Everything to Know About Tomatoes

How to choose, cut, store and cook these juicy jewels of summer.

May 31, 2023

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Photo by: Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

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By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen

Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor at Food Network.

You can find tomatoes year-round at your grocery store, but peak-flavor tomatoes come into season during the summer. Here’s everything you need to know about the different varieties of tomatoes, how to pick out ripe ones, how to cut them and what to cook with them.

Red ripe tomatoes growing in a greenhouse. Ripe and unripe tomatoes in the background.

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Red ripe tomatoes growing in a greenhouse. Ripe and unripe tomatoes in the background.

Photo by: Sjo/Getty Images

Sjo/Getty Images

What Are Tomatoes?

Tomatoes are a fruit that is part of the nightshade family, which also includes potatoes, peppers and eggplants. Although the U.S. Supreme Court declared them a vegetable in 1893, tomatoes are technically a fruit since they grow on a vine. Tomatoes come in a variety of colors, from green to yellow to red, and in different shapes, ranging from small spheres to large ovals. The flavor of tomatoes, including their sweetness and acidity levels, varies depending on the variety, growing conditions and ripeness at harvest.

Multi-colored baby heirloom tomatoes at a local farmer's market.

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Multi-colored baby heirloom tomatoes at a local farmer's market.

Photo by: Lynn Chyi - lynnchyi.com/Getty Images

Lynn Chyi - lynnchyi.com/Getty Images

When Are Tomatoes In Season?

Tomatoes are in season from May through October, with some variation depending on where you live.

How to Know When Tomatoes Are Ripe

Look for tomatoes that are firm but yield slightly to the touch, are heavy for their size and are intensely, uniformly colored with smooth, shiny skin. Note that heirloom tomatoes may have blemishes, but that doesn’t necessarily affect quality. Smell the blossom end — it should have an earthy, fresh tomato smell.

How to Store Tomatoes

Store tomatoes at room temperature for several days for optimal storage. Do not store tomatoes in the refrigerator as the cold temperatures kill the flavor and yield a mealy texture.

High angle close up of farmer holding bunch of fresh tomatoes.

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High angle close up of farmer holding bunch of fresh tomatoes.

Photo by: Mint Images/Getty Images

Mint Images/Getty Images

9 Varieties of Tomatoes

There are dozens of varieties of tomatoes, but here is a list of nine common varieties.

  • Beefsteak: Big and juicy with a mild flavor and thick flesh. They have a high water content, so they’re best eaten raw in salads or sandwiches.

  • Plum: Thin skins, few seeds, meaty flesh and a tangy flavor profile. Plum tomatoes are relatively low in water content, so they’re a good choice for tomato-based sauces.

  • Cherry: Sweet, round, bite-size tomatoes with thin, snappy skins. Cherry tomatoes are commonly red in color but also come in orange, green and yellow. Enjoy them raw or cooked.

  • Grape: Small, oblong-shaped tomatoes with a sweet flavor profile. Their slightly lower water content and firm, sturdy character makes well-suited to sautéing, but they’re also excellent eaten raw or roasted.

  • Globe: Part of the “slicer tomato” family, globe tomatoes have a thin, snappy skin and a juicy interior. Slice ‘em and add to burgers, wraps and sandwiches.

  • Cocktail: Sweet and tangy in flavor and somewhere between a cherry tomato and a globe tomato in size. One common variety is marketed as Campari tomatoes.

  • Green: Unripe tomatoes that are commonly used to make the Southern classic dish of fried green tomatoes. They can also be sliced and added raw to salads.

  • On the Vine: Also known as hot house tomatoes, meaning they’re grown in greenhouses. They are mild, but the intensity of flavor varies.

  • Heirloom: Often the most flavorful and tomato-tasting variety. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, from golden yellow to green to orange to purplish-red.

For more info, check out our primer A Concise Guide to the Different Types of Tomatoes.

Tomato being sliced with a sharp kitchen knife

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Tomato being sliced with a sharp kitchen knife

Photo by: brazzo/Getty Images

brazzo/Getty Images

How to Cut a Tomato

  1. Use a serrated or razor-sharp knife: this will slice through the skin smoothly without crushing the flesh.
  2. Slice off the stem-end: lay a tomato on its side and slice off the stem-end.

  3. Slice or quarter the tomato: make parallel slices down the length of the tomato. From here, you can chop or dice the tomatoes according to your recipe or desired use. If you're making salsa, slice the tomato into quarters and grate using the wide holes of a box grater, then discard the skin.

Food stylist: Jamie Kimm 
Prop Stylist: Marina Malchin ,Food stylist: Jamie Kimm 
Prop Stylist: Marina Malchin

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Food stylist: Jamie Kimm Prop Stylist: Marina Malchin ,Food stylist: Jamie Kimm Prop Stylist: Marina Malchin

Photo by: Antonis Achilleos

Antonis Achilleos

What to Cook with Tomatoes

Tomatoes are commonly eaten raw in salads, like this gorgeous, multi-variety Tomato Salad (pictured above) and sandwiches, like these Avocado BLTs. Tomatoes are often cooked into soups, sauces and baked dishes, grilled, sauteed or roasted, as with these Crostini with Thyme-Roasted Tomatoes.

Some of the best summer dishes to make with peak-season tomatoes include a sweet-tangy-creamy Peach Caprese Salad, Rigatoni with No-Cook Tomato Sauce or The Best Gazpacho. Showcase the rainbow hues and myriad flavors of tomatoes with this show-stopping Heirloom Tomato Pie. Fresh tomato salsa is always a winner in our book, and it goes way beyond chips and salsa. Try this Chili-Rubbed Pan-Roasted Chicken with Fresh Tomato Salsa or this hearty Pinto Bean Salsa Salad, where halved cherry tomatoes team up with fresh corn kernels.

For an easy tomato-centric weeknight supper, try making Sheet Pan Caprese Chicken with juicy, roasted cherry tomatoes or Thai Shrimp Stir-fry with Tomatoes and Basil. Tote a pasta salad chockful of cherry tomatoes to your next cookout or potluck picnic, like this crowd-pleasing Summer Pasta Salad or easy Tortellini Caprese Salad.

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