Peeling tomatoes occasionally is a necessary step in some recipes.  The skin can get in the way of velvety sauces or tender salsas.  Below are two simple ways to peel tomatoes so that you can get on with your culinary magic.

Boiling Water Method

1. Bring large pot of water to boil.
2. Put ice water in large bowl.
3. Core tomatoes and slit an X in the bottom.
4. Drop tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute.
5. Scoop out tomatoes and place in ice water until cool.
6. Tomato skins will pop right off.

Pros:

Easy

Cons:

1.  More mess and setup than roasting method.

2.  You will lose some tomato juice in the water bath.

Roasting Method

1. Set oven to broil.
2. Core tomatoes.
3. Cut tomatoes in half and place on baking sheet, cut side down.
4. Roast tomatoes on top rack until very wrinkly but do not burn, 5-10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and cool.
6. Pinch off skins.

Pros:

1.  Easy

2.  May get a slight smoky flavor in tomatoes

3.  Less mess than boiling method, one pan to clean up.

4.  You won’t lose any tomato juices.

Cons:

Umm, I can’t think of any.