Tips and Tricks from the Professionals
Tomatoes
Geothermal energy keeps the crop warm even during deep snows. It’s warm and humid inside the greenhouse. COURTESY OF FRIDHEIMAR TOMATOES ARE PROBABLY NOT THE first thing one associates with Iceland, the land of fire and ice. But that’s exactly what Knútur Rafn Ármann and Helena Hermundardóttir, husband and wife owners of Fridheimar, specialize in …
To some, they are flavor firecrackers and a beloved relic of the past. To others (cough Ruth Reichl) they are “an example of all the worst qualities of tomatoes.” For nearly a decade, sun-dried tomatoes—the wrinkly, umami-packed fruit made by laying tomatoes out to bathe in the sun for an extended period of time—were ubiquitous …
The Greek island’s volcanic soil produces an intensely fragrant, sweet crop. Santorini’s famous cherry tomatoes After Russia shuttered most of its Orthodox churches in the wake of the 1917 revolution, the Greek island of Santorini was faced with a problem: Russian Orthodox monks were their largest export market for wine. Looking for a new cash …
There are certain food items that just don’t go so well in the fridge. IT MAY seem practical to keep fruits and veggies from spoiling by storing them in the fridge, but there’s one variety that should stay out on the counter. The New York Times reports on new research out of the University of …
supplied Refrigeration may slow down the ripening process, but it also renders tomatoes tasteless. This week in science news you can use, an international group of horticulturalists has published an extensive study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looking at the effects of refrigeration on flavour compounds in tomatoes. Now, we at …
Never put citrus fruits or tomatoes in the fridge. The low temperatures degrade the aroma and flavour of these tricky fruits.
You can make dried tomatoes yourself. Cut Roma tomatoes in lengthwise halves, or slice ripe regular tomatoes into half inch slices for drying. Next, lightly salt the open sides and place them salt-side up on a wire cooling rack. Use a cookie sheet to hold the rack and set it in the oven at 190 …
Never put citrus fruits or tomatoes in the fridge. The low temperatures degrade the aroma and flavour of these tricky fruits.
Burnt yourself? apply a slice of tomato to the burn (wrap in cling film if you can). Melanie Campbell
To peel one or two tomatoes run the back of a knife (or other dull utensils) over the skin, and the peel will lift right off. They’re don’t get heated at all, which is nice. To peel lots of tomatoes dip the tomatoes in boiling water for half a minute or so, then remove to …
I always add a pinch of sugar when using tinned tomatoes as it takes away the acidic taste but be careful not to make them too sweet. Sugar also works in vinaigrettes, although again be careful to add just a pinch, it’s like salt in some respects, so can be treated as a seasoning. Angela …
In Catalonia, if people want peeled and finely chopped tomatoes for a sauce, they grate them. They cut the tomatoes in half and grate the flesh through the large holes of a vegetable grater until they get to the skin, holding on to the skin to keep it intact before discarding it. This way the …