I acquired a Costco-size tray of "fresh" tomatoes. I'm not a snob about many things, but I don't like grocery store tomatoes. What can I do with them?

Anna K.
  • Posted by: Anna K.
  • March 11, 2017
  • 5029 views
  • 10 Comments

10 Comments

Amy March 28, 2017
Cut the stem end off and score the bottom. Freeze them (skin and all) in a single layer on a baking sheet til they are hard, like marbles (think IQF). I store mine in a Ziploc in the freezer and save them til winter when I can use them in soup. All you do is pull them out of the freezer, and while frozen, run them under warm/hot water for about 5 seconds. The skins slide right off and you can cut, chop or use whole as desired. Not as great as "out of the garden", but a wonderful addition to soups in the winter when your garden isn't producing.
 
Bevi March 27, 2017
Next time, make this dish. It's extremely easy and tasty. https://food52.com/recipes/11500-fish-fillets-cod-haddock-pollack-you-name-it-in-roasted-tomato-broth
 
Anna K. March 27, 2017
Thanks for the feedback, y'all! Sorry to be slow to follow up. I roasted them and then included in a quinoa salad with roasted broccoli, capers, and garbanzo beans. It was seriously good! I have some more in the fridge to use another way. Thanks for the handy trick!
 
cranberry March 12, 2017
Did you taste them? Costco carries Campari tomatoes which are surprisingly tasty, all year around. If it's those, then you can use them up any way you like.
I either roast tomatoes, or I freeze them whole and use them in pasta sauce. I drop a couple of frozen ones in with the boiling pasta for a couple of minutes and then the skin will peel right off when I fish them out. I use them in whatever quick sauce I am making as they thaw the rest of the way while cooking down.
 
mixter March 12, 2017
This is what I do, as well. You don't have to have a costco sized tray. When I have a few plums and/or cherry tomatoes, getting a little beyond what I'd use as fresh ,I toss them in the oven and roast them. It is a low effort project as cv says. Its nice to reach in the freezer for a small amount to add to your lunch soup or whatever.
 
Smaug March 12, 2017
If they have any flavor at all roasting will help a little, but anything you make from them is likely to be disappointing. You don't need to be a snob to despise supermarket tomatoes, particularly in winter- really, they're pretty useless. Thinly sliced they can add a hit of moisture to a sandwich, and they can be chopped to add (mostly) texture to mixed rice dishes and the like, or to bulk up stews- uses where there's plenty of flavor without them- but mostly they're best avoided.
 
Picholine March 12, 2017
I agree with Marie, roast them!
 
MMH March 11, 2017
Would also roast them but then make salsa or sauce.
 
702551 March 11, 2017
Sauce.

Won't be as good as sauce from true vine ripened tomatoes, but it's a low effort project. If you don't want to deal with them immediately, freeze for later.
 

Voted the Best Reply!

Marie F. March 11, 2017
Set your oven to around 275 degrees. Depending on the size of the tomatoes, (plum for instance,) cut them into 4 pieces, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet in an even layer for around 4-6 hours or until them are kind of shriveled up. Store in olive oil and use for lots of dishes needing tomatoes. (Sauces, soups, stews, etc.)
 
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