Tomatoes are a versatile meal that may be used in sauces, soups, and stews. They’re ideal for enhancing the flavor and color of a salad!
They may be pureed, blended, chopped, or eaten whole! Tomatoes, whether cooked or raw, are a fantastic meal that can be used in a variety of ways.
Tomatoes may be frozen. That is a common question, especially among gardeners who have found themselves with an oversupply of them this summer!
Tomatoes may be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. You may freeze them raw, cooked, or even in a tin. To freeze tomatoes, wash them, chop them, and boil them down before allowing them to cool and storing them in freezer bags.
How To Freeze Tomatoes
When it comes to freezing tomatoes, there are three major methods. You may freeze them raw, cooked, or in tins, and we’ll go over all three methods below:
How to Freeze Raw Tomatoes
When it comes to freezing tomatoes, there are three major methods. You may freeze them raw, cooked, or in tins, and we’ll go over all three methods below:
Wash and Dry
Before freezing, wash your tomatoes. After you’ve cleaned them, set them aside to drain.
Remove Stem
Remove the stem as well as the surrounding region. You should also remove the core and seeds, which are usually thrown when creating a sauce.
Flash Freeze
Spread the scrubbed tomatoes out on a baking dish, making sure they don’t touch one another. You’ll experience some touching, but it’s hardly the end of the world. Put the tray in the freezer.
Bag Up
Remove the tray and place one portion of the tomatoes into separate freezer bags. Think about how you’ll utilize the tomato in the future and use it to influence your portion proportions.
Freeze
Place the bags back into the freezer.
How to Freeze Cooked Tomatoes
If you want to cook your tomatoes first and then create a sauce out of them, you may easily freeze them.
Simply cook them as you normally would, either alone or as part of a dish, and then move the tomatoes to a suitable container and place them]into the freezer after they have cooled.
How to Freeze Tinned Tomatoes
Because tinned tomatoes have such a long shelf life, you won’t want to freeze them until you’ve already opened one. Fortunately, if you have half a tin that is about to be thrown away, you can freeze it.
4 Tips for Freezing Tomatoes
Now that you know how to freeze tomatoes, here are our four top advice for getting the greatest results when freezing them:
Freeze Into Sauce
Tomatoes do not store well whole; instead, make your tomatoes into a dish and freeze it. Pasta sauce works especially well since the tomatoes have been boiled down so much that you won’t notice the textural shift.
Avoid Eating Raw
Tomatoes become mushy and squishy when frozen, making them unsuitable for salads or eating raw.
Avoid Freezing Fancy Tomatoes
You can splurge on some very costly, exquisite, one-of-a-kind tomatoes… Those tomatoes, however, should not be frozen. You’ll squander your money.
Use Rigid Containers
To prevent crushing your tomatoes in the freezer, freeze them in firm cartons if you want to keep them whole.
How Long Can You Freeze Tomatoes?
Tomatoes may be frozen for an extended period of time – up to six months! So, if you make them in quantity, you can freeze them in portions and have them on hand as a sauce and soup foundation at all times.
How Do You Defrost Tomatoes?
Tomatoes from the freezer are really simple to prepare. You can thaw them completely before using them, or you can use them straight from the freezer if the recipe calls for it.
If you’re thawing entire tomatoes and want to use them right away, place them in a bowl of warm running water for a minute or two before adding them to your dish. Tomatoes, whether pureed or diced, can be used to your recipe as is.
If you wish to thaw your tomatoes before using them, place the container in the fridge and let it defrost gradually.
Can You Refreeze Tomatoes?
Refreezing tomatoes is not something that is advised. By freezing them once, you’ve already ruined the texture of your tomatoes. If you refreeze them, the texture will be ruined much more.
Instead, thaw only what you need at a time.
The only exception is if you freeze tomatoes, thaw them, and then make a sauce that you wish to freeze. This method of refreezing is totally safe.
Do Tomatoes Freeze Well?
Unfortunately, freezing tomatoes to use as you would fresh tomatoes in salads and as garnishes do not work well.
When compared to fresh tomatoes, the texture changes significantly, and they become extremely mushy. So don’t expect to prepare a salad with your frozen tomatoes.
However, if you want to keep a store of tomatoes in the freezer for sauces, this is ideal. Mushy tomatoes are ideal for use in dishes like this.
They are simple to use and cook with, and you may keep a bag in the freezer at all times.
Conclusion
Fresh tomatoes are plentiful in the summer when everything is in blossom. Allowing those healthy and juicy blessings to go to waste might feel like a crime at times.
Fortunately, we can freeze tomatoes in a variety of shapes and utilize them in prepared recipes. With your frozen tomatoes, you may make everything from pasta sauces and soups to rich and creamy stews.
