Fuzzy Peaches and Smooth Tomatoes - Multitasking To A-Peel

Some recipes call for unpeeled fruits and vegetables and others require these food items to be peeled. Taken raw and cold, leaving the peels or skins on the tomato and peach is acceptable, but some consumers do not like the peach and tomato skins.

Tomato skins can come lose in some dishes and stick in diners' teeth, which is not attractive nor enjoyable. In other dishes, the skin will hold the tomato together during the cooking process, like sliced tomatoes on a pizza. I used tomatoes both ways - skin-off and skin-off in salsa with satisfaction, but the fuzzy peach skin is not appetizing in peach salsa - kind of like having a caterpillar it there. An un-skinned peach in a pie is not very appeal ing either.

Thoughts of the work can be daunting when these fruits are best peeled, but it can be done more easily than expected. Several methods of peeling are easy, relatively quick, and pose no threat for cutting one's fingers. These methods include a boiling water treatment that does not cook the fruit, a variety of peeling gadets, and short and longer knives.

One method of peeling peaches and tomatoes is the hot water method. After peeling, the fruits are allowed to cool again and they are not cooked by this method. Boil a large open pot of water on the stove top.

Tomatoes: Place tomatoes into the boiling water and the skins will soon split in several seconds. Remove the tomatoes and peel off the skins with an edge of a knife. for smaller tomatoes, I use a paring knife to lightly score the skins in order to reduce the time spent in the boiling water bath. Smaller fruits and vegetables begin to cook more quickly than larger sizes.

Peaches: Score the skins first and then place the peaches into the boiling water for just a few seconds. Remove fruits when skins begin to peel, remove skins, and cool (they will nto have become very warm).

An out of water method for peeling peaches that is quick and easy is to use a specific tool for the job. One good example of this is the Piranha Peeler available on Amazon.com and produced by Kuhn Rikon company. This tool is made in a variety of colors and two styles: a Y shape or a swivel style. Its long lasting blade is serrated stainless steel. The tool is effective in peeling many fruits and vegetables: peaches, tomatoes, and others.

Marketed as a top peeler for soft and hard fruits, the Tupperware Universal Peeler. It is available in a number of colors, with a typical Y shape. The Universal Peeler features a double-sided blade, a potato eye remover, and a light-weight handle.

Mixed reviews surround the Animal House Monkey Peeler. It's not for peeling monkeys, as Bucky Kat of the comic strip world would wish. Some owners of the monkey peeling agent feel that it is lightweight and a joy to use and display for guests to see. Others feel that it is too awkward and likely to injure their fingers shortly. As with many handheld appliances, not all will suit all hands, but this peeler is an option.

The Rachael Ray 3-in-1 Potato Peeler/Brush Veg-a-Peel has a sort of gimmicky name and mostly good reviews as well as being in the same price range as the others. It is markets as an easy-use scrubber/peeler that suits either handedness. One user felt that the scrubber brush was the most useful of its features.

For my own use, I find that paring knives and utility knives work better for me in peeling potatoes, peaches, tomatoes, and cucumbers than do small peelers. I tend to drop the peelers or they fly out of my hand because of vector forces; I seem to direct more force into the blade than necessary and cannot reduce it adequately. So, a knife is better for me. I can then use the same knife for slicing the tomatoes or peaches.

When camping, I use a paring knife or another "Pirahna", pictured to the right.