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Today’s tomato round-up not only includes How to Peel and Seed a Tomato, but also:

• How to Buy and Store Fresh Tomatoes
• How to Peel and Seed A Tomato
• How to Freeze Tomatoes
• Buying the Best Canned Tomatoes
• And finally Links to Great Tomato Recipes

How to Buy and Store Tomatoes

When you pick up a good tomato, it should feel heavy for its size and have a distinct tomato-y smell. It should have a little “give” when you feel it, but not be mushy, and the skin should not be bruised or have blemishes or cracks.

The best place to get tomatoes is in your own backyard vegetable garden or from a local farmer’s market. Tomatoes in the grocery store are often picked before they’re ready, artificially ripened, and not as flavorful as the locally grown fresh varieties. Canned tomatoes can often be better than the tomatoes in the grocery store.

Do not refrigerate tomatoes, because their texture will change; they’ll become mealy. Instead, store them on your counter top in a cool, dry spot, stem side down. Don’t stack them on top of each other, because they’ll tend to make each other mushy. Store them in a single layer.

There are roughly three types of tomatoes generally found at the grocery store.

1. Slicing tomatoes:

One popular kind is the beefsteak tomato.

It is grown for fresh use, and it yields large slices perfect for sandwiches! Look for the sign or the label on the tomato itself.

2. Paste/Canning tomatoes:

These are often smaller and more oblong-shaped than slicing tomatoes. They tend to be meatier and have fewer seeds – perfect for making sauces with creamy texture and lots of flavor, or canning for the long winter! One popular variety is the Roma tomato. These are also known as “plum tomatoes.”

3. Tiny ones:

Cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes are the most popular. These are great for adding tomato flavor to dishes without any of the moisture associated with the cut fruit — perfect for pasta salads or green salads!

In the summertime, especially at Farmer’s Markets, there are of course, many more varieties of tomatoes available. Here’s a great website with a description and photos of dozens of tomatoes.

How to Peel and Seed a Tomato

Some of you might be thinking – “why do I ever need to peel and seed a tomato?”

It can be a matter of preference but, generally speaking, for recipes with quick cooking times it is best to peel the tomatoes. Recipes that call for a long simmering time usually do not have you peel the tomatoes. In my Guacamole recipe I do not peel the tomato but I do seed it as all those extra seeds (and juice) really throw off the texture and can make it watery.

Start by cutting an X in the bottom of the tomato with a very sharp knife. You want to just pierce the skin.

If you are peeling just one or two (or three!) tomatoes put them in a heat-proof (Pyrex) bowl big enough so that when you add the water they will be totally covered.

Pour BOILING water over the tomato(es.)

Within about 10-15 seconds, the skin will have burst. (There are some who say to leave the tomato in the water for 3-to-4 minutes. WRONG! You do not want the tomato to cook and get mushy.)

Remove the tomato from the water with a pair of tongs.

You can also do this in a pot of boiling water, using tongs to add and remove the tomato from the pot.

Prepare an ice-bath, which is just a bowl of water with ice cubes in it.

Using tongs, drop the tomato into the ice bath.

This cools off the tomato and stops the cooking process. Remove the tomato from the ice bath and the skin now just slips off…

…and the tomato is all peeled.

To remove the seeds, cut the tomato in half with the blade of the knife parallel to the stem.

You can gently squeeze the tomato to remove the seeds, or just ease them out with your finger.

Once tomatoes are peeled and seeded they can get added to salads, dips, sauces, cold soups, etc.

The longest part of the entire process of peeling and seeding a tomato is boiling the water!

How to Freeze Tomatoes

If your garden is bursting with fresh tomatoes you can actually freeze raw tomatoes.

The University of Nebraska’s Alice Henneman (MS, RD, UNL Extension in Lancaster County) has described how you would go about freezing raw tomatoes:

“Tomatoes may be frozen whole, sliced, chopped, or puréed. Additionally, you can freeze them raw or cooked, as juice or sauce, or prepared in the recipe of your choice. Thawed raw tomatoes may be used in any cooked-tomato recipe. Do not try to substitute them for fresh tomatoes, however, since freezing causes their texture to become mushy. Tomatoes should be seasoned just before serving rather than before freezing; freezing may either strengthen or weaken seasonings such as garlic, onion, and herbs.

