If you want a tomato that has been cut into cubes or dices, you’ll have to do something a little different. Some people cut their tomatoes into slices and then dice those slices, but that’s not the best way. The best way to dice a tomato is to cut it in half, then cut each half into four pieces. Next, cut each quarter in half, so you have eight wedges of tomato. Last, cut each wedge in half across the middle to make a dice.
How to Dice a Tomato?
- Put the tomato on its side and cut the stems off.
- Turn the tomato so that the top is facing up. Cut off the sides, leaving the core.
- Put the flat side of the core piece down on the cutting board and cut off the two sides around the core that are still there. Throw away the centre.
- Cut each piece of tomato into vertical slices that are the same distance apart. You can cut the strips thick or thin depending on how big or small you want the dice to be.
- Turn the tomato slices 90 degrees and cut them the other way to make a dice.
How to Dice with a Knife?
Step-by-Step Instructions for Dicing with a Knife
Before cutting the tomatoes into small pieces, could you take off the stickers and wash them? Now, here’s how to dice tomatoes evenly:
- Put the tomato on its side and cut off any stems or leaves with a serrated knife.
- To get to the seeds and pulp in the middle of the tomato, cut it half lengthwise.
- Use a spoon or a table knife to remove the seeds from the middle of the tomato. Then throw out the seeds.
- Half the tomatoes, remove the seeds and place them on the cutting board. Then, make vertical slices that are evenly spaced. You can choose how thick the cubes are based on how big or small you want them.
- To make cubes, turn the tomato slices 90 degrees and cut them the other way.
Some Bonus Tips
- If you think it’s messy to seed tomatoes with a spoon, you can cut off the sides and leave the core.
- Don’t make tomato cubes with tomatoes that are too ripe or still raw. Overripe tomatoes are too soft and mushy to cut into small pieces, and raw tomatoes don’t taste good.
What is the Best Knife to Cut Tomatoes?
The best way to cut through the tomato skin is with a knife that has serrations. The skin can tear and crumble when you cut a tomato with a paring knife or a fancy chef’s knife.
So, the same serrated knife that works well for cutting a loaf of bread also works well for cutting tomatoes. Like bread, tomatoes have a hard outside that keeps the soft inside from getting damaged.
The best way to cut through the tomato skin without crushing the soft inside is to use a saw.
What are the Alternatives for Knives?
As was already said, there are two ways to cut tomatoes into small pieces. If you have to cut up many tomatoes, it can take a long time and be tiring to do so with a knife. A food processor is the best tool for cutting tomatoes into small pieces in less than a minute.
Using the pulse button, you can stop the machine turning your tomatoes into a sauce. Use dicer as the second option. This option is best if you want to dice small or medium-sized tomatoes. To cut a tomato into small, uniform cubes, you have to push down on the lever.
How to Dice Tomatoes in a Food Processor?
You can also use a food processor to cut tomatoes into small pieces. With this method, you can quickly cut tomatoes into cubes of the same size.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Dicing with Food Processor
- Use a knife to cut the tomatoes into pieces that fit in the food processor’s bowl. Before putting the tomatoes in the processor, you can cut them in half and remove the seeds.
- Use the normal blade that came with the machine, and don’t put too many tomato pieces in the bowl at once.
- The blade will move back and forth for two or three seconds by pressing the pulse button.
- Empty the bowl once the tomatoes are diced to the size you want.
- Could you do it again with a new batch?
Some Bonus Tips
- If you don’t want the tomato juice, you can strain the diced tomatoes in a colander or strainer.
- If you use the processor’s Pulse setting for longer, the tomato cubes will be smaller. But if you do it too much, the tomatoes can turn into a puree.
- Only firm dice tomatoes.
- Before you put more tomatoes in the bowl to dice, you should empty it, and this will help you ensure the tomato cubes are all the same size.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Cutting with a Dicer
If you don’t have a food processor and find it hard to cut the tomatoes with a knife, you can use dicer. Dicers are both easy to use and affordable.
- Choose a dicer with a suitably sized blade frame and secure it in place.
- Cut the tomato half crosswise.
- Seed the tomatoes before dicing them.
- Place the tomato on the blade frame and press the lever down.
- Empty the preservation box when it is full before dicing another piece.
Some Bonus Tips
- Press the lever down quickly to prevent pieces of tomatoes from sticking to the blade.
- I suggest using the larger 13.6mm dicing blade to dice soft fruits or vegetables, like tomatoes.
- Cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces if they are bigger than the size of the blade frame.
What are the Uses for Diced Tomatoes?
I’ve found that when I use diced tomatoes in a recipe, the flavour spreads all over the dish. In addition, they make the dish look better. I use small pieces of tomato for toppings and sauces. The best tomato cube size for salsas and sides is medium, while the best size for salads, soups, and stews is large. I like to use tomato cubes about the same size, whether I’m making Pico de Gallo or Tabbouleh.
- Nachos: Tortilla chips topped with ground beef, shredded cheese, jalapenos, diced tomatoes, avocados, and sour cream.
- Pico De Gallo: A Mexican dish made from diced tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and lime juice.
- Tacos: Tacos with ground beef or grilled shrimp, avocado, cream, diced tomatoes, and lime juice.
- Greek Tomato Salad: A salad of diced tomatoes, cucumber, onion, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.
- Fresh Tomato Pizza: A regular pizza topped with mozzarella cheese, diced tomatoes, basil leaves, and olive oil.
How to Seed a Tomato Before Dicing?
Why does a tomato need to be seeded? The extra liquid in tomato seeds and the gel-like area around them can change the texture of a dish. Most of a tomato’s flavour comes from the red flesh, not the seeds, so there’s no downside to taking the extra step to remove the seeds—only benefits.
To make it easy to remove the seeds from a tomato, cut it in half first. Hold one-half of the tomato over a bowl and gently squeeze out the seeds. Use your finger or a small knife to scoop out the seed sacs and any extra liquid. You now have the perfect place to start cutting your tomatoes into small pieces.
How to Dice an Oblong Tomato?
You don’t have to remove the core first when you want to cut up a long tomato, like a Roma.
- Cut the top of the tomato off to get rid of any stems.
- Half the tomato along its length.
- Put the cut side of the tomato halves down to keep them in place. Make vertical cuts in each tomato that are the same distance apart. You can cut the strips thick or thin depending on how big or small you want the dice to be.
- Turn the slices 90 degrees and cut them the other way to make a dice.
What’s the Difference Between a Small, Medium, and Large Dice?
Cutting food into cubes of a certain size is what a dice means. Small dice are cut into 14-inch pieces and used in sauces, toppings, and condiments like tomato relish. The pieces of a medium dice are 12 inches long and work well in chunky salsas and toppings. The best places to use a large dice are salads, stews, and soups. The medium dice are half an inch by half an inch, and they are smaller than the large dice. This is a good choice when recipes don’t say how big the dice should be.
Conclusion
Holding the serrated knife parallel to the cutting board, cut the tomato halves horizontally into slices as thick as you want your dice to be. Next, cut each stack of tomato slices into strips as wide as you want your dice, and then cut these strips crosswise into dice. To separate the flesh from the seed core, cut wide strips that curve down to the bottom from the top. This way, cut away all of the tomato’s flesh, leaving only the seedy core. Throw away the core. Cut each piece of meat into a long strip as wide as you want your dice to be. Then, cut these strips in half lengthwise to make dice.
