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I Tried a Bunch of Gadgets for Tomatoes — And I Think 3 Are Total Must-Haves

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There are so kinda unparalleled — golden ears of corn, plump berries, crisp heads of lettuce, tall leaves of kale, and tomatoes of all shapes and sizes.

Be it large, quirky-looking heirloom tomatoes; oblong plum tomatoes; or small, round cherry tomatoes, I love ’em all. They’re great in salads and BLTs and just sliced and drizzled with olive and hit with a smattering of salt and black pepper.

Credit: Sarah Crowley

I know what you're thinking: "A chef's knife to slice tomatoes!? Not a serrated one?!" As long as your chef's knife is super sharp, you can absolutely use it with tomatoes. I do it all the time. Especially if my chef's knife already happens to be out for other tasks.

There are tons of others who share my passion for tomatoes — which is evident by the sheer number of tomato-related gadgets that exist in the world. Hullers, slicers, corers, and store-ers, oh my! Which made me curious: What tomato gadgets are actually worth buying? To find out, I rounded up a whole bunch of them. Here are the three I now highly recommend for other fellow tomato-lovers.

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1. Norpro Stainless Steel Tomato Stem Corer

Eating the tough, flavorless core of a tomato? No thank you! This $5 gadget makes it super easy to core tomatoes (it’s also great for hulling strawberries!). All you have to do is insert the corer’s teeth and twist it to scoop out the core. There are other corers out there, but for the money you can’t beat this model. It takes up minimal drawer space, too.

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2. Rapid Slicer

Instead of slicing cherry or grape tomatoes one at a time, you can do a bunch in one fell swoop, thanks to this gadget. To use it, you place a handful of tomatoes on the bottom portion of the slicer, gently hold the lid on top of the tomatoes to keep them in place, and slide a sharp knife between the bottom and lid, halving the tomatoes. (I’ve also done the same thing using two upside-down plates and two deli container lids, but this works even better.) Other tomato slicers are really only for tomatoes, but the Rapid Slicer can also be used for halving a bagel, slicing a chicken breast for crispy chicken cutlets , and more.

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3. Joie Fresh Stretch Pod for Tomatoes

Large tomatoes are kind of awkward to store. This pod can help. Just put a cut tomato sliced-side down on the bottom portion, then add the lid, which has a silicone portion that stretches over the top of the tomato and expands to accommodate it. Much better than using a plastic, zip-top baggie!

Do you have a favorite tomato gadget? Tell us about it in the comments!

Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm

Lifestyle Editor, Tools

Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the Tools Editor at The Kitchn. A professional kitchen equipment tester, she's worked for America's Test Kitchen, EatingWell, and Food52. Her goal: to find the best gear for your kitchen so you don't waste time or money on anything else. She lives in Boston, MA with her two dogs.

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Source : food