Preparation:

Select firm, ripe tomatoes for freezing. Sort the tomatoes, discarding any that are spoiled. Wash them in clean water. Dry them by blotting with a clean cloth or paper towels.

Freezing whole tomatoes with peels:

Prepare tomatoes as described above. Cut away the stem. Place the uncut tomatoes on cookie sheets and freeze. Tomatoes do not need to be blanched before freezing. Once frozen, transfer the tomatoes from the cookie sheets into freezer bags or other containers. Seal tightly.

To use the frozen tomatoes, remove them from the freezer a few at a time or all at once. To peel, just run a frozen tomato under warm water in the kitchen sink. Its skin will slip off easily.

Freezing peeled tomatoes:

If you prefer to freeze peeled tomatoes, you can wash the tomatoes and then dip them in boiling water for about 1 minute or until the skins split. Peel and then freeze as noted above.

For more information on freezing tomatoes: Check this link to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, hosted by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service: Freezing Tomatoes

Storage time

To extend the time frozen foods maintain good quality, package foods in material intended for freezing (that means proper freezer bags, not just any bag that’s left over from the produce section of the grocery store). Keep the temperature of the freezer at 0 degrees F or below. It is generally recommended frozen vegetables be eaten within about 8 months for best quality.”

Buying the Best Canned Tomatoes

(From this point onward, I need to extend an apology to my world wide audience. The following reviews are based on canned tomatoes available in the United States. I would love it if any of my overseas readers could add in the comment section what canned tomatoes they could recommend from their country of origin. Thanks!)

All canned tomatoes are not the same. One should not dismiss canned tomatoes if the first brand you try does not meet your standards. There are many to choose from. Please keep in mind that some brands may have superior canned whole tomatoes but their “roasted” canned tomatoes are rated inferior. This is one purchase where you really need to read the label carefully!

Chris Kimbal, over at America’s Test Kitchens, provides a useful guide. One of the many wonderful things they do at America’s Test Kitchen is test ingredients.

Here is a quick summary of their recommendations on what canned tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato puree they recommend:

WHOLE CANNED TOMATOES- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:

1. PROGRESSO Italian-Style Whole Peeled Tomatoes with Basil
2. REDPACK Whole Peeled Tomatoes in Thick Puree
3. HUNT’S Whole Tomatoes

DICED TOMATOES- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

1. MUIR GLEN Organic Diced Tomatoes
2. REDPACK Diced Tomatoes (REDGOLD on the West Coast)

TOMATO PUREE RECOMMENDED

1. HUNT’S: “Nice and thick,” “tomatoey.”
2. PROGRESSO: “Thick,” “tastes kind of fresh.”
3. CENTO: “Balanced, good flavor,” “slightly bitter.”
4. MUIR GLEN: “Thick and strong,” “good flavor.”
5. PASTENE: “Fresh tasting, “tinny.”
6. REDPACK: “Velvety smooth texture, “very acidic.”
7. CONTADINA: “Good balance,” “slightly sour.”
8. RIENZI: “Vegetable flavor,” “very thin.”

If you would like a more in depth description of America’s Test Kitchen Review, head on over to America’s Test Kitchen and sign in! Thanks ATK!

(Note: America’s Test Kitchen is a fabulous site but not everything is available for free. To have complete access to ATK you will need to pay an annual fee.)

Links to Some Great Tomato Recipes!

Fresh basil is fragrant and delicious! My Marinara Sauce uses canned tomatoes with a nice big bunch of fresh basil. You can wash fresh basil the same way you wash lettuce.

One of the easiest ways to use tomatoes is in Insalata Caprese, an Italian salad that combines tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and olive oil. It’s that simple!

A basic Tomato Sauce Recipe can be made and frozen for future use.

Home made Tomato Soup is surprising easy to make and it is m-m-m-m good!

