Newbie trying to figure out how to thaw frozen tomatoes for canning

[prof sarcasm]

I'm not sure which section this fits in. First year working with frozen tomatoes and I gotta admit I'm scratching my head a little. I thought if I just ran warm water over them it'd do the trick but now I'm stuck with skins that slip off easy and cores that stay rock hard. I'd love some advice on the best way to thaw frozen tomatoes without botching the batch. Anyone got tried and true methods for this?

 

[supermom]

It depends on how fast you want to get the job done. You can place them in a bowl and let them thaw naturally and use them when they're as soft as you need them to be. If you don't need them immediately, you can puth them in the fridge and they'll thaw but a bit more slowly. A frined of mine sometimes puts them in the microwave on short burts, but she does that only with the ones that aren't fully thawed and she needs to speed up the process.

 

[PecanPieMan]

It depends on how fast you want to get the job done. You can place them in a bowl and let them thaw naturally and use them when they're as soft as you need them to be. If you don't need them immediately, you can puth them in the fridge and they'll thaw but a bit more slowly. A frined of mine sometimes puts them in the microwave on short burts, but she does that only with the ones that aren't fully thawed and she needs to speed up the process.

I should add one more tip, for the best sauce or cooking, OP can place frozen tomatoes (whole or quartered) directly into the pot for sauce, soup, or stew. The heat will thaw them, and the skins will slip right off as they cook, easy to fish out

 

[prof sarcasm]

Thanks to both of you for the great advice! @supermom I appreciate the breakdown on the different thawing methods. @PecanPieMan your tip about throwing them straight into the pot will save me a ton of work on this sauce.

 

[jerick_s]

Hey, I understand you might've found a solution for your post but I would usually let them sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes then peel them under cool water.
And if you haven't started canning, I suggest you peel and de-seed them to avoid a bitter taste and for it to last longer!

 

[prof sarcasm]

Thank you for that extra advice! De-seeding is new to me and very helpful. What's the easiest way to get the seeds out once the tomatoes are soft? @jerick_s