Whats the best way to freeze tomatoes? Are there any safety concerns?
— Diane Kratz, Grosse Pointe Shores A: You can safely freeze tomatoes if you are going to use them in cooked dishes — such as soups, chilies and sauces where appearance or shape doesn’t matter. Some sources advocate peeling them first. Score an “X” in the bottom of the whole tomatoes and place in boiling water for 20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes and, when cool enough to handle, slip the skins off. You can coarsely chop them or put the whole tomato in plastic freezer-quality sealable bags, label and date. You can squish them so you can place the bags flat in your freezer. If you don’t want to peel them, remove the tomato core and chop them up. Place in a freezer bag and freeze. When using plastic freezer bags, make sure you squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing. It’s a good idea to freeze the tomatoes in amounts you will use. They will keep about two months in the freezer. You can either use them frozen or thawed. HAVE A QUESTION? Contact Free Press
