Can You Freeze Tomatoes?
You might want to have tomato soup on a weekend dinner night, or you might want to extract puree from tomatoes for other recipes. Well, there’s a lot that can be done with tomatoes in different recipes. So, here we are back again with some brilliant ideas on ways to freeze tomatoes at home.
There are multiple variants available for freezing tomatoes. You can select any tip that suits your requirement. Tomatoes are a unique food item that can be frozen in multiple ways- cooked, uncooked, fresh ripe tomatoes, sliced, chopped, and so on. So, either pick your tomatoes from your garden or get them from the market and drop them in the freezer.
Tomato is excellent in vitamin C content and aids in weight loss. It is good for your skin and overall physique. Thus, be it any type of salad, tomatoes are a part of it. You can eat it raw or in cooked form as well. It tastes phenomenal either way. You can use your home freezer to freeze tomatoes and use them across the year.
You can use a frozen tomato in so many ways in your recipe. If you are using the common way of freezing tomatoes in the freezer then we have some other options for freezing as well. Keep reading till the end to know about ways of freezing tomatoes effectively.
How to Freeze Tomatoes Sliced or Chopped?
So, if you wish to have frozen tomatoes for later use in salads or other dishes then you can follow this method. The time required for preparing tomatoes for freezing is less as well. First, take fresh and mature tomatoes.
Discard any tomato that is near to getting spoiled as it will affect others while they freeze. The next step is to wash the tomatoes thoroughly with cold running water. Be sure to get rid of any dirt or soil on the tomatoes.
Then dry them using a kitchen towel by gently rubbing tomatoes. Now get rid of any leafy parts attached to the tomato by slicing it from up. After discarding all the green parts of tomatoes, you can slice them or chop them as per your need.
Take care that the slices are sufficiently thick (approx. ½ to 1 inch thick) so that they don’t wilt in the freezer. Similarly, you will be placing the chopped tomatoes in the freezer, thus, make sure they are enough large to freeze accordingly.
Next, take a baking tray and line it with parchment paper. Shift the chopped tomatoes to the baking tray and flash freeze in the freezer for three to four hours. When the sliced tomatoes are frozen well you can remove them from the freezer and transfer them to an airtight bag or container.
Stack the frozen tomato slices or chunks properly and seal tightly. Add a label to the container and pop it into the freezer.
Can You Place Tomatoes in the Freezer Without Blanching?
Yes, you can do that. There are biased comments on this topic but, you can indeed freeze tomatoes without blanching. They can be placed directly into the freezer and frozen for several months without any spoilage. However, if your recipe demands blanched tomatoes then it is better to blanch them and freeze them. We have discussed another method for freezing tomatoes in the freezer in the following section.
Method for Freezing Raw Tomatoes
Raw tomatoes are best-served fresh in salads or along with chicken recipes. However, if you are thinking of any frozen food that goes well with different dishes, then it has to be a tomato. So, if you have accidentally landed upon too many tomatoes and don’t wish to waste them.
Here’s how to freeze raw tomatoes in your freezer effectively for a long time. First, wash your raw and fresh tomatoes with water. You can either run them through cold water or dip them in a bowl containing water. Chop their excess green parts then, gently rub tomatoes with a kitchen towel or napkin to dry them.
Once they are well-dried you can dip them in a pan containing boiled water. Soak them in the pan for a minute or two and then drain them using a sieve. Now, start removing the peels from the tomatoes and place them on a lined baking tray.
Shift this tray to the freezer and freeze the blanched tomatoes for a couple of hours. After some time, you can remove the frozen tomatoes from the freezer and transfer them to freezer-safe containers. Label these containers and freeze them further.
How to Freeze Recipes of Tomato?
Tomatoes are extensively used in many Indian dishes. Thus, if you wish to freeze your tomato curry or sauce in the freezer then you can do so easily. First, cook your tomato recipe and cool it completely before you move it into the freezer.
Then, take a clean and dry airtight container and shift your food item to it. Tap the box twice so that excess air gets released and then seal it with the lid. Now, shift this box into the freezer and freeze it for later use.
How to Freeze Tomatoes for Sauce or Salsa?
Now, many may suggest you store tomatoes by canning them. But, there’s an easy way to prepare frozen tomatoes for sauces. For freezing tomatoes for these recipes, you will mostly need them in a puree form. So, start by preparing tomato puree from fresh tomatoes.
Wash mature and clean tomatoes and then dry them using a kitchen towel. Always select firm ripe tomatoes for freezing. Once the tomatoes are well-dried you can blanch them in simmering hot water for 5-6 minutes. After blanching the tomatoes, transfer them over a sieve and drain them.
Now place this sieve over a large container and start pressing the cooked tomatoes using a spatula or knife. The tomato puree will settle down in the pan and at this stage, you can add a pinch of salt to the puree for extra taste.
Now store this puree entirely in a freezer bag or shift it to ice cube trays to prepare ice cubes. If you are preparing ice cubes of puree then remove them from the freezer and transfer them to an airtight bag as well.
Shift these bags into the freezer and don’t forget to add appropriate labels to the bags before freezing.
How to Defrost Frozen Tomatoes? Can You Refreeze Tomato Recipe?
What is better than enjoying meals cooked at home with your garden tomatoes? Be it any time of the year, one can never say no to a tomato. So, when you wish to use them in your dishes tomatoes can be used directly while cooking.
Frozen tomatoes will automatically release their flavor into the meals without any hectic process of defrosting. However, if you wish to use them in your salads then you might want to thaw them overnight in the fridge. You can freeze tomatoes effectively but do not refreeze them unless you want them to lose their texture.
Tips to Freeze Tomatoes
August and September are great times to harvest tomatoes and freeze them for using them across Christmas. Lastly, we have some tips that you can use.
- Tomatoes will perform really well in the freezer for three to four months. Therefore, follow the tips and methods given above to freeze them properly.
- Do keep a check on the quality of the tomatoes in the freezer every few days. And add labels for quick identification.
- Frozen tomatoes are best when you use them in soups and sauces. Thus, try different food dishes as per your choice.
Your search for how to freeze tomatoes ends right here. So, if you have a chef within you who awaits to showcase their talent at any Beat Bobby Flay show, then now you know how to use frozen tomatoes in your dish as well!