You Have To Stop Throwing Out The Most Flavorful Part Of Your Tomato

If you've ever sliced into a tomato and been sprayed in the face with the juice, chances are you were probably less than impressed. Not only can it make a big mess, but it can also lead to a watery sauce or maybe even the best salsa recipe. Rather than writing off these types of tomatoes as bad and sticking to varieties with less pulp, however, you may actually want to do the opposite.

While it might seem like a goopy mess, the pulp in your tomato, or the part of the fruit where the seeds are suspended, is actually packed with flavor. That's because it contains a variety of different amino acids, glutamates, and sugars, which combine to give the fruit savory, acidic flavor with a light sweetness to it.

In contrast, the flesh of the tomato is actually fairly bland and contains less flavor compounds than the pulp. If you remove the flavorful gel, what you're left with is a much more mild taste of the fruit which, when you're cooking, causes a dish with less oomph.

Beyond being packed with flavor, the gel in your tomatoes is also filled with nutrients. For one thing, it contains a number of key vitamins such as vitamins C, K, A, and folate. You'll also find the mineral potassium in them.

Another key nutrient is lycopene, which is a type of antioxidant. It's important to note that while the pulp contains this antioxidant, the skin does, too, and actually contains higher levels of it. So, even if you really must get rid of the pulp, as long as you don't peel the fruit you'll still be able to take advantage of this particular ingredient.

The seeds nestled in the pulp also have a few benefits for your body. For one thing, you'll find that they contain fiber, fatty acids, and amino acids. Plus, they contain even more minerals than the gel itself, such as zinc, copper, and manganese.

There are some tomatoes that contain more pulp than others. For instance, large, versatile, and "meaty" beefsteak tomatoes tend to be juicy, which means they've got even more of those tasty flavor compounds in them. Another tomato variety that's got plenty of seeds and gel in it is Black Krim. This particular type is fairly tangy, and isn't as common in the grocery store.

On the other hand, some tomatoes don't have as many seeds or as much juice, such as Roma tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes, which are a type of plum tomato, also fall into this bucket. Tomatoes with more flesh and less juice are good for sun drying. Plus, sun dried tomatoes are often jazzed up with spices and oil, so what the tomatoes themselves lack in flavor the seasoning will make up for.

Once you've chosen your variety, there are plenty of ways to use them, too. You could use that juicy gel to make a make a Bloody Mary bursting with flavor bursting with flavor. Or, you could bake the pulp into crackers for a crunchy, umami bite. Next time you're cooking, even if you're making a recipe like stuffed tomatoes that calls for you to scoop out the gel, don't throw it away, but save it for other meals to give them an added boost of flavor.