One Chef-Approved Trick for Tomatoes, Plus 11 More You’ll Want to Try

It’s Tomato-thon, and if you know us, that’s basically our holiday. We’re talking all things tomatoes this week—from slicing tips to preserving hacks, and of course, how to cook them when they’re perfectly ripe. We dug into our archives, fan-favorite recipes, and asked a few chef friends how they’re treating their tomatoes this season. We started with Chef Jason Hall (currently at Cathédrale Restaurant & Sake No Hana)—and here’s what he had to say.

Flash-Fry for Instant Sauce or Preserving

Jason is all about flash-frying cherry tomatoes right now. It concentrates their sweetness and makes them perfect for tossing with pasta or spooning over toast. Bonus: they keep well in the fridge for later.

Here’s how:

Heat olive oil in a pan. Once hot, add dry tomatoes (careful—they’ll jump if wet!). Add salt and pepper. Let them blister and char slightly. A minute before they’re done, toss in the garlic until golden. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with herbs. Serve warm or at room temp.

More Chef-Approved Tomato Tips

And because we can’t help ourselves, here are even more chef-approved ways to make the most of your tomatoes this week. Think: brown butter, bacon fat, and a salty trick for your tomato skins.

Use Deli Container Lids to Cut a Bunch of Tomatoes at Once

You've probably seen this hack on social media—it's a pro trick used by chefs (and the internet) for slicing through cherry tomatoes fast. Place a handful of tomatoes between two deli container lids and use a large serrated knife (a bread knife works great!) to slice horizontally across.

Pro tips:

Here’s Chef Reilly Meehan showing exactly how it’s done: Watch the video

Slow-Roast for Peak Flavor, Even Off-Season

Molly Wizenberg’s slow-roasted tomatoes are a go-to year-round. The technique brings out deep, jammy flavor—even from lackluster tomatoes. All you need: olive oil, flaky sea salt, and ground coriander.

Get the recipe

Tomato Confit Toast

Too ripe to slice? Turn them into confit. Max and Lydia from our Feel Good Food series made this version with ricotta and chives.

Get the recipe

Bake Them in Bacon Fat

A classic from our archives: melt bacon fat, add bread cubes, garlic, sugar, and tomatoes, then bake with olive oil and Parmesan. It’s rich, savory, and very much Tomato-thon energy.

Get the recipe

Roast with Sheet-Pan Fish

Peak tomato meets peak convenience: toss cherry tomatoes onto your next sheet pan fish dinner. They roast down beautifully and add a pop of sweetness to flaky fish like cod or salmon. We love this sheet pan salmon and potato recipe. Or, I’m a huge fan of adding them next to slices of honey-brushed polenta cakes. The jammy tomato and roasted polenta pair beautifully and I learned this from Antoni Porowski.

Save the Skins—Turn Them Into Tomato Salt

Instead of tossing tomato skins, dry them out and blitz into salt. Gabrielle Hamilton includes this tip in her cookbook Prune, in a chapter she calls “Garbage”—aka genius scrap hacks. Justin from our Hotline recently tried this again in the Test Kitchen and it worked beautifully.

Learn how

Make Tomato Jam

Amanda Hesser’s tomato jam is the ultimate way to preserve the season. It’s sweet, savory, and perfect on sandwiches, cheese boards, or spooned over grilled meats.

Get the recipe

Keep the Seeds

You don’t have to toss the seeds. As Kristin Miglore shared, the late Leah Chase insisted on keeping them in a standout dish from her cookbook And Still I Cook. Why? The seeds hold flavor and texture—especially in dishes like her Tomato-Basil Sauce.

Make Gazpacho

From last year’s Tomato-thon: a nectarine and heirloom tomato gazpacho from Chef Cesar. Even if you’re skeptical of cold soups, this one might win you over—especially when served with cheesy flatbreads.

Get the recipe.

Add Brown Butter

Sometimes the best tip is the simplest. Brown butter + fresh tomatoes + flaky salt. That’s it. One of our most-loved recipes, and still as dreamy as ever.

Get the recipe

Dip in Warm Water Before the Fridge

Our favorite trick for fresher tomatoes: give them a 5-minute bath in warm water (around 125°F) before refrigerating. This simple step actually helps them taste better once chilled, based on a tip from Quartz.

Learn more