Although thanks to greenhouses it can be achieved throughout the year, Summer is the perfect season to enjoy tomatoesThese vegetables are in our salads.
However, at this time of year when tomatoes should be delicious, We end up with tomatoes that have almost no flavour. This is avoidable, in part because of how we have to conserve.
[¿A qué saben los tomates?]
When we need to go shopping for several days, so as not to spoil the tomatoes, many of us tend to keep them in the fridge. A procedure that effectively extends its shelf life, but could this affect the taste?
[Lo mejor que puedes hacer con unos tomates muy maduros según José Andrés es esto, y no es salsa ni gazpacho]
Why do tomatoes lose their flavour?
Chef Heinz Wotz, better known on Instagram as @soycienciaycocinashows that in these vegetables, The taste is due to components trapped in the cell membranes. When chewed, they break and release their delicious particles into our mouths. Specifically, (Z)-3-hexenal provides the scent and geranium provides its flavour.
[El tomate que vale 1.900 euros: es Huevo de Toro y se vende en Málaga]
to Tomato cooling The refrigerator, these last longer, but these lower temperatures damage the membranes and inhibit their enzymatic activity, which leads to the loss of these volatile compounds and that means we have some of them. Tomatoes with less flavor.
Taking them out of the cold and leaving them for a day at room temperature reactivates the generation of volatile substances, but we have already lost some of the flavor due to the cold.
tomatoes It can be stored at room temperature On a surface that allows air to circulate – such as a mesh fruit bowl – and ideally, with its stem, because without it they are more susceptible to ripening gases such as ethylene. In short, cold can reduce flavor, but it also extends shelf life.
How to get tomatoes to get more flavor?
To be able to enjoy some tomatoes with lots of flavour, It is not enough to go to the supermarket frequently to buy them And we leave it in the fruit bowl at home until we go eat it. This will help a little, but it is not the ultimate solution.
We must bear in mind that if we buy tomatoes that were produced hundreds of kilometers away from where we live, they almost certainly passed through the refrigerator before reaching our hands. In the supermarket, the tomatoes we see on display during the day in the grocery section spend the night in refrigerated rooms in order to keep their good looks as long as possible, even if it hurts their flavour.
He. She The ideal situation would be the ability to buy directly from the producer, If possible near where we live. A good option is to visit the fairs, markets, and farmers’ markets that are held periodically in many cities where you can find all kinds of agricultural products and, sometimes, even street food and handicraft stalls.
