Skins

[wulf]

No, not the type who shave their heads and go stomping around in bovva boots but the kind that come on fruit and veg. Leave them on or peel them off?

I'm definitely a "leave the skins" on person. I was thinking off this because I cooked up another portion of what is left of my tomato harvest tonight into an appetising tomato soup but, as is my wont, I didn't bother removing the skins but just chopped them up and threw them in.

My reasons boil down to:

- I like a bit of texture in my food

- I've got an inkling that things like tomato skins contain part of the goodness of the fruit

- I am definitely a bit too much on the lazy side to want to play around with boiling water, iced water and all the other things that books recommend for easily removing the skins.

Your thoughts?

Wulf

[red]

mosty leave em on.

although if you freeze your own plum tomatoes,, the skins slip off so easily its difficult not to!

[Shirley]

I do the same Wulf... and for the same reasons!

[Silver Ether]

I like the skins ... definatley leaves them on ... unless they are a bitty nasty ... I always remember a friend watching me prepare spud just buy washing and cutting them up
??? aren't you gonna peel them ... what for they are tasty, good for you and I have far more interesting things to do than peel spuds.

[Jack]

Gidday

Yep me too. Like with apples, I cook skin pips and all, then just blend em all into a smooth slurry. There is just too much goodness in what most people throw away.

[the.fee.fairy]

I leave skins on.

Unless i'm cooking mashed potato - i just can't get them to mash properly with skins on!

I do i tmainly because i'm lazy, but also because i, too, am convinved there's extra goodness in the skins (and they usually taste good too!).

[Muddypause]

I do mash[1] with the skins on - makes it rather more interesting, I think. I can't remember the last time I peeled a spud.

[1] According to some 'celebrity chef' I had the misfortune to hear the other day, we have to talk about 'crushed' potatoes, now, not mashed. Similarly, pepper corns are 'cracked' not ground. I really despise the whole concept of haute-cuisine - dinner should look like dinner, and be described accordingly.

Dammit, I'm beginning to sound like Martin!

[wulf]

Unless i'm cooking mashed potato - i just can't get them to mash properly with skins on!

I've not noticed a problem with mashing them. I suppose they might cook a bit more slowly so perhaps you need to try cutting them smaller or cooking for longer to compensate?

Wulf

[Silver Ether]

Unless i'm cooking mashed potato - i just can't get them to mash properly with skins on!

I quite like the texture, have you tried mashing them just a bit ( like crushed ) and popping them in the oven with a little olive oil on the top .MMMMMMMMMMMMmmM

edit ... nearly forgot ...I know someone who peeled mushrooms ...
ye took a layer of the lovely cap ... now that is really mad ...

[SueSteve]

[/quote]

edit ... nearly forgot ...I know someone who peeled mushrooms ...
ye took a layer of the lovely cap ... now that is really mad ...[/quote]

I don't peel potatoes, carrots, toms etc.,
But do peel mushrooms that have gone a little slimy! Intead of throwing them, I peel the tops and the mushroom underneath is fine!

[Thomzo]

I, too, have a friend who peels mushrooms (why?). I often peel the carrots that come in the box as the peel is often quite yucky and it gives the chooks something to eat. Otherwise, I rarely peel. I mash and roast spuds with the peel on. Just cut them into small pieces for mashing(cook quicker that way too).

I don't mind the fact that my neighbours peel everything. They chuck the peelings over the fence for my chooks

Zoe

[wulf]

Anything that I do peel and all the bits that get cut off go in the compost, so nothing is wasted.

BTW, if you can get your carrots clean enough, they cook up really well if kept whole, unpeeled and unchopped. The skin serves to keep a lot of the flavour inside so they are bursting with it, boiled or roast.

Wulf

[Shirley]

I quite like the texture, have you tried mashing them just a bit ( like crushed ) and popping them in the oven with a little olive oil on the top .MMMMMMMMMMMMmmM

That sounds like heaven.

[Millymollymandy]

I always peel my carrots because they have always been attacked by root fly - so I have to chop bits out too. I peel spuds unless they are new ones - there's always too many icky bits on the skin in supermarket potatoes and I want to see what manky bits are lurking underneath!

And I do need something for the compost heap.

[the.fee.fairy]

I quite like the texture, have you tried mashing them just a bit ( like crushed ) and popping them in the oven with a little olive oil on the top .MMMMMMMMMMMMmmM

That sounds like heaven.

i'm in agreement!
*puts on list for things to do this weekend*