When summer is bursting with fresh tomatoes and high temperatures, cold Gazpacho is a filling and refreshing soup.

Pasta Salad is the perfect meal to enjoy all year round. Bow-tie pasta, salami, olives, green onions, feta or goat cheese, and of course tomatoes make this salad a summer favorite!

This one’s got a long name, but it’s so mouth-wateringly delicious-sounding that I have to tell you the whole thing: Tomato and Fresh Basil Crostini (toast) with Feta and Roasted Garlic Cheese Spread…mmm. A great appetizer similar to bruschetta.

Tomato pie in a flaky pastry crust is a classically southern way to enjoy your garden’s abundance of tomatoes. (Emily’s pie used peeled tomatoes and it looks delicious!)

Tomatoes stuffed with rice are an easy and elegant dish to serve your summer dinner party guests. Try adding vegetables, sausage pieces, or ground beef to your rice mixture.

Fried green tomatoes are another classically southern dish. Green tomatoes have a tangier taste than red ones, and when breaded and fried, they make a crispy and fresh appetizer, addition to sandwiches, or side for crab cakes.

Don’t forget about the classic BLT sandwich!

Taboule (shown below) will keep you cool because there’s no cooking involved! Plus, with fresh flavors like tomato, lemon, and mint, you can’t go wrong.

Cheers!

Kathy

Source: http://startcooking.com/blog/458/

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The whole merry scene is enlivened by songbirds. Residents such as cardinals, goldfinches and chickadees were joined weeks ago by the robins and, more recently, by such feathered treasures as yellow-rumped warblers and a pair of catbirds that call my garden their summer home year after year. This is just a partial list; I could add juncos, wrens, white-throated sparrows, doves and various raptors, including an osprey.

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After stops in San Francisco and Las Vegas, Wine Spectator’s 2013 Grand Tour came to a close in Chicago this past Friday. 200+ wineries hand picked by the maganize’s editors for their pedigree of outstanding ratings were on hand, each pouring one of their signature wines.

The event includes a 3 hour walk around tasting of top-scoring wines, a light buffet that’s enough to make a meal out of, and a souvenir Riedel wine glass.

The event is truly an embarrassment of riches. This was the second Grand Tour I’ve attended and just as with the first I found myself in stretches where I was pouring out epic $200+ wines just to clear way for the next amazing wine. As an attendee there are just too many must-try wines to tackle in a single night. The best you can do is indulge and enjoy until your palate is shot.

If you’ve never been to Navy Pier before it’s kind of like an indoor Fisherman’s Wharf or Faneiul Hall kind of place. We didn’t realize the Spectator event was on the far end of the pier or we may have had the cab drop us off there. But we had time to spare so we enjoyed walking through Navy Pier, mingling with kids on their way to their high school proms. It was quite a scene – kids today!

We arrived at about 6:30 for the 7:00 pm event and a formidable line had already formed. Security did a great job controlling things throughout the night. Not that the “rowdies” at a Spectator event are hard to control, but they were quite courteous. For example, after we got our tickets from Will Call we technically should have gotten back in the entry queue to get wrist bands. But a kind security guard spared us the line and retrieved wrist bands for us. Nice!

But I started to have concerns this would be a crowded event with lines forming around the marquee wines. One thing I loved about the Boston Grand Tour in 2011 was the moderate crowd levels. You could walk around and taste most any wine with hardly a wait. Would this event be more like The Boston Wine Expo which is notorious for having long lines at each table?

While waiting in line we chatted with a nice couple from Michigan so time flew by. We were inside the Grand Ballroom before we knew it. We made a beeline for the California Pinot Noirs.

We started with the 2010 MacPhail Pratt Vineyards Pinot Noir. I’d never tried MacPhail before but have wanted to ever since Belle Glos winemaker Joe Wagner mentioned them as one of his personal favorites. The MacPhail was bursting with flavor; a very satisfying wine. 90WS/$49 retail.

