Tips

5-petal or 6-petal: Which is the best choice when buying tomatoes?

If you're looking to buy tomatoes, then you've come to the right place. We pride ourselves on offering only the finest quality tomatoes, each one carefully selected to ensure it's firm, juicy, and free from any excess pulp or "core". Our tomatoes are the perfect addition to any dish, whether you're making a fresh salad, a flavorful sauce, or a delicious salsa. With our tomatoes, you can be confident that you're getting the best quality and taste. Say goodbye to disappointing tomatoes and choose the best.

Administrator

6 February, 2024

Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals that boost the immune system and help whiten the skin. They are preferred in cooking not only for their delicious taste and good cooling properties, but also for their skin whitening benefits. Moreover, the vitamin C and lycopene content in tomatoes has the ability to lower cholesterol, protect the heart and blood vessels. This is also a type of fruit that is used for effective skin whitening. Tomatoes can be processed into many delicious dishes and can also be eaten raw like fruits, made into juice, smoothies, and other healthy drinks.

To choose tasty tomatoes, it’s not just about the color on the outside. Here are some tips to help you buy good quality tomatoes that are full of pulp and not “bony”.

How to choose good tomatoes

Based on the size and weight of the tomato

Many people when buying tomatoes will choose the larger the better. However, this is just one aspect. Tomatoes should be selected round. Types of tomatoes that have undergone hormone treatment will deform.

Look at the bottom of the tomato. If the tomato is naturally ripe, the bottom will be hollow. If the bottom protrudes, then it is highly likely that the tomato has been treated with hormones to ripen quickly.

In addition, during the development process, if there is a lack of light or nutrients, the tomatoes will grow angular or deformed, and most of these fruits are sour. Some tomato seeds are still green. It is best to buy round tomatoes.

For tomatoes of the same size, hold them in your hand, the heavier one is the one to choose. Because naturally ripe tomatoes exposed to sunlight will be lighter. Some types of tomatoes look big but feel light when held, you should not buy them because the water content in these types of tomatoes is very low and they won’t taste good when eaten.

Based on the number of petals on the stem of the tomato

If you observe carefully the tomato varieties displayed for sale in the market, you will see that the ripe tomatoes still have their stems, and the stem part will have a cluster of 5 or 6 petals. So which ones should you choose?

Experienced tomato growers say that tomatoes with stems having 6 petals taste better than those with stems having 5 petals. Because the more leaves, the more water, nutrients, and light they can absorb, so the tomatoes will taste better.

During the growing process, tomatoes need to absorb sunlight and nutrients. The stem part will be blocked, and this part also needs to absorb nutrients, so the stem of the tomato will have uneven color distribution and a lighter color than the surrounding area. If when buying tomatoes, you see evenly ripened fruits, you should pay attention, and not choose tomatoes that have uniform colors in the stem part.

Based on the firmness of the tomato

In addition to comparing the weight of tomatoes, you should also check if the tomatoes are soft or firm. Naturally ripe tomatoes will be softer when pressed lightly. On the contrary, tomatoes that are ripe or artificially ripened will be firm and have a bright red color, but they will still be watery when cooked, which is called “bony” tomatoes.

Furthermore, when you press it, the tomato will bounce back, indicating that the tomato is very fresh. If they are too firm, then they are “bony” tomatoes that are ripe but not tasty when cooked. On the other hand, if they are too soft and don’t bounce back, it means they are overly ripe and have been stored for a long time, the taste will not be fresh and delicious anymore.

Based on the color of the tomato

When buying tomatoes, don’t buy ones that are pink or slightly yellow. Buy ones that are naturally ripe and red in color. However, avoid those with bright red colors, as they are usually either too ripe or have been treated with ripening agents and hormones as mentioned above.

In general, it’s not easy to see the inside of a tomato. But if you have the opportunity, you can split a tomato in half. The inside of a good tomato will have a lot of pulp and juice, a natural fragrance. But not the type that has a lot of liquid, those tomatoes are not tasty. Remember, green pulp and green seeds are ripe, uniformly ripe tomatoes that don’t taste good.

Notes when buying tomatoes:

– Tomatoes should be smooth, without cracks. Do not buy tomatoes with green spots, as they are still green and not good.

– Naturally ripe tomatoes have a slight fragrance of the fruit, if they smell bad, then the quality of the tomatoes is not good.

Tips for making simple sun-protecting tomato juice

On hot sunny days, high temperatures cause the body to lose water. The UV rays also affect the skin. Even if you apply sunscreen when going out, it’s useful to supplement your diet with foods rich in vitamins and minerals like tomatoes for sun protection and skin nourishment for women.

In addition to eating tomatoes directly, cooking soup, making sauce, making smoothies or juices with tomatoes is also delicious. On hot days, you can make tomato juice to enjoy, it’s cheap and good for the skin.

The necessary ingredients include tomatoes (the number depends on the person, if you want to make one cup of juice, about 3 tomatoes is enough, and a little pink salt or sea salt).

Clean the tomatoes, let them dry. Cut into small pieces, put them in the juicer with a little salt.

Pour the juice into a glass and enjoy. You can add ice to make the juice cooler. Also, you can juice tomatoes with other fruits if you cannot drink the original tomato juice. Adding a few pieces of apple or celery, cut into small pieces, is also a good combination of flavors.