All About Tomatoes
SUMMER IS THE SEASON WHEN TOMATOES ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT SOLO. HERE’S HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THIS YEAR’S CROP.
When to Eat
July through September is the perfect time to eat this fruit masquerading as a vegetable. Most commercial tomatoes on the market, especially the ones you see year-round, are hybrids that have been bred to be disease-resistant and resilient during shipping, but not to taste great. In winter, these mealy, watery tomatoes might be the only game in town, but summer means more succulent options.
Picking the Perfect Tomato
Skin No bruises or wrinkles, but some cracks around the stem are fine.
Color Rich and deep (lighter hues around the stem are okay).
Feel Will be heavy in your hand for its size and give slightly when lightly pressed.
Smell Exudes a wine-like perfume, both sweet and acidic.
Storing A tomato ripens from the inside out; any green means it’s not at its peak. Fried green tomatoes are made with unripe fruit. Actual green tomato varieties look yellowish when ripe. Here’s how to keep tomatoes at home:
Don’t put them in the fridge The cold causes the sugars to turn to starch and the flavor to plummet.
Keep them on your counter Store them out of direct sunlight with the stem side up. It might take four or five days for them to fully ripen; after that, eat within the next two or three days.
Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic You can refrigerate them now, but they must be used quickly.
Freeze whole ones as summer ends Keep them in a plastic freezer bag and dunk in boiling water when ready to use. This will defrost them and help the skin slip off.
Prepping
Stem and core Use a paring knife to cut out the stem and core. (Insert the knife in the center and turn the tomato in your hand). Or splurge on the the Wusthof-Trident Classic Tomato Knife, $60, surlatable.com.
Seeds Use the back of a spoon to remove bitter seeds. Note: The jelly that suspends the seeds holds the most intense tomato flavor and has the greatest amount of vitamin C.
Skin A serrated knife works the best. Don’t skin it unless you have to. That’s where the antioxidant lycopene is concentrated.
What's an Heirloom Tomato?
Basically an ugly-looking tomato. When fancy hybrids took over the market, many less-hardy but more-flavorful varieties fell out of favor. Now these rich and tasty tomatoes that have not been grown for more than 50 years have made a comeback. (All over the world, farmers and gardener held on to seeds.) Some of them may look unusual and misshapen (compared to perfectly round hybrids), they come in a rainbow of colors, and some colorful names Purple Haze, Aunt Ruby's German Green, and Big Boy.
-- Alonna Friedman