Skin Tomatoes

There are several ways of removing skins from the tomatoes. The tomatoes can be blanched for about 1-3 minutes in hot boiling water or just peeled using a sharp knife.

I prefer to use a sharp knife. I use tomatoes that are ripe and when you give the tomato a gentle squeeze the tomato will be slightly soft but not real squishy. This type of tomato is very easy to peel and will actually leave a very thin layer of tomato pulp on the skin which will make the tomato powder even more flavorful.

Any type of tomato that can be held nicely in your hand and peeled works great. As for cherry tomatoes…not so great and not a lot of skin.

Rinse tomatoes prior to peeling. Remove core from tomato and gently remove skin from tomatoes. Place the skins on a plate until all tomatoes are completely peeled. Place skinned tomatoes in a bowl for later use if desired.

Preparing to Dehydrate

For dehydrating foods I use a 6 QT PowerXL Air Fryer. It fits perfectly on the counter and has three trays for dehydrating. I like the fact that it has one touch digital pre-set settings which makes dehydrating foods fool proof.

Place skins on parchment paper lined dehydrating trays. Arrange them with the skin side down and evenly spaced so that no pieces are touching.

Dehydrate Tomato Skins

Place the trays in the Power Air Fryer in the proper slots. Using the dehydrate setting set the temperature to 125 degrees Fahrenheight for a time of 4 hours.

The skins should be completely dried by this point and before proceeding to the next step. If the skins are still moist continue to dry for an additional hour. Keep powdered tomato skins in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Enjoy!

Turning Dehydrated Tomato Skins Into Tomato Powder

For this next step I use this coffee and spice grinder. Place a pinch full of dried tomato skins in the grinder and pulse 3-4 times or until the skins are ground and powdery. Continue to add dried tomato skins until all have been ground. Store tomato powder in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Enjoy!