The Art of Freezing Tomatoes

Freezing tomatoes for winter culinary usages is remarkably easy to do. The process requires no canning, and, if you choose, no blanching. Important to remember is that once frozen then thawed, tomatoes become mushy and make poor choices for recipes that require fresh ingredients, such as garden salads and BLT sandwiches. They are, however, perfect ingredients in sauces, stews, and soups all times of the year.

The items you'll need on hand include the following: fresh tomatoes, such as Roma, Beefsteak, Better Boy, and Lemon Boy (not overripe, but firm to the touch), a serrated, or paring knife, a stock pot full of boiling water, a slotted spoon, a large bowl of ice water, and either vacuum sealer or plastic, Ziploc freezer bags.

 Once you've gathered the proper utensils and ingredients, the process couldn't be easier. There are but 10 simple steps. Rinse tomatoes under running water. Do not soak in a water bath as any contaminates that may lurk in the water will be absorbed into the tomato. Score a small 'X' mark on the bottom of each tomato. Then, place each tomato in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute. This step makes it easy to loosen the skin from the flesh of the tomato. Using a slotted spoon, lift each tomato from the boiling water and immediately plunge it a into bowl of ice water. Remove each tomato from the ice water, and carefully remove the skins beginning at the 'X' score. The skins should slide easily from the flesh. Use the serrated or paring knife to core the stem from the
tomato and/or to remove any other bits of peeling. Next cut each tomato in half and gently squeeze the juice and seeds from the flesh. Save juice if desired. Now you tomatoes are ready to be stored in either a vacuum-sealer or zip-lock bag, however, you my further chop them into smaller bits. Fill either type of bag with the tomatoes, leaving room to remove any air pockets during the sealing process. Finally, place the filled bags in the coldest part of the freezer for 2 to 3 hours to set.

It is possible to freeze tomatoes without the blanching process. Just slice or chop each tomato, place them in a freezer bag, squeeze the air out, and freeze. You must consider, however, that the skin will become tough, and somewhat unappetizing to the palate when thawed.