My co-workers and I have been talking a lot about tomatoes lately. You're probably with us. In the summer, most home cooks speak the same language: The language of tomatoes.
But we haven't stopped at talking. We've been eating tomatoes on toast (13 different ways!) and baking them into pies.
Thing is, not all tomatoes are created equal. Sun-golds and cherry tomatoes are phenomenal at the moment. But the Green Zebras, the beefsteaks? They're still coming into their own. And they probably won't be at their juicy, hyperflavorful best for another week or two.
However: That will not deter us. Because until the tomatoes are absolutely perfect, my cohorts and I will deploy a trick to draw the tomatoes' flavors out, making them taste tremendously ripe. It's a simple trick, really: All you do is sprinkle the tomatoes with salt.
Yes, I know, salt brings out the flavor of everything. But with tomatoes—and especially not-yet-at-their-peak tomatoes—salt has a particularly transformative effect.
It's all about the dehydration. When you slice tomatoes, line them in a colander, and sprinkle them generously with salt, they immediately start releasing their moisture. 10, 15, 20 minutes later, you'll have tomatoes with less water in them—which means there's a lot less water for them to give off when they cook.
This is why it's particularly important you do this if you're making that aforementioned tomato pie, or putting some tomato slices on top of a pizza. In both of these instances, tomato slices that aren't salted will leak water, turning the pie or pizza into a soggy mess.
How does this make the tomatoes taste better? Because when water is removed, so is watery flavor and texture. And what's left behind is a flavor that's concentrated, and a texture that's firmer, as if the tomato were perfectly ripe.
Another thing that's left behind: all that tomato water. Don't waste it. Sure, it will be pretty salty. But it will also have a great tomato flavor, perfect for shaking into a martini, pouring into a bloody Mary, or just topping off with seltzer for a slightly salty tomato soda.
Wait, what? Tomato soda doesn't sound good to you? Maybe we're not speaking the same language after all.
