Tomato is a product obtained by processing tomatoes. In general, you can make tomato juice or tomato paste from them, but we will talk about tomato puree or just tomato. These three derivatives differ only in concentration. Tomato puree is halfway between tomato juice and tomato paste. The consistency is similar to sour cream. And now we’ll talk about how to cook a tomato.

In order to cook tomatoes, we need large, ripe tomatoes. You should not allow unripe fruits to be caught, as this will deteriorate the quality of the tomato.

How to cook a tomato - the cooking process

1. In order to cook a tomato, cut the tomatoes into pieces and pass through a meat grinder (grid openings - 4-6 mm)
2. In order to cook the tomatoes, put the tomato mass into an enamel pan (aluminum is not used) and heat it to a boil. Then, while still hot, rub through a sieve or colander (the holes should be small so that the seeds and skins are retained)
3. Pour the resulting tomato mixture into the pan again. At the same time, it should be filled only 1/3 of the container, since the tomato foams very much. Cook the tomato until it reduces by 2.5–3 times. Be sure to constantly stir with a wooden spoon so that the tomato does not burn.
4. The total cooking time should not exceed 45 minutes. In this case, all vitamins and good taste will be preserved. The tomato needs to be cooked over high heat.
5. The hot tomato is poured into jars and sterilized for 25–40 minutes (depending on the capacity of the jar). Then the jars are hermetically sealed with lids.

How to cook a tomato - other recipes

Let's also find out how to cook tomatoes using other recipes.

For example, there are recipes that do not require sterilizing tomatoes, but simply recommend storing them in the refrigerator and using them as an additive to stews and soups. For one of them we will need the following: ripe tomatoes (2 kg), ground nutmeg (1 teaspoon), dill (1 bunch), dill seeds (1 tablespoon), sugar (1 tablespoon) and salt (1 tbsp)

1. Wash the dill for the tomato and chop finely.
2. Wash the tomatoes to cook the tomatoes and cut them into 4-8 pieces. Then grind it in a blender or pass it through a meat grinder.
3. Pour the tomato mass into an enamel pan, bring to a boil, add spices, salt, sugar and cook for 7-10 minutes.
4. Before finishing cooking the tomato (1 minute), add dill, mix everything and bring to a boil.
5. Cool the tomato, put it in plastic containers, close it tightly with lids and put it in the refrigerator. After this, store it in the freezer.

Everyone in my family, without exception, loves tomatoes. When in season, I prepare all kinds of fresh salads from them. I am interested in winter preparations of tomatoes: canning, pickling,... Also, when preparing borscht, I do not use tomato paste or ketchup, but fresh tomato. Believe me, it makes all dishes much tastier and healthier. When stewing cabbage or preparing gravy for meatballs, cabbage rolls, I also add only fresh tomato. It turns out delicious! So, if you use store-bought tomato paste, I advise you to try preparing aromatic and very healthy fresh tomatoes for the winter.

Well, in the summer it is clear that there are quite a lot of tomatoes and they can be bought almost anywhere, but where can you get this vegetable in the cold winter season - you ask? This is exactly what I will tell you about now. Believe me, everything is quite simple! Preparing fresh tomatoes will take almost no time.

So, to prepare it you don’t need a lot of ingredients, all you need is to twist the tomatoes. And that’s it, the fresh tomato is ready. Now pour it into molds and freeze. I most often bottle tomatoes into regular half-liter bottles and put them directly in the freezer.

Ingredients:

• fresh tomatoes,
• salt to taste (you don't have to add it)

Freezing fresh tomatoes

So, first of all, place the tomatoes in a bowl of water and wash them thoroughly.

After this, cut each vegetable in half lengthwise. I most often use cream to prepare tomatoes, as they are much meatier than regular other tomatoes.

Although, you know, my friend, on the contrary, prefers to make this tomato from pink tomatoes. She claims that such a tomato comes out much tastier in taste and less thick, let’s say, more reminiscent of store-bought tomato juice.

Grind the tomato halves in a meat grinder.

Then add salt to the resulting tomato and stir everything well.

