Some tomatoes are so juicy and sweet, while others can be leafy and tart. If you love sweeter things, learn how to make tomatoes taste sweeter.
Tomatoes are one of the best plants for beginner gardeners and are usually easy to find at the supermarket! No matter where you find them, tomatoes are a natural treat, but some varieties and preparations are just sweeter! How do you ensure that every tomato bite is fresh and sweet? Try these helpful ideas on how to make tomatoes taste sweeter!
What are Tomatoes, and Why are Some Sweeter than Others?
The identity of the tomato may be debatable; is it a fruit or a vegetable? The easy answer is both. Technically, a tomato is a fruit, but it is used as a vegetable in the culinary world, so it gets a little confusing. Tomatoes’ fruity nature means they actually have a lot of sweet potential, especially if you choose the right type!
It all comes down to acid. A tomato with too much acid will not be very sweet. Finding the perfect fruit with the right balance between sweetness and acidity is the key to getting the most out of your tomato.
How to Choose the Right Sweet Tomato
The big red tomatoes you find in stores are often beefsteak tomatoes. They’re great for sandwiches but not very sweet. Gardeners and grocery shoppers agree on cherry and grape tomatoes as the perfect accessible sweet tomato.
Some other excellent types of tomatoes known for their especially sweet notes are Rosada, Sungold, Sakura, and Pineapple. These are great choices for aspiring gardeners who love the sweet stuff!
How to Make Tomatoes Taste Sweeter
Tomatoes are a wonderful master of disguise. They can be a fruit and vegetable, tart and sweet all at once. After you’ve chosen the best tomatoes, the trick is to know just how to make those tomatoes taste sweet.
Dress Tomatoes up!
Most people are familiar with Caprese salad, which combines tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and balsamic to make the perfect sweet and savory bite. The secret to the sweetness in that dish is the combination of tomato and balsamic.
These two ingredients make a sweet and tangy explosion of flavor, but it doesn’t have to be limited to Caprese salad. Mix some balsamic into your other tomato salads, or try a simple tomato dressed with balsamic.
Other delicious dressings can also help make tomatoes taste sweeter. When making a raw tomato dish, consider tossing the tomatoes in a sweet dressing before adding them in for a little extra pop!
Spread Sweetness!
If you love avocado toasts, this trick is for you! Make your tomatoes so much sweeter by turning them into a jam that is great for both savory and sweet toasts. Like other fruits, tomatoes make wonderful preserves. Cook down a pound of tomatoes with fruit pectin and some citrus to make an interesting and irresistible jam!
Sensational Stew!
With tomatoes, timing is everything! One time-honored way to get the most sweetness out of tomatoes is to stew them. Slow-cooking the tomatoes with a little added liquid can unleash all the hidden sweetness in the tomato.
Stewing tomatoes is the key to great tomato sauces and purees. This trick works well with both fresh and canned tomatoes. Feel free to add a pinch of sugar to the stewing tomatoes to really amp up the flavor!
Saucy Sautees!
Cooking tomatoes helps them to release their juices, but that’s not all. The sugars in the tomatoes caramelize and become even sweeter when cooked. Saute tomatoes with butter and a dash of sugar or honey. Sauteing is best with thick slices of tomatoes, so they do not fall apart.
Get Spicy (and Sweet)!
Hot honey can be a great choice if you love to eat raw tomatoes but want a little more sweetness. Honey honey is a blend of natural honey and chile peppers. It’s a great condiment for barbeques, fried chicken, and much more.
Using hot honey on your tomatoes is simple! Just slice the tomato and drizzle it with hot honey. Enjoy the raw tomato on its own or on top of fresh toast. This is a great trick to bring sweetness and a little heat to your snack time!
Pan Fried Perfection!
Pan-frying is an excellent choice to extract sweetness from sliced tomatoes. Pan-frying is similar to sauteing, only with a few additional ingredients. Try thick-slicing the tomatoes, then tossing them gently in cornstarch before adding them to hot oil in a shallow pan. Allow the tomatoes to fry on each side for a minute or two, and drain them on paper towels. The cornstarch and frying help them get crispy while the heat helps bring out their sweetness.
F.A.Q.
Are Tomatoes Healthy?
Yes! Tomatoes are a great healthy addition to most people’s diets. Tomatoes are low in calories, and have no fat or sodium. They are full of fiber, magnesium, and vitamin B. One medium tomato has practically a quarter of your daily vitamin C intake.
The one thing to look out for when eating tomatoes is the acid. If your body is particularly sensitive to acid, too many tomatoes may cause acid reflux.
Final Thoughts
Tomatoes are all about balance; these tips can help tip the scales toward sweetness. Try one tip or try them because tomatoes are the perfect canvas. Enjoy finding everything sweet and delicious straight from the garden using this helpful guide.
Additional Kitchen Resources
All the sweetest things in life are found in the kitchen. Dive deeper into the delicious world of the kitchen with these tasty kitchen resources!