Next to MacPhail was a Flowers Pinot Noir- the 2010 Flowers Sea View Ridge Block 20. I thought the de-emphasis of Flowers in the front label in favor of a more prominent mention of the vineyard was an interesting play. The wine is very elegant and delicious. 91WS/$75 retail.

Siduri was on hand pouring their 2011 Siduri Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir. I didn’t try that but wish I had. I bet that was a winner.

But I did try the 2011 Belle Glos Las Alturas Pinot Noir. I’ve had this wine many times across the last few vintages and it has been so reliably delicious. I asked the assistant winemaker, who was pouring the wine, how they achieved that distinctive slight sweetness in their Pinot Noir in general and the Las Alturas’ flavor profile specifically. He described how they let the grapes start to shrivel just a bit on the vine (a technique which Belle Glos’ parent company Caymus employs on their Cabernets as well) but before the grapes lose hydration. It sounds like a recipe for over-ripeness but I have never once gotten a raisiny or pruney note in any of their Pinots. Not one has been overripe. Their wines are so plush it’s hard not to like them. Spectator hasn’t rated the 2011 yet but the past two vintages scored 92 points. Around $44.

Tasting the Las Alturas served as a nice calibration mechanism. But before we got too carried away we thought it would be good to get some food. We were considering going out to dinner before but I’m glad we didn’t. That would have made us late and there was plenty of food to be had. Pastas, paninis, cheese, crackers and bread along with an array of desserts and coffee. A quick bite to eat and we were back in the game.

Some of the wineries were set up on a half-circle on the second level of the venue. We settled in for quite a stretch: Joseph Phelps Insignia, Cos d’Estournel, Pontet-Canet and more all lined up in a row.

I remember trying the Phelps Insignia at the event in Boston. It was amazing. I remember thinking to myself that if I ever saw a deal on it I’d go for it as a splurge. At $200 it’s a tough price point to get behind – but a great wine to taste at an event like this. Strangely though, the 2009 Insignia was a tannic beast and not nearly as enjoyable as I recall the 2006. Not that it won’t settle down but I wasn’t immediately drawn to this vintage. 91WS/$200.

The 2008 Cos d’Estournel I tried immediately after was eye opening. One tip I picked up from the gentleman pouring Chateau Palmer at the Boston event was that when you’re buying Bordeaux for enjoyment, buy in the “off” vintages. In Bordeaux, 2005, 2009 and 2010 are the recent ones with substantial hype. The 2008 Cos d’Estournel was charming on the nose and elegantly satisfying on the palate. 90WS/$135.

Me (left) with Wine Spectator Senior Editor James Molesworth

Just as I’m having a debate in my mind about the Bordeaux value proposition, I see Wine Spectator Senior Editor James Molesworth. He covers Bordeaux, The Rhone Valley and more for the magazine so he’s the perfect guy to help me relate to what I just tasted.

I explain my theory about buying Bordeaux for consumption in off vintages, how fantastic I thought the ’08 Cos d’Estournel was (his official tasting notes for the wine call it “quite juicy” which may explain why I liked it), and how ’09 and ’10 Bordeaux is so expensive that I haven’t considered buying much of it.

He sympathized, I think, and we had a nice chat. I asked him what the next “big” vintage is going to be in France – trying to get a jump on this year’s Scoop the Spectator contest! He said 2011 and 2012 were rather unheralded compared to 2009 and 2010. Finally a rest from the vintages of the century in Bordeaux. I found James to be a kind, engaging, and patient man. It was great to meet him. Follow him on Twitter: @jmolesworth1

Fresh off the conversation about Bordeaux vintages was a taste of a great one: The 2010 Pontet-Canet. 97WS/$210 – it was an elegant, refined wine. I tried the 2008 Pontet-Canet at the Boston event and the 2008 was quite a bit more fruit forward and ready to go. The 2010 needs time.

I’m always torn at events like these whether to spend time tasting new vintages of marquee wines -or- explore more off the beaten path wines. As much as I’d like to take the opportunity to learn, I’m a sucker for certain wines and it’s hard to pass up a chance to taste wines like Caymus Special Selection. The 2010 was just rated 96 points by Wine Spectator and retails for $130. The wine is amazing.

