When should tomatoes be peeled?

Tomatoes typically don’t need to be peeled if you are going to eat them raw, but cooked tomato skins tend to peel and curl into hard, even spiky, spirals. So you’ll want to peel tomatoes before using them in recipes like tomato sauce, soup, salsa, or in a dish with a smooth texture. Even in cooked purees, you might wish to use peeled tomatoes to achieve the silkiest possible consistency. Level-up a salad or stir-fry by peeling tomatoes before adding them to your recipe.