Good Taste / August 2007
Top Ten Tomato Tips
Never refrigerate fresh tomatoes. They will be edible but, cold temperatures make the flesh of a tomato pulpy and destroys the flavor.
Don’t put tomatoes in the sun to ripen - it softens them.
The best way to ripen green or unripened tomatoes is to put them in a brown paper bag and place in a dark spot for three or four days, depending on the degree of greenness.
Add a pinch of sugar to tomatoes when cooking them. It enhances the flavor.
To keep baked or stuffed tomatoes from collapsing, bake in greased muffin tins.
To peel fresh tomatoes, bring a large pot of water to a boil. With a paring knife, cut an “X” through the skin on bottom of each tomato. Drop tomatoes, a few at a time, into water for 10 to 15 seconds. Remove tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a bowl or sink filled with ice water to cool them down. The skin will easily slip off each tomato.
Before serving, wash tomatoes under cool running water and pat dry.
If a recipe requires seeded tomatoes, cut the fruit in half horizontally and gently squeeze out the seeds and the juice.
When cooking tomatoes, don’t use aluminum cookware since their high acid content will interact with the metal, and s may result in migration of the aluminum into the food.
During the off-season when tomatoes are rarely flavorful, substitute canned Italian plum tomatoes in cooked dishes. Cook for ten minutes to reduce the liquid and enhance the taste.
One Tomato, Two Tomatoes…
2½ pounds of fresh tomatoes equals 3 cups chopped and drained fresh tomatoes.
1 (16-oz) can equals 2 cups drained tomatoes or 1 cup undrained tomatoes.
1 (28-oz) can equals 3 cups undrained or 2 to 2½ cups drained tomatoes.
1 (35-oz) can equals 3 cups undrained or 2 to 2½ cups drained tomatoes.
25 to 30 cherry tomatoes equals 2 cups chopped tomatoes.
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste equals ¾ cup.
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
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