Use fresh, ripe tomatoes for dicing.
Canned diced tomatoes are a convenient item to keep in your pantry, negating the need to keep fresh tomatoes on hand. However, if you happen to make a recipe that calls for canned diced tomatoes and only have fresh tomatoes, you can substitute. You must alter the fresh tomatoes slightly before using them, rather than simply chopping them up and adding them to the recipe. To substitute fresh tomatoes for canned diced tomatoes you will need approximately five minutes to prepare them.
Instructions
1. Slice a tomato in half and use a spoon to scoop out its seeds. Remove any of the watery innards, leaving only the tomato's flesh.
2. Dice the tomato with a sharp knife and place the pieces into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave the tomato on high for 30 seconds. This removes some of the fruit's water to prevent adding too much liquid to your recipe.
3. Pour the tomato out of the bowl and into a strainer. Press the tomato lightly with a spoon to squeeze out extra moisture. Measure the diced pieces to determine how much volume one tomato yields. This allows you to judge how many more tomatoes you should dice for your recipe.
4. Repeat the dicing and microwaving process with the rest of the tomatoes required for your recipe. Do not add the tomatoes to the recipe until they are all diced. Measure them carefully before adding them to the recipe.
Tags: diced tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, your recipe, adding them, adding them recipe