Pour the tomatoes into bottles and place them in the freezer.

You can also pour the finished tomato into silicone molds, freeze it, and then store it frozen in a regular plastic bag.

This is how you can prepare fresh tomatoes for the winter, which will allow you to use a quality product in your dishes.

You have to cook tomatoes to prepare many dishes. The most common of them are tomato paste, lecho and tomato juice. In all these cases, tomatoes are cooked for a strictly defined time. It is not necessary to peel tomatoes before cooking. The tomato mixture is usually strained, allowing the skin to be easily removed. For the preparation of some dishes, for example, cabbage soup, borscht or lecho, the peel is not an ingredient that can spoil their taste.

If you still need to get rid of the peel before cooking tomatoes, you can do this in a few minutes. Simply pour boiling water over the tomatoes and the skin will become like a film, which can be removed very easily.

The nuances of cooking tomatoes:

• Before starting the cooking process, the tomatoes are thoroughly washed and the stalks are cut out;
• if puree or paste is cooked from tomatoes, then the cooking process should be completed only when almost all the liquid has evaporated (some varieties of tomatoes have a rather watery consistency, so they need to be cooked a little longer);
• if the tomatoes are cooked chopped, then it is recommended to stir them periodically during the cooking process;
• at the initial stage of cooking tomatoes, the fire should be high, after a few minutes it is reduced, and the cooking process should be completed on low heat;
• before cooking tomatoes for puree, paste or juice, it is better to remove the skins from the tomatoes in advance (the strained mixture will be less thick);
• You can get rid of the skin if the tomatoes were cooked in chopped form using a blender (sharp knives will completely chop the skin);
• for cooking tomato paste, you need to choose tomatoes with the maximum degree of ripeness;
• bay leaves added to tomatoes during the cooking process will not drown out their taste and aroma, but will make them richer;
• It is recommended to place tomatoes in cold water (due to a sharp change in temperature, the consistency of the tomatoes may change).

If tomatoes are cooked in a slow cooker, then select the “Express” mode. In a double boiler, the most suitable mode for tomatoes is “Porridge” or “Steaming”. In the microwave, pressure cooker and multicooker, tomatoes are pre-filled with water. A double boiler requires slightly different cooking conditions. This category of equipment mainly prepares ingredients by exposing them to steam, so the liquid is poured into a special compartment.

Tomatoes, boiled with skins and whole, can be used for many varieties of first and second courses. Tomatoes can be cooked in advance in this way and used after a while.

How long to cook tomatoes

The cooking time for tomatoes does not depend on their size or variety. The key role in this case is played by the type of dish that will be prepared from tomatoes. If tomatoes are boiled for tomato puree, the cooking time will be 40-45 minutes.

If you are going to make juice from the tomatoes, you need to cook them for 10 minutes. To prepare lecho, soups or other dishes where tomatoes should not acquire the consistency of puree, it is recommended to cook them for no more than 15 minutes.

In a microwave, tomatoes are cooked for 10 minutes, in a pressure cooker for 5 minutes, and in a double boiler for 5-6 minutes. You can also cook tomatoes using a slow cooker. In this case, the cooking time will also be no more than 5 minutes.

If you increase the cooking time for tomatoes, the vegetables will overcook and turn into puree. It will no longer be possible to cut such tomatoes into pieces, so it is better to follow the cooking mode and time exactly as recommended.

Tomato paste is used to prepare many dishes; it is needed in winter and summer, and while in summer it can often be replaced with fresh tomatoes, in winter you have to use a store-bought product. However, zealous housewives prepare tomato paste at home. It is much tastier than store-bought, and also does not contain artificial colors, flavors, thickeners or preservatives. In order to make tomato paste at home with your own hands, you need to know the features of its preparation technology and recipes.

How to make tomato paste at home

When preparing tomato paste at home, you need to achieve several goals: obtain a thick tomato mass without seeds, skins and foreign inclusions, and ensure that it is well stored at room temperature. To do this you need to know a few secrets.

