The Cheap Vegetable Gardener

How to make tomato skin powder

13.1 years ago powder, tomato

Previously I have just thrown my tomatoes peels into the compost after peeling them, but fortunately I got wind of an awesome technique of repurposing these into some tomato peel powder.  This is great when you want to create add some tomato flavor to a omelet or casserole without having to add the additional moisture raw tomatoes would include.  As an added bonus these peels have awesome nutritional and health benefits:

Bioavailability of carotenoids from finely crushed peels homogenized in tomato paste appeared to be similar to lycopene from the tomato flesh. Such a peel enrichment of tomato products would be a means to increase the nutritional value of tomato pastes and to enhance the intake of carotenoids. ₁

Step #1: Dry your tomato skins.  If you don’t have a dehydrator you can dry them in the oven by setting it at its lowest temperature setting.  For a bit slower drying process you can place a small fan in your dryer wedging the door open slightly and add a small desk fan to get some air circulating.  For added heat place a ceramic reptile heater into the oven to get great results.  Depending on the heat you are generating it should take about 12-24 hours for these skins to dehydrate and be brittle breaking (not flexing) when bent.

Step #2: Make some tomato powder.  Place your dried tomato peels into a spice/coffee grinder.  I personally went with my Magic Bullet with the grinder attachment.  Grind until

Grind until until it becomes a fine powder.

You can store this powder for about 6 months in a airtight container, you can get more life out of these if you hold off grinding to just before use given oxidation can only occur where air is permeable so this will give you richer flavors longer.  I enjoyed about 1/4 teaspoon of this powder on my omelet this morning and was a great flavor without the excess moisture raw tomatoes provide.

If you don’t have enough tomato peels to fill your needs for tomato powder, you can also do the same process on the flesh of the tomatoes by slicing thin and dehydrating and grinding in the same way.

Tags: tomato