How to pick a good tomato (and salvage a bad one)

It can be hard to tell the texture of a tomato from its exterior, but you can set yourself up for success. Photo / Christopher Simpson, The New York Times

Don’t settle for a mealy tomato. Here are five expert tips from a chef to make sure they’re delicious every time.

Long before Suzanne Cupps knew she wanted to be a chef, she knew she loved tomato sandwiches. Throughout her childhood summers, she would visit her grandfather on his central Pennsylvania farm, where he would press thick slices of ripe tomatoes, still fragrant from the vine, between white bread slathered with mayonnaise. He made that sandwich every day before lunch and before dinner, just for her, because it was her favourite.

It remains a favourite even as she has created countless tomato dishes in her work, and now as chef of her own restaurant, Lola’s, in New York City. Cupps works closely with farmers to get the tastiest fruit but recognises that most home cooks don’t have that option. And, even for those who grow their own, some seasons yield better fruit than others.

Here, then, are her tips for how to avoid mealy, flavourless tomatoes and what to do with them when you can’t avoid them:

Don’t refrigerate

The way tomatoes look – round and taut or amoebic and ridged – doesn’t correlate with their flavour. “They’re one of the trickiest crops because it’s hard to tell which are good,” Cupps said. What she is certain of is that mealy tomatoes are “the worst, and putting them in the fridge makes them mealy”.

Buy in a range of ripeness

Ripe tomatoes carry the most intense sweetness, tang and juiciness. Give the tomatoes a little squeeze and choose some that feel like water balloons to eat immediately and firmer ones for later in the week. Once home, Cupps says, set them stem side down on a kitchen towel to prevent bruising, and in a cool place to keep them from ripening too quickly.

Blend them into soups and sauces

Breaking down mealy tomatoes in a blender or food processor eliminates their wet-sand sadness. Cupps considers making gazpacho to be the easiest way to do this and also suggests blending mediocre tomatoes with vinegar, olive oil and shallot (or your favourite vinaigrette) for a summery salad dressing.

Cook them down

The most low-effort way to deal with a lot of mealy tomatoes is to roast them. Second to that is slowly simmering them into pasta sauce, soup or tomato jam, or searing them for salsa.

Add flavour bombs

If you really want to bite into some nice tomatoes but have only mealy ones, try the art of distraction: add punchy heat, as in the accompanying kimchi soup, or simply mix chopped tomatoes with any chilli paste. “It’s a way to bring that freshness and also flavour – that’s also some of what those tomatoes are missing,” Cupps said.

This may be your lucky summer, with nothing but slick, sweet tomatoes destined for tomato sandwiches. But if you end up with some that are less than stellar, you can still save – and savour – them.

Recipe: Cold tomato and kimchi soba noodle soup

Cold tomato and kimchi soba noodle soup. Photo / Julia Gartland, The New York Times

When the coolness of gazpacho meets the punchiness of kimchi, magic happens. The result is a cold soup that is alive with freshness and rich with layered flavours that belie its ready-in-minutes preparation. The fruity tang of tomatoes and the mild vegetal sweetness of cucumbers are emboldened by the sour heat of kimchi. The soup serves as the perfect base for nutty soba, a noodle that always performs exceptionally well when served cold. If you don’t have soba, try rice, egg or wheat noodles. The soup could also be consumed noodle-free, served with crusty bread for a simple and quick meal that deeply satiates. If you like, top with extra kimchi and, on extra-hot days, dot with a few ice cubes.

Volume: 4 servings

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• Salt and pepper
• 250g soba noodles
• 1 punnett cherry tomatoes
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, roughly chopped
• 1 cup vegan or nonvegan cabbage kimchi (brine is fine, no need to drain)
• 3 cups room temperature or cold vegetable stock
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Chile oil or chile crisp (optional), for serving
• Ice cubes (optional), for serving

Preparation:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the soba noodles and cook according to packet instructions until al dente. Drain and run under cold water until completely cool. Divide the noodles among four bowls.
2. Reserve a handful of tomatoes and cucumber for topping. Place the remaining tomatoes and cucumber into a blender or food processor. Add the kimchi and vegetable stock; blend until completely smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Taste, and if it needs seasoning, add some salt and pepper.
3. Pour the tomato-kimchi soup around the soba noodles, dividing it among the bowls. Chop the reserved tomatoes and add them to each bowl with the reserved cucumbers, then scatter spring onions on top. Drizzle with a little olive oil and chilli oil, if using.
4. If you would like it extra cold, add some ice cubes to the bowls. Serve immediately.

Recipe: Blistered tomato dressing

A vinaigrette can be as simple as an emulsion of oil and vinegar, but a memorable one carries flavours that hint at the season. This one, featuring charred tomatoes, is perfect for summer. Blistering fresh tomatoes deepens their acidic sweetness. Made with sherry vinegar and olive oil, the dressing is at once earthy and bright.

Volume: About 2 cups

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 450g of tomatoes (about 3 medium) or 2 punnetts cherry tomatoes
• 1 shallot, peeled and minced
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

1. Heat a broiler to high. Place the tomatoes on a sheet pan and broil until the skin is charred and peeling, about six minutes. Flip and char the other sides until the tomatoes are soft and begin to release some of their moisture, about five minutes. If using cherry tomatoes, blister without turning until the tomatoes char, collapse and release their moisture, about 10 minutes.
2. When the whole tomatoes are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a board and coarsely chop. (Skip this step if you used cherry tomatoes.) Transfer the tomatoes with their juices to a medium bowl. Add the shallot, sherry vinegar, red-pepper flakes, if using, and the salt and pepper. Stir in the olive oil. Taste and add more vinegar and salt if necessary.
3. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two days. Serve as a dressing over cooked leafy greens, green salads, grain salads, roasted or grilled vegetables, meat and fish.

Recipe: Roasted tomatoes

Whether you overbought tomatoes at the farmers market, or you’re lucky enough to have a flourishing crop in your backyard, this recipe is a smart way to make use of them once you’ve had your fill of Caprese salad and tomato sandwiches. Roasting tomatoes concentrates their flavours, taking in-season fruit from good to great, and out-of-season produce from just OK to pretty darn good. Once roasted, toss them with pasta, serve alongside a pile of spiced meatballs, or pile atop a puff pastry tart loaded with clouds of ricotta.

Volume: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• Eight medium ripe tomatoes, halved
• Salt, to taste
• Ground toasted cumin, to taste
• Smoked Spanish paprika, to taste
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation:

1. Place tomatoes cut side up in a low-sided baking dish. Season to taste with salt, cumin and paprika. Drizzle with olive oil.
2. Roast in a 200C oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until softened and sizzling. Brown lightly under broiler if desired. Serve hot or at room temperature. May be reheated.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Written by: Genevieve Ko

Photographs by: Christopher Simpson

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