Tomato Tips

By what I'm reading and seeing in magazines and newspapers, tomatoes seem to be at their best all across the country right now. 

Whether you buy them at the supermarket, a farmer's market, a roadside stand or grow them in your garden....nothing says summer like beautiful luscious tomatoes. 

Throught the years I've been learning of different tips and tricks when using tomatoes.  I would welcome your input in comments if you have tomato tips I haven't mentioned in this article. 

*Always choose tomatoes that are firm to the touch and don't show any bruising or if the skin is split.

*Tomatoes should never be refrigerated or stored below 50oF.  They will not continue to ripen and in no time at all will loose aroma and taste and will taste like cardboard or mealy. 

*Uncut tomatoes should be stored at room temperature.  Cut or sliced tomatoes should be covered and refrigerated to avoid contamination or bacteria.

*Never wash tomatoes (or any other fruit or veggie) until you're ready to use them.  When washing, use cold running water.

 *To peel tomatoes, first score a small X with a sharp knife on the bottom of the tomato.  Place it in hot boiling water for about 3 seconds to a minute or until slightly loose...depending on size.  Scoop with a mesh colander or slotted spoon and plunge in iced cold water for about a minute.  Skin will peel easily with a small paring knife.

*When we had the Inn and deli, we saved all of the tomato discards from slicing them for making sandwiches and salads - the ends and such - and froze them in baggies until we had a large amount and then made tomato sauce for our pizzas with the discards.... Worked out great, so nothing was wasted.  

*If the above sauce is to be used on pizza or something like lasagna that will be cooked again, there is no need to cook it the first time....just add the 'raw sauce' to the pizza or the lasagna and it will cook as it bakes.

*For a richer or spicier homemade pizza sauce add some medium or hot salsa to it.

*Never cook tomatoes in alumminum or cast iron cookware.  Use glass or any other non-reactive metal such as stainless steel.  Cooking them in any reactive metal cookware will cause the tomato to discolor and affect the flavor of acidic foods.

*A tip by my friend Sarah: Freeze them whole! Sarah says she freezes tomatoes her family can't eat before they go bad. When she has a large amount, she throws them in a pot whole, with an onion, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and basil.   She then cooks everything down, and runs it through a food processor.  She then takes half of the sauce and putst it through a food mill to cut down on skins, etc.  After that it goes back in the pan and she simmers off a lot of the liquid to make the sauce nice and thick.

For more on tomatoes:

You Say Tomato...! The Collected Works

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Deep Tomato Quiche - Open Pie

Tomato Confit

Sonia's Refrigerator Pickles

"Ratatouille" Pie - for the real men who claim they don't eat quiche

You Say Tomato...! Recipe Contest

You Say Tomato...! First Place Winner: Hamakua Style Tomato Pie

You Say Tomato...! First Place Winner: Crunchy Lomi Salad

You Say Tomato...! First Place Winner: Tomato Chutney

You Say Tomato...! Second Place Winner: Ripe Tomato Stuffed w/Lentils & Rice

You Say Tomato...! Second Place Winner: "Tomato is a Fruit" Salad

You Say Tomato...! Second Place Winner: Tomato "Sass"

You Say Tomato...! Third Place Winner: Tomato & Flank Steak in Awesome Sauce

You Say Tomato...! Third Place Winner: Fresh Tomato & Corn Salad

You Say Tomato...! Third Place Winner: Simple Salad Dressing