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Ingredients

Ingredients

Know your ingredients and half the cooking is already done. Each guide covers seasonality, buying, storage, preparation, cooking and pairings.

Heirloom tomatoes in a bowl and halved on a linen cloth by a window

In season now

Tomatoes

Peak season: July – September

Botanically a fruit, culinarily a savoury workhorse. Tomatoes are unusually rich in glutamates, which is why they read as deeply savoury even raw.

How to choose
Weight over size. A good tomato feels heavy for its shape and smells faintly green at the stem.
How to store
Never the fridge below 12°C — cold destroys the aroma compounds. Stem-side down on the counter.
How to cook
Slow-roast to concentrate sugars, or blister fast over high heat to keep the fresh acidity.
Pairs with
Olive oil, basil, anchovy, garlic, sheep's cheeses, bread, black pepper.
Nutrition
A source of vitamin C and potassium. Lycopene becomes more available when cooked with fat.

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