• Juicy tomatoes are not suitable for tomato paste; you need fleshy ones that must ripen no earlier than August. At the same time, they must be ripe, but not overripe: rotten ones will spoil the workpiece.
• There are several ways to chop tomatoes:
  • After removing the skin and seeds by hand, grind the pulp in a blender or using a meat grinder.
  • Boil the tomatoes cut into slices, cool and rub through a sieve.
  • Use a juicer with a special attachment for tomatoes.
• In order to thicken tomato puree, turning it into a paste, there are also several technological methods:
  • Hang in a linen bag for 8–10 hours so that the excess juice drains and only tomato pulp remains in the bag.
  • Boil the pulp by four times in a saucepan on the stove, stirring the contents all the time. This takes several hours.
  • Boil in a slow cooker.
  • Evaporate excess liquid by placing the baking sheet with tomato pulp in the oven for one and a half to two hours.
• Jars for tomato paste must be sterilized, as well as their lids. It is preferable to choose small jars. It is convenient to sterilize them in the oven.

The technology option often depends on the chosen recipe, but if it does not contain instructions on how exactly to grind the tomato pulp and evaporate excess liquid from it, then the housewife can use a method that seems more convenient and less labor-intensive to her.

Classic tomato paste recipe

• tomatoes – 3 kg;
• onions – 0.5 kg;
• grape vinegar (3 percent) – 100 ml;
• bay leaf – 4 pcs.;
• salt – 50 g;
• sugar – 100 g.

Cooking method:

• Sort, wash the tomatoes and cut each into 6-8 pieces.
• Place the tomato slices in a cauldron or saucepan with a thick bottom.
• Remove the skin from the onion and cut it into small pieces of arbitrary shape.
• Add onion pieces and bay leaves to the tomatoes.
• Place the pan over low heat and cook until the skins of the tomato wedges separate. This will take about an hour. At this time, you need to periodically stir the tomato mass so that it does not burn.
• Remove the pan from the heat and wait for the tomato mass to cool to approximately room temperature. Rub it through a sieve.
• Place the tomato paste in the same pan on the stove again. You need to cook it for a long time until it reduces in volume by at least three times.
• Add sugar and salt, add vinegar and cook for another 10 minutes.
• Pour into prepared jars and roll up. After cooling, the jars can be stored in the pantry and opened as needed. Opened jars should only be stored in the refrigerator.

Tomato paste according to this recipe turns out very tasty and aromatic. Preparing it at home takes a lot of time - about 5 hours, but the result is worth it. However, there are also simpler recipes, aimed, for example, at using a multicooker.

Tomato paste “Appetitka” (recipe for a slow cooker)

• tomatoes – 1 kg;
• bell pepper – 1 kg;
• sugar – 0.2 kg;
• salt – 60 g;
• garlic – 50 g;
• hot capsicum – 100 g;
• vinegar (9 percent) - 30 ml;
• vegetable oil – 100 ml.

Cooking method:

• Wash the tomatoes and make cross-shaped cuts on their skin. Place in boiling water for 5 minutes, then transfer to cold water. Clean. Cut into 4 parts, remove the seeds with a teaspoon, grind the pulp with a blender and place in a multicooker bowl.
• Wash the hot and sweet peppers, remove the seeds from them, cut them into several pieces and chop them too. Add to tomatoes.
• Pass the garlic through a press and add to the multicooker bowl.
• Place all other products (butter, salt, sugar) in it, add vinegar, stir.
• Set the “Stew” program for 90 minutes.
• Place in sterilized jars and seal them. After cooling, it is better to put the jars in a cool place, but you can also store them at room temperature.

Homemade tomato and pepper paste prepared according to this recipe turns out to be quite spicy. It can be used instead of sauce, and not just as a dressing.

Tomato paste in the oven

• tomatoes – 2 kg;
• salt – 40 g;
• vinegar (9 percent) - 30 ml;
• olive oil – 60 ml.

