Description
Learn how to dice a fresh tomato perfectly with this simple, step-by-step guide. This technique ensures evenly cut tomato cubes ideal for salads, salsas, and a variety of dishes requiring diced tomatoes.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 ripe tomato
Instructions
- Prepare the tomato: Rinse and scrub the tomato thoroughly under running water to remove any dirt or residues. Pat dry completely with a dish towel to ensure the tomato is dry and easy to handle.
- Initial slicing: Place the tomato on a cutting board with the stem facing upwards. Using a sharp chef’s knife, position it about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to the right of the stem and slice straight down to the base to create the first cut.
- Remove tomato slabs: Rotate the tomato 90 degrees while keeping the stem facing up. Continue slicing off sections around the tomato in this manner until you have four tomato slabs and a core with seeds attached. Discard the core.
- Remove remaining seeds: Use a spoon or the knife tip to gently brush away any remaining seeds from the tomato slices to avoid excess moisture in your diced tomatoes.
- Dice the tomato: Place one tomato slice skin side down on the cutting board. Slice the piece vertically into strips approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch apart. Then, turn the strips and cut again perpendicularly at the same interval to create evenly diced pieces. Repeat for all tomato slices.
Notes
- Use a very sharp knife to prevent crushing the tomato and to achieve clean cuts.
- If the tomato is very ripe and soft, be gentle to avoid squishing.
- Discarding the core reduces bitterness and excess moisture.
- Dicing tomatoes uniformly enhances a balanced texture in recipes.
