Separating Tomato Pulp From Water

[Father'sDaughter]

I've seen where some have mentioned the practice of letting the uncooked, milled purée sit overnight to allow the liquid to separate from the pulp. I also remembering someone cautioning against starting with warm tomatoes as it could start fermenting while it sits.

So my first question is, should the purée be placed in the fridge while it sits, or should I find a cool place somewhere in my house?

As for covering it while it sits -- loosely so it can breathe, or tightly?

Thanks!

[ContainerTed]

I just finished cutting up a bunch of tomatoes to make my usual tomato juice. I always try to let my large bowl sit in the fridge if I'm not going to put it through the Back to Basics food strainer right away. I cover it fairly tightly with plastic wrap every time. I'm usually not looking for anything to separate or stratify because I always cook it down - reduce the volume by boiling off some of the water. Anything in and around the tomatoes is tomato juice and that has the flavor.

Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to get a "simmer". The water will steam off and the mixture will get nice and thick. I've been known to reduce by as much as 40%.

My advice is to not drain away any of that flavor.

[Father'sDaughter]

Thanks Ted, but I'm of the mind that the milled tomatoes should be cooked as little as possible in order to maintain some of the fresh flavor prior to canning. I have heard where some will reduce down and can the clear juice/water separately for use in soups and the like, which I may consider doing.

[zipcode]

Raymond Blanc (a somewhat famous chef) makes 'tomato essence' from the clear part of the juice and uses it in various dishes. It can be frozen and will keep the taste quite well.

[JamesL]

This might not help if you are doing large volume but consider freezing before milling.
Quarter the tomatoes, lay them out on a cookie sheet and freeze.
Throw them into a large colander over a pot and defrost.
Freezing bursts the cell walls and you end up with a pot of tomato water to use as you will.
The skins slip right off too if you are so inclined before milling.
What comes out of the mill is pretty close to tomato soup.
Cuts the reducing coook time down immensely depending on how thick you want the end product.

[ChristinaJo]

This is good to know. Thank you!

[Tracydr]

I would be very concerned about spoiling. Try freezing and tomatoes will lose tons of water as they are thawing.
I even had some frozen tomatoes spoil when thawing because it was such a huge pile in my sink that it took all day to thaw. My kitchen in AZ was often 85-90 degrees because the AC didn't have a good vent in it. Now, I do smaller piles of tomatoes separated by putting them in strainers/bowls.

[Worth1]

Here is a link to help you all better understand what is going on.
Worth
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...3uce_pQV31qNWw

[kath]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Here is a link to help you all better understand what is going on.
Worth
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...3uce_pQV31qNWw

Thanks for the informative link, Worth!

kath

[Worth1]

Missed a gear somewhere.
Can get the stupid link to work.

[matilda'skid]

I know nothing of processing tomatoes but I would not let cut up tomatoes sit at room temperature for long. My house is full of shallow boxes of tomatoes from my garden. I give them away on the weekends. Each day I check for rotten ones. Garden tomatoes are not made of plastic like store tomatoes and spoil very quickly.

[ContainerTed]

When I make my "juice", I use anything found on the kitchen counter where I place the harvest from the garden. It means that any tomato, whether red, yellow, orange, pink, black, brown, or GWR can be added to the mix. This gives me a really wide cross-section of the tomatoes coming from the garden. It becomes a supreme blend of all the varieties I have grown in any particular year. I keep telling myself that I can taste each one of them in the juices I make each year and enjoy all winter long.

So, when I started my last batch of juice, it had a green/unripe aroma to it and the taste was about the same. Naturally, I was concerned about it. I decided to go ahead and cook it down as I normally do. I put the canning salt in and told myself that if the "green" taste did not go away, I would try to do something with it like a spaghetti sauce or possibly a salsa.

To my surprise, after cooking it down about 15%, I again tasted it and was delighted that the green taste was gone. I can only think that the reason was the cooking. So, I added a bit of sweetner and finished the canning.

Last year, I made some of my "juice" so thick that you could make peaks on it with a fork. The DW liked it because she could make sauces without having to reduce the juice so much. I liked it because one part juice and two parts beer makes a very refreshing summer (or winter) drink.

I'm only guessing, but I am leaning strongly toward the heat of cooking being the key element that mellowed out the flavor. Perhaps one of our experts can help with why the heat would help everything taste better. I can honestly say that the change in taste is real and not just a product of the salt and sugar. It has to be something that is directly connected to the heat of cooking.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

When I make my "juice", I use anything found on the kitchen counter where I place the harvest from the garden. It means that any tomato, whether red, yellow, orange, pink, black, brown, or GWR can be added to the mix. This gives me a really wide cross-section of the tomatoes coming from the garden. It becomes a supreme blend of all the varieties I have grown in any particular year. I keep telling myself that I can taste each one of them in the juices I make each year and enjoy all winter long.

So, when I started my last batch of juice, it had a green/unripe aroma to it and the taste was about the same. Naturally, I was concerned about it. I decided to go ahead and cook it down as I normally do. I put the canning salt in and told myself that if the "green" taste did not go away, I would try to do something with it like a spaghetti sauce or possibly a salsa.

To my surprise, after cooking it down about 15%, I again tasted it and was delighted that the green taste was gone. I can only think that the reason was the cooking. So, I added a bit of sweetner and finished the canning.

Last year, I made some of my "juice" so thick that you could make peaks on it with a fork. The DW liked it because she could make sauces without having to reduce the juice so much. I liked it because one part juice and two parts beer makes a very refreshing summer (or winter) drink.

I'm only guessing, but I am leaning strongly toward the heat of cooking being the key element that mellowed out the flavor. Perhaps one of our experts can help with why the heat would help everything taste better. I can honestly say that the change in taste is real and not just a product of the salt and sugar. It has to be something that is directly connected to the heat of cooking.

I've used cheap Roma tomatoes from the store ( I've found them for 30 cents a pound). I put my strained purée in a crockpot with red wine and spices. It cooks down to about 25% of the start volume and comes out very tasty. I like to cook it way down to use as a pizza sauce. I don't cook my pasta sauce quite that far.

[amideutch]

I liked it because one part juice and two parts beer makes a very refreshing summer (or winter) drink.

And all this time I thought it was done to get rid of the Bud's after taste. Silly me.

Ami

[ContainerTed]

Originally Posted by amideutch

And all this time I thought it was done to get rid of the Bud's after taste. Silly me.

Ami

BUD ???? YuuucccchhhhKKKK !!!! I can't handle a strong "Hops" taste.

Truth is, I prefer Natural Ice. It's as smooth as a gravy sandwich. And, fortunately, one of the few that doesn't turn to foam in my tummy. It also comes in right at 6% alcohol which gives it some "character".

BTW, around here, we call the beer and tomato juice drink a "RED-EYE". it's sometimes used as a little "hair off the dog". You can add a lot of the stuff folks put into a Bloody Mary (w/o the gin or vodka). But I'm just a "country boy" and like my squeezin's without all the "do-dads". You know, ....... Natural