Salsa and Dicing tomatoes

So, say you have a garden full of tomatoes and you are planning on making 2 or 300 pints of salsa. How would you go about dicing that many tomatoes if you had to do it mostly solo?
I saw this really nice machine that looks perfect for the job, but it's $450 US!! That's like a billion Canadian dollars!

https://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-CL003-Dynacube-Manual-Cutter/dp/B0047OGPSQ

i wouldn't bother. by the time you chunk cut tomatoes and warm them up with the other ingredients they mostly fall apart anyways. so just quarter/eight/sixteen/etc. them based upon how big they are. IMO of course. i like things fairly chunky so a bigger chunk of tomato here or there isn't going to upset me.

if someone wants it smoother they can put it in the blender or stick blender or pureeifier...

I bought the vidalia chop wizard. The bigger squares works OK. Crummy hard grocery store tomatoes do better because of there hardness. I still like it and bought it specifically for cubing tomatoes.

Crazy Gardner said:

So, say you have a garden full of tomatoes and you are planning on making 2 or 300 pints of salsa. How would you go about dicing that many tomatoes if you had to do it mostly solo?
I saw this really nice machine that looks perfect for the job, but it's $450 US!! That's like a billion Canadian dollars!

https://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-CL003-Dynacube-Manual-Cutter/dp/B0047OGPSQ

Click to expand...

I would want to see that in action before spending all of that money. Crushing the tomato would be my concern.

I use a food processor when I make salsa. I still have to peel and core the tomatoes, but I don't have to chop them; I usually just use gloves to keep my fingers from getting sore or burnt, and peel and core everything with my fingers. If the tomato is very big, I will tear it apart into sections and throw it in the bowl. Once the bowl is half full, four or five pulses will do it. It makes a smoother salsa without big chunks of tomatoes, but that is how I like my salsa anyway.

Using the processor, I can usually have the next batch of salsa made and simmered by the time the first one comes out of the canner. My mother is more of traditionalist and does everything by hand...but she is retired and I'm not, lol.

My friends have a secret to great salsa:
Slice the hot peppers waver thin. You will get the heat, but you won't have them exPLODE in your mouth in one bite. And...don't forget to wear rubber gloves when you handle even the jalepenos.

I’m sure your salsa is different than
mine. I make it the way my grandmother from Mexico made it.

Roast tomatoes and jalapeños and purée in blender with some sauté garlic. We leave the skins on as they thicken the purée.

Mary

ninnymary said:

I’m sure your salsa is different than
mine. I make it the way my grandmother from Mexico made it.

Roast tomatoes and jalapeños and purée in blender with some sauté garlic. We leave the skins on as they thicken the purée.

Mary

Click to expand...

Can I ask how long you cook it to thicken it?

Crazy Gardner said:

Can I ask how long you cook it to thicken it?

Click to expand...

With me it's a long time with a lot of stirring but I'm making a lot of pints at a time. And I make sauce, not salsa. You are trying to evaporate enough moisture out until it gets thick enough to make you happy without it sticking and burning. The hotter you cook it the faster the moisture will evaporate but the greater the risk of burning. Another huge disadvantage to cooking it too hot is that as it thickens it spurts up and gets all over the kitchen. It makes a mess. Plus that super-hot sauce will burn your hands and arms when it hits them. Keep your face back. You need to cook it uncovered so the moisture can evaporate.

One trick with tomatoes is to get rid of some of the liquid before you start cooking. I freeze my tomatoes before I peel them. After they thaw I can just pull the skin off. A lot of liquid will separate out at that time. If you can drain that liquid off so you don't have to evaporate it, you can reduce your cooking time.

Crazy Gardner said:

Can I ask how long you cook it to thicken it?

Click to expand...

It is thick in the blender. I save some tomato juice to thin it. Once puréed I only cook about 5 minutes just to make sure the garlic is cooked. Though I’m sure it is. I just don’t like that hot raw garlic taste.

Mary