23 Ways to Use Up a Glut of Tomatoes

Whether you’ve got a garden full of tomatoes, or you’re carefully selecting the best ones at the market, there are a few things to consider. Perfectly ripe tomatoes are brightly colored, blemish-free, and fragrant when sniffed. They’re firm and heavy for their size, but should yield slightly when gently squeezed. For more details, read the full article How to Tell if a Tomato is Perfectly Ripe.

Tomatoes should be stored at room temperature on the counter in an open container lined with paper towels. Keep them out of direct sunlight. Never store whole tomatoes in the refrigerator.

If your tomatoes are fully ripe, store them stem side down, and use within a day or two.

If your tomatoes are not fully ripe yet, store them in a single layer in the container until they are ripe, up to a week.

If you’ve got juicy, ripe, fresh tomatoes, you can’t really go wrong, but some varieties are better suited to particular recipes.

Roma or plum tomatoes are meaty, with lower water and seed content, so they are better suited to making tomato paste and sauces.

Cherry and grape tomatoes are the most versatile, stand up well to cooking, and can be used in almost any recipe. Their smaller size makes them quicker to roast or dry. They also make a great portable snack.

Beefsteak tomatoes are juicy, with plenty of flesh, making them ideal for salsa. Their excellent flavor makes them terrific for slicing atop burgers (or even standing in for the burger patty).

Heirloom tomatoes are incredibly flavorful, and often visually stunning, so save these beauties for topping fresh tomato tarts and tomato sandwiches.