Author: Cyndie Story
Last saved by: michelle.armstrong
Company: Culinary Solution Centers, LLC

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
Vegetable Preparation Methods and Tips

Segment 39: Tomato

Chef Cyndie: After the potato, the tomato is the next most widely produced vegetable in the United States.  You may say the tomato is a fruit and you would be correct by nature’s standards, but the Supreme Court in the late 1800’s ruled it a vegetable, so that imported tomatoes could be taxed because at that time only imported vegetables could be taxed.  

On the vine, tomatoes are green, then they must ripen to red.  Green tomatoes may be eaten, but they must be cooked first.  Green tomatoes contain a toxin, called solanine, which is inactivated by cooking.  Ripe, red tomatoes are delicious eaten raw. Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamins A and C, potassium, and folic acid.  

Always rinse and remove the tomato core.  The best tool for removing a tomato core is a tomato corer, sometimes called a tomato shark.  Simply reach in and remove the core.

To make wedges, cut the tomato in half, lay the cut side against the cutting board and cut into quarters, then cut into eighths for wedges.  If you have a sectionizer with the tomato slicing blade, it is easy to make slices.  Remove the core and place the tomato on its side on top of the blades.  Pull the handle and voila, tomato slices.  

A roma or plum tomato may also be sliced using the sectionizer.  See the segment titled Automated Food Processing Equipment for information on dicing tomatoes.

Many school districts are using grape or cherry tomatoes.  They just need to be rinsed and are ready to eat.

You say tomato, you say tomāto, I say eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables every day as part of a healthy diet.