Tomatoes Are a Perennial Choice for Cooks

Those of us accustomed to having the highest court in the land pronounce judgment upon paramount issues of national life will not be surprised to learn that as long ago as 1893, the justices resoundingly declared the tomato a vegetable, not a fruit. Either way, it ranks with lemon as a perennial inspiration for culinary uplift--fresh or canned, or as juice, puree, paste, catsup or chili sauce.

In many sections of the country, fresh large-sized, field-grown tomatoes are not available during the colder months, being supplanted by hydroponic or hothouse-grown kinds. We find most of these disappointingly mushy in texture. Try occasionally the meaty pear-shaped Italian tomatoes, which are sweeter than the American types.

When you use fresh tomatoes in cooking, their juiciness is seldom an asset. To avoid watery results, slit the stem end and remove it; then, holding your hand palm down above a bowl, squeeze the tomato to eject excess juice and seeds. When recipes call for strained canned tomatoes, be sure to force the pulp through the sieve well, to make the most of its thickening and seasoning power, and watch the brands--the less expensive brands are apt to be diluted.

Staples in Diet

Tomatoes have run the usual checkered-gamut of vegetable introductions: they were regarded at one time or another as purely decorative, poisonous and aphrodisiac. Now that they have become staples, it is nice to emphasize their solid virtues, one of which is high Vitamin A and Vitamin C content.

These values as well as good color and condition may be preserved in ripe (not overripe) fruit for as long as five to six days after picking if stored upside down in light (not sunlight) unwrapped, at between 65 and 75 degrees.

The best practice, though, is to make use of only vine-ripened fruit and to store it at once in the refrigerator. Similarly, to assure maximum food value, prepare tomatoes just before serving. Tomatoes of mature size but still green in color may be ripened on a windowsill but will lack the flavor and some of the nutritive value of their vine-ripened counterparts. Immature small-sized tomatoes will not ripen satisfactorily after harvesting. Use them, if at all, for pickling. Do not attempt to freeze tomatoes: no effective process has yet been developed.

Excerpted by permission of Macmillan Publishing Co . from “Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker by the Bobbs-Merrill Co.