You can quickly freeze raw tomatoes without blanching them first. They may be frozen without their skins or frozen whole with their skins. Frozen tomatoes are best used in cooked foods such as soups, sauces and stews as they become mushy when they're thawed.
Tomatoes may be frozen whole, sliced, chopped, or puréed. Additionally, you can freeze them raw or cooked, as juice or sauce, or prepared in the recipe of your choice. Thawed raw tomatoes may be used in any cooked-tomato recipe. Do not try to substituted them for fresh tomatoes, however, since freezing causes their texture to become mushy.
Tomatoes should be seasoned just before serving rather than before freezing; freezing may either strengthen or weaken seasonings such as garlic, onion, and herbs.
Step 1. Preparation and Selection
Select firm, ripe tomatoes for freezing.Step 2. Wash Tomatoes
Tomatoes should be washed before cutting. To wash, wet each tomato with water, rub its surface, rinse it with running water, and dry it with a paper towel. After washing, cut away the stem scar and surrounding area and discard it before slicing or chopping the tomato.
Washing tomatoes in a sink filled with water is not recommended since contaminated water can be absorbed through the fruit's stem scar. The use of soap or detergent is neither recommended nor approved for washing fruits and vegetables because they can absorb detergent residues.
Dry them by blotting with a clean cloth or paper towels.
Cutting Tomatoes
I prefer to cut tomatoes into quarters and put 2 tomatoes per quart sized freezer bag. I find that 2 tomatoes is perfect for my usage but the quantity is up to you and how you plan on using them.
After prepping them, simple cut into whatever size you choose, place in freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, seal and put in the freezer. Be sure to mark with the date before you put in freezer. Tomatoes will last about 6 months in the freezer before the quality deteriorated.
Freezing peeled tomatoes: Personally, I prefer to freeze peeled tomatoes. Wash the tomatoes and then dip them in boiling water for about 1 minute or just until the skins start to split. Any longer and they will start to cook and be mushy, which you don't want. Plunge them into cold water and slip the peels off. You can then freeze as noted above.
Freezing whole tomatoes with peels: Prepare tomatoes as described above. Cut away the stem scar. Place the tomatoes on cookie sheets and freeze. Tomatoes do not need to be blanched before freezing. Once frozen, transfer the tomatoes from the cookie sheets into freezer bags or other containers. Seal tightly.
To use the frozen tomatoes, remove them from the freezer a few at a time or all at once. If I am using in a cooked recipe, I just put them directly into the pot, still frozen.
To peel, just run a frozen tomato under warm water in the kitchen sink. Its skin will slip off easily.
To use the frozen tomatoes, remove them from the freezer a few at a time or all at once. If I am using in a cooked recipe, I just put them directly into the pot, still frozen.
To peel, just run a frozen tomato under warm water in the kitchen sink. Its skin will slip off easily.
