How To Core A Tomato

When you know how to Core a Tomato a whole new cooking world opens up to you! . You’ll be ready for sandwiches, salads and even freezing and canning! 

Once you are able to core a tomato, you’ll be ready for great recipes like Fried Green Tomatoes and Tomato Gravy!

Zesty Cucumber and Tomato Salad. Photo Credit Christine Rooney

Why This Recipe Works

• FAST
• EASY
• Cheap 
• You NEED this Skill for lots of other recipes! 

Here’s How It is Done…

STEP 1. Wash your tomato and gather your cutting board and SHARP knife. ***It’s BEST to do this with the tomato sitting on the cutting board so that you don’t accidentally jab your hand**

STEP 2. Use your knife to poke down into the tomato at the base of the stem, Move your knife in a circular motion and slightly in towards the center of the tomato to make a funnel shape. The core will go down about half way through the tomato. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

How Do You Core and Peel a Tomato? 

To core the tomato follow the instructions in this post, to peel the tomato, I recommend following the directions in my Post “How to Peel and Seed a Tomato”. 

Do You Have To Core Tomatoes for Canning? 

I recommend that you do! If you don’t, then while the core won’t hurt you or ruin your canning, it will be a huge hard lump in your canned tomatoes and that is less than appetizing as well as a pain when you are trying to quickly fix dinner. 

Are Seeds In Tomatoes Bad For You? 

The seeds in tomatoes won’t hurt you. They aren’t particularly tasty, but they certainly won’t hurt you. 

Do I Need To Core Tiny Tomatoes? 

No, for small cherry tomatoes, you do not need to core them. For the small hot house tomatoes, if you notice a hard top, you’ll want to cut that off. 

Why Do You Core a Tomato? 

• The core is a tough and bitter flavored part of the tomato. It’s difficult to chew and just doesn’t taste good. 
• You want to remove the tomato core because it will foul up your recipe if you leave it in.
• It’s best for recipes where you want the flavorful, red juice parts of the tomato enhancing your dish! 

What Is the Tomato Core?

It’s the center of the tomato. It is white and hard. 

What If I Didn’t Get the Whole Core Out When I Cut It? 

If you were able to get most of it (look down into the hole you cut), then you will be fine. 

Southern Tomato Gravy www.loavesanddishes.net

TIPS and TRICKS for How To Core a Tomato

• Use fresh, plump ripe tomatoes for this project. 
• You’ll want your knife to be very sharp so that you don’t have to apply much pressure. Applying pressure to a tomato usually results in juice and seeds going everywhere. 
• Use a paring knife (small 4-5 inch long blade) for this job instead of a chefs knife. 
• Make sure to use a cutting board so that you don’t mark up your other surfaces. 
• Hold the tomato down on a surface and go into the tomato from directly above the tomato, poke down about half way and cut in a funnel shape. 
• The USDA has crazy info on tomatoes. 

If You Enjoyed This Recipe, You Might Also Enjoy…

How to Blanch Tomatoes

How to Peel and Seed Tomatoes

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How To Core a Tomato

When you know how to Core a Tomato a whole new cooking world opens up to you! . You’ll be ready for sandwiches, salads and even freezing and canning!

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Course: Side

Cuisine: American

Keyword: how to core a tomato

Prep Time: 1 minute minute

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 minute minute

Servings: 3 servings

Calories: 7kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

• 1 Tomato

Instructions

• Wash the tomato
• Using a 4-5 inch blade paring knife (very sharp), point the blade beside the stem and cut down into the center of the tomato from the top stem area. Cut in a funnel shape around the stem.
• When you have cut all the way around the stem, pull the center out. This is the core. It is white and hard.
• Look down into the center of the tomato and see if you were able to cut out all of this white area.

Notes

• Use fresh, plump ripe tomatoes for this project.
• You’ll want your knife to be very sharp so that you don’t have to apply much pressure. Applying pressure to a tomato usually results in juice and seeds going everywhere.
• Use a paring knife (small 4-5 inch long blade) for this job instead of a chefs knife.
• Make sure to use a cutting board so that you don’t mark up your other surfaces.
• Hold the tomato down on a surface and go into the tomato from directly above the tomato, poke down about half way and cut in a funnel shape.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

How To Core a Tomato

Amount Per Serving

Calories 7 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Sodium 2mg0%

Potassium 97mg3%

Carbohydrates 2g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 342IU7%

Vitamin C 6mg7%

Calcium 4mg0%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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A VERSE TO SHARE

Really thinking about gratitude today. Thank you Lord for all you bless me with. I am so grateful. 

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus