomatoes are cooked down slowly over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture is thick. A large quantity of tomatoes yields one small jar.
Freezing
Tomatoes can be frozen whole, chopped or puréed. Once thawed they are soft, so they suit sauces and soups but not salads.
How to peel tomatoes
Boil the water
Bring a pan of water to the boil and set a bowl of iced water next to it.
Score the skin
On the side opposite the stem, cut a shallow cross.
Plunge into boiling water
Lower the tomatoes into the boiling water for 20–60 seconds: ripe ones need less time, firm ones need more.
Cool
Using a slotted spoon, move the tomatoes into the iced water so they don't start to cook through.
Peel
Pull at the corners of the cross — the skin will come off in strips. Then remove the stem.
Acidifying tomatoes for canning
| Jar size | Bottled lemon juice | Citric acid |
|---|---|---|
| Pint (≈ 0.47 L) | 1 tbsp | ¼ tsp |
| Quart (≈ 0.95 L) | 2 tbsp | ½ tsp |
Related sections
- Recipes
Four home recipes: pasta with fresh tomato sauce, a salad, a puréed soup and bruschetta.
- Seasonal ideas
What to cook with tomatoes in summer, at the end of the season, in autumn, winter and spring.
- Cooking questions
Answers to common questions about choosing, storing, cooking and preserving tomatoes.
- Baked tomatoes with cheese (in Russian)
A new home recipe for tomatoes baked with cheese, garlic and herbs, with variations and storage.
Sources
- National Center for Home Food Preservation (USDA)
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Encyclopedic sources on Solanum lycopersicum
Times and temperatures in these recipes are a guide: a lot depends on your hob, oven, pans and the tomatoes themselves. For home preserving, use tested recipes that give processing times.