Cooking method:

• Cut the tomatoes into pieces and cook for half an hour over low heat, cool.
• Rub the tomato mass through a sieve.
• Mix the resulting puree with salt, oil and vinegar, place on a baking sheet or in a baking dish.
• Place in the oven preheated to minimum temperature for two hours.
• Periodically remove the pan and stir the contents.
• Place in sterilized jars and seal them.

This paste can also be placed in plastic trays and frozen. In this case, you will need to store it in the freezer, and you will need to take out the paste in advance to use it.

Simple recipe for homemade tomato paste

• tomatoes – 5 kg;
• vinegar (9 percent) - 80 ml;
• rock salt – 100 g.

Cooking method:

• Wash the tomatoes well, cut off the stalks and the part of the pulp adjacent to them. Cut the tomatoes into pieces and pass through a meat grinder or, even better, through a juicer.v
• Pour the thick tomato juice into a linen bag and hang it over the pan for 8 hours (or overnight).
• In the morning, transfer the tomato pulp from the bag into a saucepan.
• Place the pan on the fire, bring the tomato puree to a boil, pour in the vinegar, and cook for a quarter of an hour.
• Add salt and cook for the same amount.
• Place in jars that need to be sterilized beforehand. Close with metal lids. After cooling, remove to a cool room.

Despite the ease of preparation, homemade tomato paste is tasty and keeps well even at room temperature. Its advantage is its ease of production and lack of spices, which makes it possible to add it to almost any dish when preparing it. Fans of spicy dressings may enjoy a more complex homemade pasta recipe.

Spicy tomato paste

• tomatoes – 4 kg;
• salt – 30 g;
• onions – 0.3 kg;
• sugar – 0.3 kg;
• apple cider vinegar – 0.25 l;
• cinnamon sticks – 4 pcs.;
• allspice peas – 20 pcs.;
• bay leaf – 4 pcs.;
• rosemary – 10 g.

Cooking method:

• Remove the stems from washed tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes themselves into pieces and place in a cauldron or pan with a compacted bottom.
• Cut the peeled onion into half rings and add it to the tomatoes.
• Place the pan with vegetables on the stove and cook for 25-35 minutes until the skins of the tomatoes are completely removed.
• Remove from heat and let the mixture cool to a comfortable temperature.
• Rub it through a sieve. Place back into the pan.
• Wrap the pepper in cheesecloth and place it on the bottom of this pan. Place cinnamon sticks, rosemary, and laurel leaves there.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, cook for a quarter of an hour and remove all the spices from it.
• Cook until the mass reduces by three times in volume.
• Add salt and sugar, add vinegar, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Divide the tomato paste into sterilized jars. Seal and leave to cool.

Tomato paste prepared according to this recipe has a spicy aroma. If necessary, she can replace the sauce.

Italian tomato paste

• tomatoes – 5 kg;
• onions – 0.5 kg;
• table vinegar – 200 ml;
• salt – 60 g;
• cinnamon (stick) – 1 pc.;
• black peppercorns – 25 pcs.;
• cloves – 15 pcs.;
• vegetable oil – 100 ml.

Cooking method:

• Wash the tomatoes and cut off the stems. Peel the onion.
• Grind the vegetables through a meat grinder, pour the resulting mass into a canvas bag, and hang it over a basin overnight.
• In the morning, transfer the contents of the bag into a cauldron (it can be replaced with a thick-bottomed pan).
• Place all the spices in a small linen bag or gauze; the cinnamon stick can be broken into several pieces.
• Place the cauldron on the fire and bring the tomato-onion mixture to a boil.
• Add spices to it and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove the spice bag.
• Add salt, vinegar, cook for another 10 minutes.
• Sterilize the jars and spread the tomato paste into them.
• Pour a little oil into each jar.
• Seal the jars. If you plan to store tomato paste in the refrigerator, you can close the jars with plastic lids.

If you make homemade tomato paste according to this recipe, it will turn out very fragrant. It can be served instead of sauce for pasta, vegetable casseroles, and used as a dressing when preparing fish dishes.

By combining spices, you can get tomato paste with a unique aroma. She will always help out when you need to season dishes, prepare tomato sauce, and sometimes she can even replace it.

