Tomatoes are a basic ingredient in many pasta dishes and are also indispensable in mixed salads. There are rumors that they would taste better without their "innards" and therefore it would be better to remove the seeds and septa. But is that really true? Let's get to the bottom of this question. We also explain step by step how to core tomatoes.
Removing tomato seeds is tedious
How to pit tomatoes
There are two ways to pit tomatoes:
- with a knife (and possibly a spoon)
- with a tomato corer or baller
Core the tomatoes with a knife and spoon
- Halve the tomato with a sharp knife.
- Cut out the green stalk.
- Halve the cored halves again so you end up with quarters.
- Then cut out the cores with a round arc cut. Run the knife along the inside of the pulp. In this way you eliminate not only the cores, but also the partitions.
- Simply scrape any remaining seeds from the pulp with your fingers.
tips
Alternatively, you can also remove the septa and seeds with a spoon - use the tool to scoop out the tomatoes.
Deseed the tomatoes with a tomato corer or a ball cutter
- Cut the top off the tomato. To do this, use a knife.
- Using a tomato corer or ball corer, scoop out the tomato.
- Pat the tomato dry with paper towels.
- Now you can use the tomato as you wish.
tips
A tomato corer is ideal for most tomatoes. It is only better to use a ball cutter for large specimens.
If you not only deseed the tomatoes, but also skin them, only the flesh remains. One then speaks of tomato fillets.
Should you pit tomatoes at all?
This question is controversial among amateur and professional chefs. Many people think that a tomato tastes more aromatic without its insides. They also claim the core element would water down courts. Since these are subjective sensations (and some accepted "lore" from recipes), we wanted to analyze this matter a little more objectively. There is a scientific study on the subject, but with completely different results.
The British restaurateur Heston Blumenthal put forward the theory that a tomato sauce would taste much better with the innards of the fruit and had his assumption scientifically tested and secured. In the corresponding study at the University of Reading, the researchers found that the gel-like (apparently diluting) coating of the tomato seeds contains up to eleven times as much glutamate as the pulp. Glutamate is a salt of glutamic acid that occurs naturally in some foods and is usually responsible for the good taste - including tomatoes.
Important: Of course, this finding relates to really good tomatoes that have grown in the ground during the season (from July to September).
In short, there can only be one reason for pitting tomatoes: some people dislike the look of sauces and dishes with tomato seeds floating around. In terms of taste, you are generally not doing your food and thus your enjoyment a favor, even if it is stubbornly claimed.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:
- as a free PDF file to print out yourself