Frozen tomatoes? How come you don't see them frozen?

catscats222

In my area frozen veggies are cheaper than fresh.
Why don't I ever see any frozen tomatoes.
I have to buy canned - simply cannot afford $1+ each at my area (insane cost for just a small tomato that can go bad if I do not use it).
I cringe when I see the metal lining.
I know that there are others probably w/ lining in cans, but more expensive.
I'm getting off the subject.
Anyone tried to freeze tomatoes after you cut them up?
Why can't you buy them in a bag frozen like you buy brocolli, peas, carrots.

MommyL2015

I don't think fresh tomatoes freeze very well.

Jennloella

I peel and freeze my own for sauces.....beyond that you won't get much use out of them as they turn to mush. I plant one big plane every year in a hanging pot and freeeeeze all summer!! I usually have some left in freezer by the next spring.

RAinWA

I freeze tomatoes when they are cheap - just toss them whole in a freezer bag and into the freezer. Works great if you are using them in sauce, etc. I never tried freezing cut up tomatoes.

Jennloella

plant* I plant a plant, I do not plant a plane.

keefmac

The water bursts the cells when you freeze the tomato, so when you thaw them out they would be soft/ mushy..

tulips_and_tea

They'd just turn to mush when they thawed, I'm guessing. They contain too much liquid.The skin wouldn't survive freezing either, if you froze them whole. There are some things you just can't freeze.

Do you have jarred tomatoes available? Not sure how much they cost, though.

AlisonH729

BZAH10 wrote: »

There are some things you just can't freeze.

Celery does not freeze well either.

jgnatca

I found a Heinz tetra pack of tomato sauce this past month.

Lounmoun

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--868/how-to-freeze-tomatoes.asp
http://food.unl.edu/freezing-raw-tomatoes-or-without-their-skins

treehopper1987

Could you try canning them? They would be in a glass jar instead of metal, but probably an expensive way of preserving them since they are costly in your area.

cwolfman13

frozen tomatoes would just be a bunch of mush when you thawed them out...suppose that would be fine for sauces but not for actually eating.

RodaRose

Can you buy tomatoes jarred in class or in a box?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pomi-Sauces-Chopped-Tomatoes-26.46-oz-Pack-of-12/19475796

DeguelloTex

Even in a sauce, the texture is just terrible.

TeaBea

keefmac wrote: »

The water bursts the cells when you freeze the tomato, so when you thaw them out they would be soft/ mushy..

^ There you go......I didn't know how to explain why very watery fruits & veggies turn to mush when you freeze them.

Canning would be the way to go.

sardelsa

Yea they don't freeze well...like cucumbers. Best to make a sauce out of them and then freeze that

Tigg_er

RAinWA wrote: »

I freeze tomatoes when they are cheap - just toss them whole in a freezer bag and into the freezer. Works great if you are using them in sauce, etc. I never tried freezing cut up tomatoes.

At the end of the season when I still have tomatoes left and I don't feel like canning them, I will freeze them cut-up.
They work very good for throwing into soups and stews and the crockpot over a roast.

hotcoffee692

You CAN freeze them if you roast them first...and they are so, so good! I mean, SO good. I don't remember which recipe I first used, but here's one that looks typical. http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/slow-roasted-plum-tomatoes

However, you can use a lot less oil than this recipe calls for, and you don't need to have plum tomatoes - I've used big chunks of whatever tomato I have on hand and it's worked out fine.

Did I mention how good they are?

Strawblackcat

Because they would only be good for sauces and stews after thawing. Tomatoes basically turn to mush once refridgerated/frozen. Even if you could find them frozen, you'd still be better off buying canned tomatoes since the quality would be the same and you wouldn't have to worry about them going bad if your power ever shut off.