how to chop a tomato??

[5lab]

simple question really, but how do you slice a tommy (for putting in sarnies) without just ending up with sliced tommy skin and a pile of goo and seeds on yer chopping board?

[menthel]

A firm tomato and a VERY sharp knife. Its the only way.

[Rave]

Use a thin bladed and very sharp knife, basically. I have some paring knives that I picked up in a pack of five at a pound shop (I.E. 20p each ). After a minute or so's effort with the steel they'll go through a tomato with no probs at all.

[tiggerai]

Sabatier serrated knife... I have 2.

[Kumagoro]

use cherry toms. slice it into into quarters but not cutting all the way through then spread it out.

[5lab]

how much are knife sharpening doodahs? i ask cos i have 3 reasonable knifes (cost £15 for the set iirc) but they're getting a bit blunt now, probably resulting in my dificulty

[iranu]

Ceramic knives. Bl**dy sharp and bl**dy expensive. They cut tomato soooo perfectly it's not true. Unfortunately they'll cut your fingers perfectly too, so not be used for that 2am post pub sarnie.

[Zak33]

hold on.....lets take this one step at a time.

A: What shape was a Guillotine? I know its nasty, but WHAT SHAPE IS THE BLADE?


Why? Why not be straight..why be angled? Why does it work best if its SLICES, rather than CHOPS?

A Meat Cleaver CHOPS....all of its edge it one harsh, CRUSHING blow.

But a Guiilotine SLICES? Why?

Because is starts on one bit and RUNS ALONG THE LENGTH of the blade.

Why can you get paper cuts by sliding your hand along a sheet of paper, but you cant by just slamming the edge into your hand?
You need to SLICE.

Swords dont CUT unless they are drawn along the enemy....you just bruise people if you whack them, but if you SLICE.....put the blade to the victim and PULL or PUSH..it SLICES....deep.

that's how to cut a tomato

[iranu]

Yeah, I'm liking that idea. Bit laborious but very industrialised. hehe.

How about an egg slicer? One quick push and all the slices would be there.

[Sk!mD4Rk]

^^ No way, they're not sharp enough for toms. You'll end up with a squashed mess.

[snedger]

I use one of those V-slicers that you see on the infomercials and wonder if they're any good - and I reckon they are. You can slice tomatoes at various thicknesses, the thinnest would never be possible by hand.
A company called Selkin (.co.uk) sell them in the uk, although they still haven't got the latest version on their website. The manufacturer is Boerner http://www.boerner-germany.de/ If you look around you'll find some videos.
Before that I had a rectangular frame that had a number of thin serrated metal "strings" stretched across it and this worked well. Was a little bit tricky cutting the last bit without getting your hands near the blades.
Failing that you should use a serrated knife to stop splurging. Or If you've already got steak knives then that will do!

[Zak33]

serated knives work because they FORCE you to slice...because it looks like a saw, you know you have to move it along the cut....

a really sharp normal knife will do the best job...IF you SLIDE IT ALONG

[Matt1eD]

A firm tomato and a VERY sharp knife. Its the only way.

Yup, and never press down with the knife, slowly slide it back and forth until it breaks the skin - then your in.

Edit: That egg sliver thing looks hell to clean.

[Clingy]

How to Chop a Tomato?

Well stick large curving handle bars on it, stick a black frilly leather seat on top, rake out the forks in front.....







I'll get me coat!

[Zak33]

/closes door behind him

[alexander]

All you people with complicated techniques.....


All you need to do is make one incision and then cut outwards from that incision, it really isn't very hard...