how to peel peaches

If you’re cooking with peaches, whether baking or a savory recipe, chances are you’re going to need to peel the peaches first. You’ll also need to do this if you’re freezing peaches. You’ll want the peaches to be ripe, perfectly ripe. Make a small X on the bottom (not the stem end) of each peach. Plunge the peaches, whole, into a large pot of boiling water & simmer or boil for 40 to 60 seconds. Take one peach out with a slotted spoon or a spider to test if the skin will peel away easily. If not, add the peach back to the boiling water & simmer for a further 20 seconds before testing again. Then transfer the peaches to a large bowl of cold water with plenty of ice. Allow the peaches sit in the cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel away the skin skin, cut around the peach to the pit from the stem end all the way around. Twist each half of the peaches to open them – this will only work if the peaches are slip stone (not cling stone). Slice or chop the peaches as required. Make sure if you’re not using them immediately to drizzle them with some lemon juice to prevent browning. The whole procedure takes approximately 20 minutes for about 8 peaches.