Ashburn, USA, and 197 countries in the world sharing their cultural heritage through food. Become a contributor.

Latest world recipes

Cheese tart with artichoke...

Honey-roasted cherry...

Finnish blueberry pie -...

Pan-seared cod fillets in...

The latest 40 recipes

Love to Cook

Most popular foods

Chicken recipes

Italian recipes

Best Mediterranean recipes

cooking in USA

Recipes {We are the world}

France Cooking

Rich vanilla ice cream

Apple Beignets bretons

Croque Monsieur sandwich

See all recipes from France

Spain Cooking

Spanish olive oil tortas - tortas de aceite

Chicken and pasta salad with asparagus

Strawberry-orange sherbet

See all recipes from Spain

Italy Cooking

Sparkling lemon cream

Stuffed chicken breasts

Baked polenta with fontina and gorgonzola

See all recipes from Italy

tomato:Trendy ingredient

Tomato

There are hundreds of tomato varieties. From marble-sized grape or cherry tomatoes, to juicy salad tomatoes, meaty paste tomatoes, and huge, sweet, beefsteak tomatoes. Their colors range from deep crimson to orange, yellow, green, purple, and chocolate.

Kitchen math:
1 lb. fresh whole tomatoes yields about 1 1/2 cups chopped

How to choose:
Choose those with intact skins and no bruises, that are firm but yielding under gentle pressure, and with a deep color (though not necessarily red as it comes in all colors). Different varieties are better than others in certain preparations. Plums, for example, with their relatively low water content, makes great sauce while cherry tomatoes are great for quick sautes and for using raw in salad.
How to prep:
Different recipes call for different preparations though stems are almost always removed. To remove the core, use a sharp paring knife (a serrated knife works best) to carve a V-shape around it. If your recipe calls for peeling the tomatoes, cut an X in the skin, boil them for a few seconds and then blanch them in ice water; this will loosen the skin and make peeling them much easier. If your recipe calls for removing the seeds, hold a halved tomato over a bowl, squeeze it gently, and work out the seeds with your fingers.

How to store: Leave tomatoes at room temperature until you are ready to use them. Refrigeration causes loss of flavor and a mealy texture.

See all tomato recipes

See other ingredients and recipes