Why deseed a tomato? Removing the seeds and pulp from tomatoes is a great way to remove the excess moisture that they can add to a dish.
The seeds and pulp have a high water content which make salads, salsas and sandwiches soggy when left to sit for a while.
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It’s very rare that I remove the seeds from tomatoes because we really don’t mind them.
The number one reason I removed tomato seeds was to keep my kids school lunch sandwiches from going soggy.
I have tried a number of different ways to remove seeds from tomatoes from squeezing or scooping them out and slicing the seeds away from the from the flesh.
Squeezing the seeds out from the tomatoes is easy enough to do but can damage and make the tomato mussy if it is very ripe. This is fine if you are cooking it or blend it.
However, if you want to deseed a tomato for sandwiches, salads or salsa and want the tomato pieces looking nice, you might like to scoop or slice the seeds away from the flesh.
Before You Start Deseeding Tomatoes
Read the recipe first. If it asks you to peel and deseed the tomato, peel the tomato first then remove the seeds.
If all you need to do is to deseed a tomato before cutting, wash and dry the tomatoes first then core the tomatoes, then pick one of the three methods below.
Depending on what you are going to use the tomatoes for you may want to core it first.
The core is the bit at the top of the tomato where it was attached to the vine. It’s firm and generally not eaten.
You will want to core the tomato if you are using it fresh in salads, sandwiches and salsas because, it just doesn’t look nice.
However, if you are making a sauce that you are going to strain later the core can be left in.
How To Core A Tomato
- Insert the point of a paring knife around the outside edge of stem of the tomato.
- Angle the knife in at 45 degree angle as you cut around the stem section.
- Use the knife or your fingers to pull out the core.
How To Deseed A Tomato - 3 Easy Ways
Scooping
- Remove the core.
- Tilt the tomato so that the core and base of the tomato are horizonal to the cutting board and cut in half. You want to make the cut between the top and base and not cut through the stem (top) to bottom.
- Use a small spoon to scrape the seed out.
Squeezing
- Remove the core.
- Tilt the tomato so that the core and base of the tomato are horizonal to the cutting board and cut in half. You want to make the cut between the top and base and not cut through the stem (top) to bottom.
- Pick up one tomato half with the seeds facing down and firmly but gently squeeze to remove the seeds.
If there are any seeds left, you can leave them or use your finger or a teaspoon to scrape them out.
Slicing
- Remove the core.
- Cut the tomatoes in quarters through the stem (top) to bottom.
- Use a small sharp knife and run it under the pulp and seeds and along the inner flesh of the tomato.
- Scrape away any remain seeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
You don’t need to deseed tomatoes before making a sauce because they are full of flavor.
The seeds can easily be removed after cooking by passing the sauce through a sieve.
Use any of the above methods for removing tomato seeds when you are making salsa.
What To Do With The Pulp And Seeds
To be honest with you I usually discard seeds and pulp because I only deseed one or two at a time.
However, you can add the pulp and juice of 1-3 tomatoes into any cooked recipe that uses tomatoes, without making too much of a difference.
- Indian tomato rice – when adding extra tomato pulp and its liquid to rice recipes you are going to have to adjust the amount of liquid used in the recipe.
If you don’t the rice dish will turn out mushy and gluggy to due to the extra moisture.
You want to measure the amount of pulp/juices in a cup and remove an equal amount of the liquid from the recipe.
- Green beans in tomato sauce – just throw them in when you add the canned diced tomatoes.
- Chicken tinga – mix them in when you add the tomatoes.
- Tomato sauces – Add the extras to my quick and easy Napoli sauce or my homemade marina sauce.
- You can even add them to slow cooker recipes like bolognese sauce and meatballs in tomato sauce
- Or add them into soups like roasted tomato and basil soup or beef and chilli bean soup.
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