The Best Tomato Recipes EVER (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with lots of fresh tomatoes? ›

If you have too many tomatoes, making tomato juice is a great way to use them up. You can use tomato juice in soups, to add flavor to meat, to deodorize a stinky refrigerator, or to make a kick butt Bloody Mary.

The salt actually highlights the tomatoes' sweetness by acting as a foil. Think about it: That's why there's salt in nearly every baked good. In the case of tomatoes, the salt is also drawing water out, intensifying the fruits' natural flavors.

Tomatoes may be frozen raw or cooked, whole, sliced, chopped, or puréed. Tomatoes do not need to be blanched before freezing. Frozen tomatoes are best used in cooked foods such as soups, sauces and stews as they become mushy when they're thawed.

Water in the fruit expands when it's frozen, making the plant fibers break. The result is much more mushy than a freshly picked tomato. 1 While this isn't great for a salad, it's perfect for winter sauces, soups, and stews.

You just showed that tomatoes rot faster at room temperature than in the refrigerator. Big whoop... But that's exactly the point: If you're buying your tomatoes ripe (which we should all be doing!) and need to store them for an extra day or two, you're often better off storing them in the fridge than on the countertop.

Water correctly: Do not overwater. The first week tomato plants are in the ground, they need water every day, but back off watering after the first week, slowly weaning the plants down to 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.

Store green tomatoes at room temperature in a cellar to have fresh tomatoes later. If you're going to use your tomatoes in cooking, you can dry them, freeze them, or pressure can them to store them for even longer.

Fact! Adding Epsom salts to your plant either through foliar spray or direct watering is a great way of boosting micronutrient absorption. This helps your tomato plant produce large, juicy, and very sweet fruits. Remember that a little bit goes a long way and too much can cause more problem than it fixes.

Tomatoes & Epsom Salt

Ultra Epsom Salt treatments at the beginning of their planting and throughout their seasonal life can help to prevent and remedy magnesium deficiency in your tomato plants. Simply add one or two tablespoons of Epsom salt for tomatoes to the area before planting seeds or transplants.

What happens when you soak tomatoes in vinegar? ›

Washing fruits and vegetables with vinegar kills up to 98% of bacteria on the surface of your produce. Use 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water for your vinegar bath. Soak fruits and veggies in vinegar bath for 2 minutes.

The Short Answer: Don't Refrigerate Tomatoes

The standard rule is to keep tomatoes out of the refrigerator. It all comes down to science: Tomatoes contain an enzyme that reacts to cold temperatures, causing the cell membranes to break down and leaving you with a piece of fruit that's mushy and mealy.

Refrigeration is not usually recommended for fresh tomatoes as it can cause flavor loss. You can, however, delay softening of “just-ripe” tomatoes by holding them for a short time in refrigerated storage. Flavor loss will be minimal if cold storage lasts less than 3 days.

If the tomatoes are not yet ripe, they are best stored on the counter for a few days until they ripen. (You'll know they're ripe when they're fragrant and give a little bit to the touch.) Once they're ripe, either consume them or go ahead and put them in the refrigerator to preserve their freshness.

Alternatively, tomatoes can be dehydrated using a food dehydrator. Dried tomatoes can be stored on the counter for a few days or frozen for up to six months. Covering them in olive oil can help extend their life even further and add flavor.