You may have won your local bar trivia because you knew a tomato is a fruit not a vegetable, but do you know how to properly slice one? While a tomato is very versatile and a welcomed addition to countless recipes, it can be a bit difficult to tame on a cutting board. How many times have you tried to slice a tomato, only to end up with tomato guts all over your counter and pieces of core in your salad? Chances are you could use some chopping tips. Join us to find out if you've been cutting tomatoes wrong this whole time.
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00:00It doesn't seem like it should be hard to cut a tomato. Get a tomato and apply a knife, right?
00:06But it's not so simple, thanks to the structure of these plump red fruits.
00:10Tomatoes have cores. If that core is removed, you'll encounter clumps of tomato seeds coming
00:15loose from the acidic flesh until you're left with a mushy mess. So how do you cut a tomato
00:21the right way for neat circular slices to lay across a sandwich or firm little wedges to add
00:26a little color to a salad? Well, one reason you may have been ending up with a cutting board
00:31that's a mess of tomato guts is if you're using the wrong knife.
00:35There are many different types of knife, which I'm going to list for you right now.
00:40This is very interesting.
00:42What you want is something with a serrated blade, the kind you find on steak,
00:46bread, or boning knives. You can use a straight blade, but if you do,
00:51make sure it's extra sharp or it won't get through the tomato's relatively tough skin.
00:56Using a dull blade is a mistake many people make,
00:59and it's also a sure way to end up with a bruised tomato and a big mess to clean up.
01:04Once you have a serrated or super sharp knife, you're going to use the core of the tomato,
01:09that firm bit that runs from the stemmed top to the bottom, to your advantage.
01:13If you want to cut tomato slices, the kitchen recommends situating your clean,
01:18de-stemmed tomato sideways on the board and then trimming the top away.
01:22Make your slices as parallel to that as you can, with whatever thickness you prefer.
01:28For wedges, start the same way, by trimming the stem remnant away before situating the tomato
01:33vertically on the cutting board. Then cut your tomato in half, place the halves flat side down,
01:39and then cut straight from stem end to bottom to quarter your tomato.
01:43If you want smaller wedges, simply repeat the process and make them eighths.
01:48Just make sure you're always cutting vertically through the core to keep the wedges well
01:52structured. If you want diced tomatoes for salad, simply cut some tomato slices,
01:57lay them out flat on your cutting board, and cut them into the desired cube size.
02:01Just one extra step, and you're done.
02:04Of course, there are definitely more ways to cut up a tomato,
02:07and if diced, sliced, or wedged isn't what your dish is calling for,
02:11then use some creativity. But follow these basic techniques for tomatoes that are always well cut.
02:18Certain recipes may benefit from a tomato that has been deseeded.
02:21And yes, that can be a lot of seeds to remove. But before you throw your hands up in frustration
02:27and reach for the phone to order takeout, hold up for a second. Getting those seeds
02:31out of a tomato isn't all that difficult if you know what you're doing.
02:35Depending on how large your tomato is, my recipes recommend beginning by cutting it
02:40into six to eight wedges without first removing the core. Once you have those wedges cut,
02:45hold a wedge by the core and carefully slice out the tomato's seed pocket.
02:50You could also cut the tomato in half and then slice inward and around the inside of the tomato.
02:55You can then use a spoon to scoop the seeded portion out.
02:59But what about peeling? Tomato peels can be unpleasant to eat in certain recipes,
03:03such as pasta sauces, so peeling your tomatoes is often recommended.
03:08A tomato's skin is incredibly thin, so you won't be peeling it in the same way you might an apple.
03:13Using a sharp knife, slice an X onto the bottom of each tomato and place them in a colander.
03:19Then boil some water and pour it over the tomatoes, which will loosen up the skin.
03:24After that, you can easily peel the tomatoes, starting at the X.
03:28Then you can dice and slice away. With the right knife and the right technique,
03:32you'll soon be cutting your fresh tomatoes perfectly every time.
03:36Then you can put them to good use in tons of tasty recipes.
03:41What do you want on it?
03:42Oh, just tomatoes is fine.
03:44Just tomatoes? Just the tomato sandwich?
03:48Yes.