Is the center core of a tomato "the meat of the tomato", or something to discard?!


Question: You may remember an old Hunt's commercial where they had this beefsteak tomato on a butcher block and a swift meat cleaver comes down to slice it in half:

"Hunts [WHOOSH-CHOP]...starts from the MEAT of the tomato"

Well every time I cut up a tomato to remove the seeds and liquid, I notice the center core is a bit more fibrous that the other solid parts. And I was just wondering if one is supposed to discard that core part and use everything else that isn't seeds or liquid? Or would I be throwing out the MEAT of the tomato?

Do you use this core part and is it the best part, in your opinion? Or does it belong in the trash? I'm thinking about for salads or where the tomato is supposed to look pretty and be very tasty, not sauces where you puree or grind the whole tomato up.

This is a minor point, I know, but I do a lot of cooking with tomatoes and am curious how other cooks handle this part.


Answers: You may remember an old Hunt's commercial where they had this beefsteak tomato on a butcher block and a swift meat cleaver comes down to slice it in half:

"Hunts [WHOOSH-CHOP]...starts from the MEAT of the tomato"

Well every time I cut up a tomato to remove the seeds and liquid, I notice the center core is a bit more fibrous that the other solid parts. And I was just wondering if one is supposed to discard that core part and use everything else that isn't seeds or liquid? Or would I be throwing out the MEAT of the tomato?

Do you use this core part and is it the best part, in your opinion? Or does it belong in the trash? I'm thinking about for salads or where the tomato is supposed to look pretty and be very tasty, not sauces where you puree or grind the whole tomato up.

This is a minor point, I know, but I do a lot of cooking with tomatoes and am curious how other cooks handle this part.

Since all tomatoes are not created equal, there are some that have a white like core in the middle, especially during the off season for tomatoes or particular hothouse grown tomatoes. It is almost impossible to chew at times and therefore should be thrown away. If you get a tomato that appears red throughout , then use all of it. The meat of the tomato is all but the skin and some people like to squeeze the seeds out and others prefer to keep them. The meat is also sometimes referred to as the flesh of the tomato.

Definitly dont throw it away!! its full of goodness and its juicy and sweet!! mmmmmmmmmmmm I love tomatos

I will generally use all the tomatoe, including any juices in cooking because it's all so flavorful.

I only use organics, and usually homegrown.

Most good cooks are not wasteful. Of course you eat the meat. Practice different ways of cutting although most people really don't care how perfect it looks.

i never thought of this before--i just use the whole thing--a few times-the core have been tough and stringy--i just took it out

Sorry I dont know about about any tv commercial, but dont use the tough part just below the stem. But the rest of the tomato is completely edible. The "meat" is tomato pulp (including the seeds).

Eat the whole darn thing dude! Seeds, liquid, "meat" and skin! It's all yummy fer da tummy!

Emeril removes it, I leave it in...depends on the chef I guess...I've seen Lydia from PBS Italian show remove them too. The pulp and seeds are delicious to me tho.

i eat the whole tomato like an apple.... i think like anything else it's about personal taste preferences. i find sections of tomato, pulp, seed, core and all, to be very visually pleasing in a salad- i think they look funny without the seeds :op

I always cut off the core part and toss it into the scrap bucket to feed the pigs. The core part to me is any part of the center of the tomato that isn't red and fairly soft. The fiberous parts aren't really that edible.

The "meat" of the tomato is the whole center that isn't seeds or skin. The solid part that is red.

Waste not want not! why are you tossing the seeds and liquid around them??

some dishes call for peeled and seeded tomatoes to be used. If you want a tomato with low seeds, use cherry, pear, or roma tomatoes. The only part that does not contribute flavor is the core, which is to say, the part where the vine attaches to the tomato. This can be removed with a small parring knife or a tomato shark.





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