Handy! These tomato hacks are ones you’ll want to know

Julie d’Heygere is the author of the book Tomato tomato. Whether it’s the height of summer or the middle of winter, the versatile tomato lets you enjoy delicious dishes and flavourful sauces all year round. From peeling tomatoes like a pro to ripening unripe tomatoes faster and making tomatoes taste sweeter: these tomato hacks from Julie are ones you’ll want to know.

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil
2. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes
3. Using a small kitchen knife, cut out the stem (and the hard part underneath it) from each tomato in a twisting motion
4. Score a shallow cross in the bottom of each tomato
5. Remove the boiling water from the heat, and submerge the tomatoes in the hot water for 15 seconds
6. Then immediately submerge the tomatoes in the ice-cold water
7. Easily peel the tomatoes using a small knife

Peel cherry tomatoes in no time

Halving small cherry tomatoes can take quite a bit of time. That’s why this handy trick is so useful: place the cherry tomatoes you want to cut on a flat plate, use a cutting board or lid to hold the tomatoes in place and cut through them all at once with a large kitchen knife.

Make tomatoes taste sweeter

Would you like to use raw tomatoes in a dish, but find them a little bland? Then I have a magical ingredient for you: salt. After cutting your tomato, season it with salt and leave it to stand on a plate for about ten minutes. Then pat it dry with some kitchen paper. The salt draws excess moisture from the tomato, giving it a fuller flavour.

Ripen unripe tomatoes faster

Do you have a few greenish tomatoes that you want to ripen quickly? Put them in a resealable plastic bag with a ripe banana or apple. The ethylene released will significantly speed up the ripening process!

Tomatoes in the freezer

In her book, Julie shares several tips for using up surplus tomatoes. But you can also simply store surplus tomatoes in a bag in the freezer – they’ll keep for up to a year!

Tip: try the viral #frozentomato hack. Grate a frozen tomato over a few slices of mozzarella or burrata for a delicious summery snack! Finish with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.