Tomatoes are widely used in cooking. They are used as an ingredient in appetizers, first and second courses, salads – both raw and ready-made. Salads with fresh tomatoes, tomato soups, sauces, pizza and pasta with tomato dressing have become quite familiar to us.
How to Cook Tomatoes
Tomatoes are successfully used for cooking various types of canned food. Fruits contain a significant amount of acid, which makes it possible to limit the production of canned food to sterilizing them in boiling water. Depending on what taste the cook wants to achieve, tomatoes can be pickled, salted, boiled sweet sauce, juice or drink. As a rule, sugar, salt, vinegar, citric acid and all kinds of spices are used in any kind of canning. With proper preparation, the product can be stored in a dark, cool place for several years. These preserves are always an excellent addition to side dishes, meat, fish, salads and an independent snack. A well–known tomato product is ketchup, a sweet tomato sauce with seasonings.
Combination with Other Products
Tomato is not desirable to combine with starch-containing and cereal products. It is recommended to eat tomatoes with herbs and vegetables that do not contain starch. It is advised to take tomatoes with proteins and fats, thus improving their assimilation. A useful combination is tomato and avocado, as well as broccoli. The usual combination of tomatoes and cucumbers is not as useful as it seems – the components of these vegetables, according to recent studies, mutually interfere with the assimilation of various components of each other. Tomatoes with liver or olive oil are considered useful combinations.
The Use of Tomatoes in Drinks
The most famous tomato drink, as expected, is tomato juice. It is consumed both in its natural form and with the addition of salt, pepper, celery, Worcestershire sauce, lemon and lime juice. In addition, tomato juice is used as a component of several alcoholic cocktails. Tomatoes can be added to vegetable smoothies based on yogurt, as well as to prepare diluted drinks with spices from them.
Types of Tomatoes
There are hundreds of types of tomatoes – small cherry the size of a grape, huge tomatoes weighing 600-800 grams, juicy for salads and fleshy for pasta, campari and – these are just the most famous of the many varieties. The color of the fruit, in addition to red, can vary from white, orange, yellow, green to purple and chocolate.
How to Choose and Store Tomatoes?
Ripe tomatoes have a rather rich aroma. If there is no smell, most likely the tomatoes were picked unripe. The peduncle should be small. When choosing tomatoes, you need to pay attention to the smoothness of the skin, the absence of cracks, spots and traces of blows. A fully ripe tomato is soft and springy, but you can choose it only if it is consumed immediately. Overripe tomatoes are always good for sauces and soups. In healthy fruits, the skin is thin, and the flesh is monotonous. If white thin veins are visible in the pulp, there are white spots in the core, and it itself is “plastic” to the touch – it means that there are nitrates in the tomato.
The storage conditions of a tomato directly depends on how ripe it is. Room temperature will accelerate the ripening process. Therefore, if you want the tomato to ripen, feel free to leave it warm. Ripe tomatoes are best stored at a temperature of about 12 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the tomato will cease to ripen, but it will not lose its taste and useful properties.
This is a recipe that can be made from ordinary white bread. The recipe is very simple, the filling can be any. Fast, delicious and very satisfying! And for those who are not very “friends” with the test – just a wand-a lifesaver! Try this!
Fresh, healthy, low-calorie salad. It’s good at any time of the year when you want vitamins. Ideally, olive oil and balsamic vinegar are used for dressing, but you can also season with low-fat yogurt or light mayonnaise. A very light and fresh salad is ready, you can serve it.
This is a hearty, appetizing dish for those who like to eat delicious food. It is perfect for a festive table or just for lunch or dinner. Pork belly baked in the oven according to this recipe is very easy to prepare, and the finished meat will exceed all your expectations. You can bake pork brisket just like that, pickled and put on a baking sheet, or bake in foil.
I suggest you try a warming, hearty soup with pumpkin, vegetables and dumplings. A great option for cold rainy days, while you will need a minimum of cooking time.
On vacation, you want to feed a cheerful company quickly and deliciously, so a grilled burger baked on a grill pan with multicolored Bulgarian pepper is ideal. After cooking, the whole company will be fed with these cutlets. And you will have to traditionally get ready and cook this snack.
Cook a burger in the country? Okay, no problem. And most importantly, use the freshest greens and vegetables from the garden. Minced meat and buns will need to be taken care of in advance. But at the same time, the cutlets will turn out very juicy and tasty.
A delicious and hearty snack is waiting for kebabs. A good option for those who do not eat meat and like it sharper. Shrimp can be cooked both outdoors and at home on a grill pan. This is done in a matter of seconds, and at the picnic it will only be necessary to assemble a burger. In addition, this filling option is perfect for wrapping it in pita bread.
As you know, one of the most famous and common dishes in American cuisine is a variety of burgers (hamburgers, cheeseburgers, etc.). I suggest you try a vegetarian burger with a cutlet of lentils and cauliflower. Amazing taste, unique aroma and, most importantly, a very healthy burger has become one of my favorite dishes of American cuisine.