How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

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lsboogy
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by lsboogy »

Sounds like southern versus northern Italy battle. I use seeds and the jelly in my sauce. So did Sophia Loren - I'm not a show cook, but my experiments with just pulp have always given me a sauce that was too thick and lacked the right flavor. Dice some tomatoes and an onion, cook the onion in olive oil over low heat with a bit of anchovy salt and pepper till clear, add some paper thin garlic and a little chili and cook for anothe minute or two, add tomatoes and oregano and turn heat up a little and bring sauce to boil. Simmer to taste and consistency, add chiffonauded basil and serve. Simple, quick and fabulous
Bob Z
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by Bob Z »

Thats my kind of sauce too, always start with some diced onion then bit later garlic so it doesnt get too brown then add a can of redicuts or diced tomatoes and eventually basil/oregano later. but i do like some grated parm or romano in mine. Lately i have been using the canned san maranzo tomatoes and wow much better flavor!
old onion
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by old onion »

rayl1234 wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:25 am
old onion wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2018 6:29 am what happened to the videos? They are gone.
Still there for me. Is your browser blocking them? Chrome detects them as unsafe and I have to click "load unsafe scripts".
Been trying to look for something so that I can fix the problem but to no avail.
old onion
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by old onion »

lsboogy wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:13 pm Sounds like southern versus northern Italy battle. I use seeds and the jelly in my sauce. So did Sophia Loren - I'm not a show cook, but my experiments with just pulp have always given me a sauce that was too thick and lacked the right flavor. Dice some tomatoes and an onion, cook the onion in olive oil over low heat with a bit of anchovy salt and pepper till clear, add some paper thin garlic and a little chili and cook for anothe minute or two, add tomatoes and oregano and turn heat up a little and bring sauce to boil. Simmer to taste and consistency, add chiffonauded basil and serve. Simple, quick and fabulous
I think I know what I am making today. :)
marlinspike
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by marlinspike »

jmcnelly85 wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:27 am Cooking for flavor, keep the seeds, cooking for smoothness or appearance, ditch the seeds.
I know people say the guts are supposed to make the tomato more savory, but to me it just tastes worse. Maybe I'm alone in that, but at any rate you can strain out the seeds but keep the gel and you'll get the flavor without the seeds themselves if you like it.
lsboogy wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:13 pm Sounds like southern versus northern Italy battle. I use seeds and the jelly in my sauce. So did Sophia Loren - I'm not a show cook, but my experiments with just pulp have always given me a sauce that was too thick and lacked the right flavor. Dice some tomatoes and an onion, cook the onion in olive oil over low heat with a bit of anchovy salt and pepper till clear, add some paper thin garlic and a little chili and cook for anothe minute or two, add tomatoes and oregano and turn heat up a little and bring sauce to boil. Simmer to taste and consistency, add chiffonauded basil and serve. Simple, quick and fabulous
Change the olive oil to some oil and some butter, it comes out with a nicer texture. If making pasta sauce, I guess I would leave the guts in, but to be honest I buy canned tomatoes for sauce - fresh tomatoes in the store have no flavor and the weather here means we just get 2 batches from tomato plants.
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lsboogy
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by lsboogy »

Find some heirloom tomatoes (saucing variety) and grow them. I have two varieties in my crop that are both fabulous and I get 6-8 small to medium tomatoes a day.
marlinspike
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by marlinspike »

lsboogy wrote: Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:15 pm Find some heirloom tomatoes (saucing variety) and grow them. I have two varieties in my crop that are both fabulous and I get 6-8 small to medium tomatoes a day.
The problem is around here most of the growing season is actually too hot for tomatoes. Tomatoes won't set fruit over 90F, and most of the growing season here is above 90F because of how short spring is here. You get a small crop in the spring before it gets too hot to set fruit, and then you have to wait until October to get another set.
CraigC
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by CraigC »

I have only ever kjnown the first method! But I have also never owned a knife sharp enough to attempt anything else.
Stay sharp.
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by timc247 »

jmcnelly85 wrote: Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:27 am Cooking for flavor, keep the seeds, cooking for smoothness or appearance, ditch the seeds.
precisely
Energizerbunny
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by Energizerbunny »

lsboogy wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 9:18 pm
Jeff B wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:38 pm
lsboogy wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 12:14 am I do the onion with tomatoes, but I have seen many with worse technique than the first two. But it's kind of like watching most people drive for me - because you know how to do something well does not mean others are idiots - just means they have not learned the same skills as you. Catching a slide at 160+ is what you chefs do with knives - the rest of us try to emulate you. Take pride in your skills, but don't belittle others. My brother's knives are dull, he does not know how to cut things well, but I love him.
Very true but those that don't have the skill should not be making How-To videos....
I consider myself much more skilled than many of those making How-To videos but don't see myself as skilled enough to make How-To videos. Make sense? :?
Very much understood. I learn from my chef buddies as much as I can, and they never call me an idiot because my skills are not on par with theirs. I can't even keep up with a line cook most of the time, and when I watch Rick or Jim it seems like they are not even trying but stuff happens so fast it amazes me. I'm a (pretty darn good) home cook with good knife skills and have a great time using and learning. I did driving instruction at Skip Barber for a few summers (when I was young I was a pretty good driver) and the people who showed up usually were unable to handle anything well before they started, but almost invariably wound up able to do things with a car very few others can. I see the point about the videos, but if most of the people I know could even do that, it would amaze me. You folk live in a rarified world of fine sharp instruments and great skill with them. Most of us regular folk can barely cut a carrot. I do wish that people could all take the time to learn to use a knife, but I'm probably one of only a few "civilians" who can matchstick a zucchini without looking at the thing. My brother would take a couple minutes to dice a tomato and it would have chunks that varied by more than a factor of 2.

And just for kicks, I can do limpets video pretty well - and about as fast. Most of my skills have been the result of learning from others.
Working with great chefs and soaking up as much knowledge as possible is how I got where I'm at.

And my chef friends are the same constantly teaching and passing knowledge.

The last 2 years I worked in a scratch kitchen. We did 5 course family style dining farm to table with a set menu that changed every 2 weeks.
I was allowed to be in charge of 1 app soup salad the bread and a side.
He would usually handle 1 app the protein and dessert.

So every 2 weeks I needed to have new recipes my soup skills really took off.
After 2 years Constantly wanting to top myself wanting to hear those words I crave " this is the best x I've ever had" I'm so much better a better baker a better cook a better pastry chef.

Sadly reservation only places like us in an out of the way location in the country we couldn't turn to take out. We went out of business pretty quick.

So I'm sitting on $900 a week unemployment and buying expensive knives cutting boards and think I might need my own Robo Coupe.
Last edited by Energizerbunny on Mon Apr 27, 2020 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Energizerbunny
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by Energizerbunny »

I have a technique for diced potatoes when I'm making chowder I haven't seen anyone else do.

Square them off then slice them in 1/3 inch slices lengthwise. Then par boil them and shock them.

I have a cooling rack with 1/3 inch squares. I then push the cooled slices thru resulting in perfect diced potatoes.
Add them in a and finish cooking right before service.
stewssy
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Re: How to dice a tomato (and how not to)

Post by stewssy »

third one practical if you doing large amounts.
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