Whereas the 2009 was so comically fruity it was almost a non-wine, the 2010 recovers nicely and sticks a near perfect landing. Plush fruit amply backed by supporting mocha notes make it extremely enjoyable. It’s not at all off the beaten path but for sheer enjoyment this was probably my wine of the night.

A couple of Aussie Shiraz showed nicely: The 2011 Mollydooker Carnival of Love and the 2010 Glaetzer Bishop. The Bishop vineyard is, according to the gentleman pouring it, situated right next to the more famous/expensive Amon Ra vineyard so if you like the Amon Ra the Bishop might be a nice value play.

I stopped by to see if I could say “hi” to Dan Kosta who was pouring my beloved Kosta Browne Pinot Noir that evening. Molesworth was over tasting the wine. They weren’t otherwise acting nearly as seriously as they appear in this photo…

Wine Spectator Senior Editor James Molesworth (left) with Dan Kosta from Kosta Browne (right)

Just when I thought I’d miss him, I spotted Wine Spectator Executive Editor Thomas Matthews. In addition to running the magazine, he reviews Spanish wines so I picked his brain about that category a bit. I asked him about the 2011 Boston Grand Tour event, whether it was poorly attended and whether they’ll ever bring the Grand Tour back here. He said that yes, attendance at Boston wasn’t spectacular, but I got the sense they’re willing to try new venues every few years. Matthews is a true gentleman and it was a pleasure meeting him.

Me (left) with Wine Spectator Executive Editor Thomas Matthews (right)

One more wine: The 2010 Alto Moncayo Garnacha. Just like the Betts & Scholl Grenache wowed me at the Boston event, I thought this Grenache-based wine was fantastic. The 2010 hasn’t been rated by Spectator yet but the 2009 got 93 points and retails for $45. You can find the 2010 in the $30s and I think it’s a tremendous value at that price. The only problem is you can find great Grenache under $15. Heck, under $7! But I think the Alto Moncayo is worth a shot if you’ve enjoyed more affordable Grenache. The 2010 is gorgeous.

Conclusion and Recommendations

I was thinking of how to explain the quality of the lineup at this event in a way that anyone would understand it – even if they’re not into wine.

Take an experiential hobby and lay out all of the benchmark experiences in a row and try them one after another back to back. It’s like taking the best paintings from Van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso and lining them up in one place for you to experience. Like having Thomas Keller and Eric Ripert present their best dishes to you. Like driving an M5, an S6 and E63 AMG back to back. Like playing Augusta and Pebble Beach in the same weekend.

I recall an interesting piece from W Blake Gray about how there are 2 types of premium wine consumers in the US: The Prestige consumer and the Intrigue consumer. Labels and brands are important to the Prestige consumer. I consider myself a Prestige consumer.

The reason I’m a Prestige consumer is because I’m interested in experiencing benchmark wines to give myself a relatable frame of reference for comparing other wines I try.

If you’re looking to efficiently and enjoyably build up a frame of reference for some of the world’s great wines, these Spectator events are the best I’ve found. If you’re a wine enthusiast it’s hard to imagine not feeling like a kid in a candy store. And if you just like the taste of wine there’s a ton of really good stuff to enjoy.

The next opportunity to take in an event like this is October 24-26, 2013 in New York.That events features 2 evenings of walk around tastings like the ones on the Grand Tour plus sit down seminars moderated by Spectator editors including a tasting of the year’s Top Ten wines each presented by the winemakers. You can attend just the grand tastings, either evening. Who’s in?

Although it would be great to have one of these in Boston (or wherever your hometown might be) I thoroughly enjoyed doing it as an overnight trip. Usually when we go for a night out, the kids are raring to go first thing in the morning and we’re dog tired. Not the case when you wake up in a hotel bed! Keep that in mind next time one of these roll around and getting there involves a bit of a trip.

Disclosure: Complimentary admission on a media pass.

Question of the Day: Have you been to any Wine Spectator events? If so, what did you think?

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