Tomato paste is an indispensable product in any kitchen. With it, the taste of any dish becomes richer and more aromatic, and the dish itself takes on a beautiful reddish tint.

Tomato paste is not only a tasty addition to dishes, but also a valuable source of nutrients and vitamins.

100 grams of product contains:

• trace elements: copper, iron, zinc, cobalt, iodine;
• macroelements: potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, etc.;
• organic components: proteins, carbohydrates, water, starch;
• vitamins: C, B2, B9, B1, B6, A, E.

The store-bought product contains much less nutrients. It is much better to prepare such pasta in the summer from fresh vegetables and preserve this storehouse of vitamins, macro- and microelements until winter.

Tomato paste - basic tomato recipe

You will need:

• onion – 2 pcs.;
• water – 0.1 l;
• salt to taste;
• granulated sugar – 0.1 kg;
• tomatoes – 3 kg;
• vinegar – 100 g.

Cooking algorithm:

1. We wash the tomatoes under the tap, cut out the stem and spoiled pulp, if any.
2. Cut the vegetables into halves. If you have very large tomatoes, you can divide them into quarters. Place them in a saucepan.
3. Finely chop the peeled onions and add to the tomatoes.
4. Turn on the gas, pour in the specified amount of water and wait until the paste boils.
5. We set the fire to minimum power and cook the mixture for another 15 minutes.
6. After this, the tomatoes should become soft and it will not be difficult for us to grind the tomato mass through a sieve after it has cooled.
7. Discard the remaining tomato skins in the sieve.
8. Return the pan to the heat and cook the tomatoes until their volume is reduced by 5 times.
9. Constantly stirring the paste, pour salt and granulated sugar into it.
10. As soon as the mixture has boiled down, pour vinegar and pour the dish into jars, having sterilized them in advance.
11. Screw the lids tightly and cover them with a blanket.
12. After the jars have cooled, remove the blanket. Now you can safely add delicious homemade pasta to borscht, stew and other dishes. Bon appetit!

How to cook in a slow cooker

Grocery list:

• salt to taste;
• tomatoes – 1 kg.

Step-by-step preparation:

1. We wash the tomatoes with running water, remove the stem and hard parts of the fruit, cut the pulp into four parts.
2. We put the multicooker in the “Stew” mode, put the tomatoes in the bowl of the kitchen appliance and cook for one hour.
3. After this, transfer the softened vegetables into a sieve and grind. Discard the peel and seeds that remain on the surface.
4. Pour the crushed mass of tomatoes along with the juice back into the multicooker, select the “Baking” item on the instrument panel, and set the timer to 25 minutes.
5. Cook with the lid open, remembering to stir.
6. When the food has reduced in volume by half, turn off the multicooker and add salt.
7. Sterilize the lids and jars and spread the resulting paste over them.
8. Place the filled containers in a saucepan with hot water, cover them with lids and boil for 20 minutes.
9. Then roll up and cool.

In Italian

Tomato paste prepared in Italian is surprisingly aromatic and spicy in taste. Be sure to try it!

What to take:

• oregano – 15 g;
• sugar – 25 g;
• four fresh tomatoes;
• olive oil – 30 ml;
• three cloves of garlic;
• canned tomatoes – 0.8 kg;
• one onion.

How to prepare tomato paste at home:

1. Chop the peeled onion into small pieces. Press the garlic in a garlic press.
2. Heat olive oil in a saucepan and add pieces of onion and garlic.
3. Fry the vegetables for 8 minutes.
4. Cut canned tomatoes into slices. Transfer them to a frying pan, add oregano and sugar.
5. Simmer everything together for 20 minutes. The future paste should thicken a little during this time.
6. Remove the skin from freshly washed tomatoes, cut the pulp and place in a saucepan. Cook the dish for another 5 minutes. Additionally, you can season the pasta with ground black pepper and salt to taste.
7. Mix the pasta. You can immediately add it to your dishes. Bon appetit!

Homemade tomato paste for the winter

Required Products:

• tomatoes – 6 kg.

