Tomato Talk: How choosing the proper tomato for your cooking needs makes a real difference

Let’s talk tomatoes. According to Wikipedia, did you know that there are over 10,000 varieties and sub varieties of tomatoes? What’s equally surprising is that a chef may know of perhaps up to 45 different types or more but on average uses only a few choice ones in planning and preparing a quality menu.  

Recently, we did a taste test of different canned tomatoes in search of the perfect one that would give us the sweet robust flavors that we wanted. Our variety of choice: The San Marzano tomato; named after the warm Italian region it originated from, is a plum or Roma variety and sometimes referred to as the caviar of tomatoes. It is most highly regarded for its tangy sweet taste and low acidity and a perfect choice for a great pasta sauce rich in flavor. However, in today’s world of spurious commercial labeling, it can be a difficult task to find the quality of a true San Marzano without traveling to San Marzano. The best that a skilled chef can do is to compare the different brands and go from there. It was a very good feeling when we made our decision. This is one of the most important and satisfying aspects of being a chef, finding that one important ingredient of quality that you know will make the big difference in a recipe. 

But what about the other 9,000 different varieties? While there are several main categories,Let's keep it simple. Here are some of our favorites and some ideas on how you can use them. We’ve already mentioned the Creme da la crem of the plum tomato, so now we move on to the next favorite, the cherry tomato. Like little garden candies coming in a vast array of colors, you literally can find any color you want, yellow, orange, red even black ones. Perfect for adding to salads, and even for roasting, these also can be used in shish kabobs. Try finding different types and do a tasting test of your own. The next variety like the cherry, is the grape tomato, a perfect snack choice for munching on as it has a bit less juice. 

Then of course, there is the big juicy beef steak tomato. While its meaty enough to use on sandwiches, it’s perfect to use as a simple side layered with Mozzarella and basil next to a nice juicy steak as its name implies. There are of course countless others but the important aspect here is that it’s always worth the effort in searching out and testing the quality of the foods you use, whether a farm fresh vine tomato to use on a caprese salad or a bold tasting Roma plum for that fantastic sauce, it truly makes all the difference.