Choosing The Best Tomatoes

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

26 Jul 2007 09:32 AM

Do you choose your tomatoes by the way they look? For example, a bright red tomato is always the best chose, right? Um not necessarily. It can turn out to be less than desirable: sour, mealy, hard or even rotten!

There is a lot that can be done to a tomato to make it look like it is ripe and juicy when the reality is quite the opposite. Many of today's tomatoes are engineered to hold up under rough handling by machines, as well as look the best in appearance. This can result in tough tomatoes that appear to be top notch.

Don't get stuck with bland or rotten tomatoes. Use these tips the next time you shop to get the best tomatoes that ever grew on the vine.

Despite my warning above, color can still be a good indicator of a nice ripe tomato, provided that you select for a deep red instead of a bright red, and combine this color factor with others when selecting your tomatoes. You want a nice, deep rich color. In general, the deeper red (notice again that I said deeper, not darker or brighter) a tomato is, the more lycopene it probably has. Lycopene promotes good health in your body.

Tomatoes should be well-shaped and plump but not puffy. A puffy tomato might appear to be bursting with good things, but it is more likely to be watery and tasteless.

The tomato should yield slightly to pressure but not leave any dents or marks when you press it gently. A good tomato is also free of wrinkles, cracks, bruises or soft spots.

Finally, give the tomato a sniff. It should have a pleasantly sweet smell.

Now here is a extra little tip for you to practice after you bring your pick of the crop home. Never refrigerate your tomatoes. I see so many people do this so often. Tomatoes are very sensitive to cold. The best that will happen is that you will halt the ripening process, but what is more likely to happen is that the tomato will turn mealy.

Mary Ann Romans writes for the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com, where she shares money saving tips for today's families. She also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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ljb (3984) 26 Jul 2007 09:42 AM

Good Tips! Thanks

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 26 Jul 2007 09:54 AM

You are very welcome! Thanks for the comment, and who is that little cutie in the photo?