How to prepare tomato paste for the winter:

1. Wash fresh ripe tomatoes under the tap, cut off unnecessary parts.
2. We cut the vegetables coarsely. You can even use crushed tomatoes, the most important thing is that they are not spoiled.
3. Place the tomato pieces in the pan and start cooking.
4. Set the heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes.
5. After this, the tomatoes will become soft and the skin will come away from the pulp. Then pour the mass of tomatoes into a sieve in several stages and grind with your hands.
6. We remove the remaining peel and seeds, and put the juicy pulp back into the bowl.
7. We ended up with an almost full pan of future pasta. Now it needs to be boiled down to a quarter of the height of the container. This will take about 5 hours. Do not forget to stir the dish occasionally to avoid burning.
8. At the end of cooking, you need to carefully monitor the tomato paste and stir often.
9. The result was a thick, rich red paste. All that remains is to transfer it into sterilized jars and screw on the lids.
10. Cool the containers and place them in a cold place to enjoy the taste of summer tomatoes in borscht or stew in winter.

Recipe for spicy lovers

List of ingredients:

• vinegar – 200 ml;
• sugar – 0.2 kg;
• fresh tomatoes – 3 kg;
• two bay leaves;
• mustard powder – 20 g;
• hot ground pepper – 18 g;
• water – 200 ml;
• six black peppercorns;
• onion – 0.5 kg.

Step-by-step preparation of tomato paste:

1. Remove the peel from the tomato. To do this, put the vegetables in boiling water and then in cold water, as a result of which the skin will easily come off the vegetables.
2. Divide them into halves and place them in a pan.
3. Chop the peeled onion into small pieces and add to the tomatoes.
4. Pour water over the vegetable pieces and start cooking.
5. As soon as the food boils, cook for another 15 minutes.
6. Cool the softened mass and transfer it to a sieve, where we grind it by hand. If any seeds remain on the surface of the sieve, throw them away immediately.
7. Separately, heat the vinegar in a container, pour hot pepper into it, add bay leaves and black peppercorns.
8. As soon as the vinegar boils, pour it into a saucepan with grated tomatoes.
9. Continue cooking the spicy paste until it reduces in volume by 3 times.
10. After this, pour salt, mustard and sugar into the dish.
11. Wait for it to boil and cook for another 5 minutes.
12. All that remains is to put the spicy tomato paste into jars and cool.

This type of pasta can be added to soups, this will give them a unique spicy taste.

Simple preparation with a blender

If you don’t want to spend a lot of time grinding tomatoes through a sieve, then use a blender and things will go much faster.

Main products:

• salt to taste;
• tomatoes – 5 kg.

Cooking step by step:

1. Wash the tomatoes well, cut them into pieces and add them a little at a time into the blender bowl.
2. Grind all the fruits. If after this there is too much juice left, then drain it, but not all of it.
3. Transfer the homogeneous mass into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced in volume by 4-5 times.
4. After this, salt the pasta and pour into containers.

Spicy tomato paste in the oven

You will need:

• ground black pepper – 10 g;
• 10 cinnamon sticks;
• tomatoes – 4 kg;
• ground cloves – 8 g;
• coriander – 10 g;
• parsley and cilantro - to taste.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Heat water in a saucepan until it boils.
2. Cut the washed tomatoes in half and remove the “bad” spots.
3. Place a sieve in the pan and transfer the tomato halves into it.
4. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes, then remove the sieve with the tomatoes and grind them, discarding the peeled peel.
5. Add salt to the resulting juicy mass and pour it into the pan.
6. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and close our tomatoes in it for 2 hours.
7. Once the paste reaches the desired thick consistency, add all the seasonings.
8. We tie the washed cilantro and parsley into a bunch and put them in the sauce.
9. Cook in the oven for another 30 minutes, after which we remove the herb bunch.
10. All that remains is to roll the spicy aromatic paste into jars and cool.

Having something like this at home in winter is a fabulous pleasure! Its aroma fills the kitchen, reminiscent of sunny summer, and the dish turns out unusually tasty, fortified and bright.