How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes

Blanching and deseeding tomatoes may seem like a hassle considering big choice of canned already blanched and deseeded tomatoes in a nearby grocery shop.

However, I think no canned tomatoes or tomato paste can compare with the fresh tomatoes blanched and deseeded right before cooking.

Blanched and sometimes also deseeded tomatoes are used to cook soups and stews, as well as to prepare tomato juice, tomato paste, various dips and sauces.

Ingredients:

  • Tomatoes
  • Water

Step-by-step instructions:

  1. Take tomatoes: I find plum tomatoes easiest to blanch, but any other will work just as good:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 1
  2. Fill cooking pot with water and bring to boil. While water is getting ready, cut skin on each tomato tip cross-like with a knife:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 2
  3. Put all tomatoes to hard boiling water at the same time:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 3
  4. Keep tomatoes boiling for about 20-22 seconds (if you boil them longer it will be easier to remove skin, but also tomatoes will become softer and it will be harder to deseed them). So, after 20 secs remove cooking pot from the burner, pour hot water out and put cooking pot with tomatoes unter running cold water, let them cool down completely:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 4
  5. Then take tomato and peel skin at the tip:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 5
  6. Continue peeling until you reach stem:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 6
  7. Repeat with other sides:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 7
  8. Pull skin at the stem side and remove it:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 8
  9. Repeat with other tomatoes: now they all are blanched and you can stop here if you recipe doesn’t require deseeding:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 9
  10. To deseed cut each tomato in half:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 10
  11. Remove stem part from half of tomato using small knife:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 11
  12. Cut middle part with seeds off:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 12
  13. And carefully remove seeds:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 13
  14. After you are done, you will get clean tomato half:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 14
  15. Repeat with the rest:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 15
  16. Depending on what your recipe requires, you may use blanched and deseeded tomato halves as is, or stick them into blender cup:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 16
  17. And prepare perfect base for tomato sauce, tomato paste or a tasty addition for soup or stew:
    How to Blanch and Deseed Tomatoes: Step 17

View Comments

  • This was just what I needed. Fast and accurate! It made my blanching of a peck of tomatoes so much easier! I had an ice bath standing by and just pulled them out with a pasta scoop (to let hot water drain off) and dropped them in the pot of ice water to chill them quickly.

    It was really quick! Every so often I just tossed in another handful of ice from the freezer.

    Thanks!