How to Sweat a Tomato

Sweat tomatoes if you're making a sauce.

Sweating a tomato is a great way to soften it and extract its juices without it browning or turning crisp. It is a similar method to sauteing, except that sauteed tomato will usually be the finished product, while sweating is often a step within a recipe. Sweating is usually done with tomatoes to be used in a tomato sauce or soup. Cooking a tomato also increases the concentration of lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant.

Things You'll Need

• Tomato
• Sharp knife
• Kettle
• Bowl
• Chopping board
• Water
• Oil
• Saucepan

Instructions

1. Rinse the tomato thoroughly under running tap water.

2. Chop tomato into pieces. If you don't want to include the tomato skin, first boil water in the kettle and pour it into a bowl. Put tomato in the bowl for a few minutes until cracks start to appear in the skin, you should then be able to peel it off easily.

3. Add 1 tbsp. of oil to a saucepan and turn the heat on the stove to the lowest setting. Allow it to get hot for approximately 30 seconds.

4. Place the chopped tomato in the saucepan. Put the lid on the saucepan and wait for the tomato to start sweating. The tomato will soften and its juices will start to seep out, this should take about five minutes. Keep stirring to prevent it from browning.

Tips & Warnings

• The more even you chop the tomato the more evenly it will cook.

References

• Reluctant Gourmet: How To Sweat Vegetables;