(no subject)

[wickedcherub]

Quick question:

How do you dice tomatoes?

I cut them in half, then place the cut half down and slice like an onion. How am I supposed to get the tomatoes into cubes instead of strips?
(like, I cut along the x axis, and along the y, and it's impossible to do the z. Two dimensions, but not three)

Sometimes I suck at this homemaker thing.

Yesterday Adam was working late and I already had the bolognese going on the stove when I realised I couldn't get the jar of pasta sauce open. I asked FB for advice and got this:

"The never fail approach is to take that knife (butter knife, obviously) hold it by the blade, and hit the edge of the jar with the handle, at a tangential angle. Five or six solid taps should loosen it sufficiently to finish it by hand. I've never had a jar I couldn't open this way."

Only *my* friends could use tangential in everyday conversation, I swear. I almost made a 'finish it by hand' joke, but FB is family friendly.

Comments

[mrsmdub.livejournal.com]

Awesome FB comment!

I dice in a similar fashion, by the time I get to making another cut, I usually have a mushy tomato mush anyway, so I give up and eat large tomato hunks...which sounds better than it is.

[squeezles.livejournal.com]

I just take the strips and then cut them into cubes individually. I mean all the seeds fall out, but you get that.

[contrariwise.livejournal.com]

I usually cut the tomato into quarters, then slice or scoop out the seeds. Then chop the remaining flesh into roughly equal sized bits (strips, then squares).

And those flexible rubber jar opener disks really work! You can get a much better grip on the lid. They're usually a couple bucks for a disk or two? They last forever.

[llama-egg.livejournal.com]

i use a really really sharp knife. and just do it the way you said.

[skittish-derby.livejournal.com]

i use a seraded blade, it is a lot easier than a sharp knife

[jimmyjack.livejournal.com]

sauce bottle : with a large elastic band around the rim of the lid for you to grip. try it try it try it!

[wickedcherub.livejournal.com]

The rubber gloves work like that - my grip on the lid/jar was phenomenal. I just didn't have the strength :(

[skittish-derby.livejournal.com]

don't cut the tomato in half. slice out the "core" off the top and lay it on the top side. slice along the x axis, and the y axis and lay the full tomato on its side and slice along the z axis.

[skittish-derby.livejournal.com]

don't slice all the way through when making the x and y axis cuts, leave a quarter inch tag

[teacuptempest.livejournal.com]

I cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, then slice the skin and dump it all in together.

as for pasta jars, I usually just stab the top of it with a steak knife so the little bit of the lid 'pops up for freshness guaranteed' and then they open really easily. someone told me not to do that to my knives but I use them for all sorts of odd things and they're still super sharp.

[missdewey.livejournal.com]

Food processor. Pulse a few times with a chopping blade and they're done. (Not in neat cubes, of course, but they're the right size at least.) If you don't have a food processor, use a super-sharp knife and cut off the top of the tomato, then cut *almost* all the way to the bottom in a series of lines, then again the other way so you have a grid. Then cut that grid into slices. Perfectly diced tomatoes.

ETA: If you find it gives you a lot of trouble, just cut the tomato into slices and then dice each slice one at a time. Might be easier. :)

[wickedcherub.livejournal.com]

Haha I have no time to be slicing then dicing tomatoes! :p

[rdfreak.livejournal.com]

I also have problems cubing tomatoes; they're so messy!
Thanks for sharing the FB comments. I was always tapping the knife blade on the lid so I'll definitely try this way. Also, will have to get one of those disks that someone else here suggested; sounds good. :)

[darthbessie.livejournal.com]

Breadknife! Good for slicing squishy things with a hard outside. No idea on the dicing thing though, I'm inclined to go with the food processor suggestion 'cause that's gotta be quicker and easier.