Cookbook:Tomato
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The tomato is considered a vegetable in cooking, and are best vine ripened until deep red. Most commercially produced tomatoes are picked while still in a green and unyielding state. This is done to reduce damage during transportation and to increase shelf life. Unfortunately, they are often pale and tasteless when sold. Additionally, most commercial breeds are selected for yield and keeping qualities, instead of for flavour. So, even vine ripened tomatoes can be disappointing.
Tomatoes should be kept at a cool room temperature, but never refrigerated. High cooking temperatures quickly destroy fresh tomato flavor, but can be useful to disable enzymes that tend to liquify a tomato that has been injured (sliced, mashed, or shredded, for example).
Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and antioxidants. They contain MSG.
The seeds are high in fiber and bitter-tasting tanins. The green parts are mildly poisonous, which is not really surprising, as tomatoes are closely related to both nightshade and tobacco.
As its fruit was originally believed to be poisonous when introduced into Europe, the tomato was used solely as an ornamental plant during the 16th and 17th centuries. The first traces of its use as a food there, date back to the first half of the 18th century. Only in the second half of the 19th century did widespread cultivation of the tomato as food begin (mainly in southern Italy and in France). That was possibly only because one man decided to publicly eat several kilogrammes of the fruit, thus demonstrating that it was safe to eat.
Varieties of tomato
Spherical juice tomatoes, known as rounds
These tomatoes are used for juice production. When sliced into quarters, they go well in salads. When sliced thin, they go well in sandwiches. It is often easy to remove the slimy seedy parts from this type of tomato.
Pear-shaped or oval tomatoes, known as consistency tomatoes or plum tomatoes
These tomatoes are less juicy and flavorful than others. They are primarily used to make tomato paste.
Small cherry or grape tomatoes
These tomatoes are usually eaten whole in salads or as a snack.
Wide steak, beefsteak, or sandwich tomatoes
These tomatoes are commonly 5 inches in diameter. One slice is enough to cover a large sandwich. It is usually very difficult to remove the slimy seedy parts from this type of tomato.
Tinned or canned tomatoes
Don't despise the tinned product. In the summer, tomato growers produce many more tomatoes than they can possibly sell fresh. Lots of these (usually plum tomatoes) are put into cans. For cooked usage in the middle of winter, you might get a better tasting tomato from a tin than from a low-cost greenhouse-grown or imported variety.
Sun-dried tomatoes
Tomatoes can also be preserved by being dried in the sun (this tends to happen more in Italy than in England, for example). They are then either stored dry in packs, when they need to be soaked before use, or in olive oil in jars, when they can be used straight from the jar. The taste of sun-dried tomatoes is intense and concentrated. You can use them in pizza topping, where they go well with strong flavours like anchovies, capers and olives.
Recipes using tomatoes as a significant ingredient
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For tips on growing Tomato, check out the
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