Tomatoes in the Thermomix®

When are tomatoes in season?

Grown under glass from June, outdoors from July to mid October, with peak season in August and September across Europe..

• Jan–
• Feb–
• Mar–
• Apr–
• May–
• JunProtected crop
• JulOutdoor crop
• AugOutdoor crop
• SepOutdoor crop
• OctOutdoor crop
• Nov–
• Dec–

Outdoor crop: fresh European harvest. Protected crop: greenhouse or covered cultivation. Stored: European harvest kept in storage.

Buying and storing tomatoes

There are hundreds of varieties: fleshy beef tomatoes for salads, aromatic San Marzano for sauce, sweet cocktail tomatoes such as ‘Supersweet 100’, smoky ‘Black Krim’ and the rustic beef tomato ‘Costoluto Fiorentino’. Ripe tomatoes have an intense, green and fruity scent and feel firm with a slight give. Pale, hard supermarket tomatoes were picked unripe and taste of nothing. Watch out for splits, mould at the stem end and soft, bruised patches.

Tomatoes do NOT belong in the fridge. Below 12°C the aroma compounds (aldehydes, esters) are destroyed and the flesh turns mealy. Store them at room temperature, out of direct light, stem side down, and they keep for 4 to 7 days. Turn overripe tomatoes straight into sauce, passata or soup. Reduce passata down and preserve it in sterilised jars, where it keeps for at least 12 months.

Preparing tomatoes in the Thermomix®

For our Cream of Tomato Soup and Tomato Sauce we blanch the tomatoes briefly, skin them and add them to the mixing bowl with onions and stock. We cook at 100°C on speed 1 for 20 minutes, then blend for 10 seconds on speed 10, turning the dial up slowly. The result is a silky soup with no flecks. For Tomato Paste we reduce the blended tomatoes at 100°C on speed 2 without the lid on (replace the measuring cup with the simmering basket) over 40 to 60 minutes.

We make our Tomato and Feta Dip like this: chop onions and garlic for 5 seconds on speed 5, sweat them briefly at Varoma temperature, then add the tomatoes and feta and roughly chop for 10 seconds on speed 5. For Tomato Jelly we strain the clear juice through a cloth and set it with agar-agar, letting the Thermomix® handle the dissolving and reducing.

The most common mistakes with tomatoes

• Storing tomatoes in the fridge. Cold below 12°C breaks down the aroma compounds. The result is a mealy texture and dull, flavourless tomatoes. Always store at room temperature, even when it is hot.
• Buying unripe tomatoes. If you buy hard, pale tomatoes hoping they will ripen at home, you will be disappointed. Tomatoes need sun to ripen fully, not just warmth. Always check the scent: real ripeness has a smell.
• Not reducing the sauce for long enough. A good tomato sauce needs time to thicken. In the Thermomix®, let it simmer at 100°C on speed 2 for at least 20 to 30 minutes without the lid on (use the simmering basket as a splash guard) until the sauce is smooth and thick.

Goes well with tomatoes

These seasonal ingredients are in season at the same time, ideal for combining:

CarrotsPotatoesBroccoliKohlrabiCucumbersCauliflower

Tomatoes in the monthly calendar: