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A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

nytimes.com

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Re: A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

#71

Post by conistonwater »

Spellman wrote: post #64
dicroce wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are 2 really good canned variety's available in the US (IMHO): 1) San Marzano (imported) 2) Muir Glen Organic

Odd. Either I have terrible tastebuds or it doesn't matter in this particular application, but last time I made sauce with San Marzano vs generic tomatoes no one could tell the difference. Someone more experienced want to pipe in and help my ignorance?

Not experienced, but (1) unless tomatoes feature prominently in a recipe, the details of their flavour won't have that much impact, (2) for any expensive protected-origin kind of stuff, there's a chance somebody just took the plain stuff and relabelled it.

Re: A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

#72

Post by mattw »

jdironman wrote: post #69
abakker wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those hand crank popcorn poppers can be pretty good at roasting your own coffee, if you're interested.

I don't know about others, but I for one would like to learn more. Do you have any links or further info?

http://legacy.sweetmarias.com/stovepopmethod.php

I've been roasting coffee stovetop for about a year. Takes me about 10 minutes to roast 12 ounces, the result is great, and it only ends up costing about $1/lb more than what I used to pay for roasted beans at Costco. If you like coffee at all, I highly recommend giving it a try!

Re: A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

#73

Post by fovc »

dicroce wrote: post #34
Eric_WVGG wrote: post #10

There's a similar problem with popcorn. Showing my age card here, but back in the 1970's popcorn actually tasted like corn , which seems to be a difficult concept to explain to anyone under 40. It all went south around the same time that microwave popcorn became popular. People always ask if I don't like tomatoes when I eat around them in salads or remove from burgers. Nope, I love tomatoes, that's why I don't eat fl…

There are 2 really good canned variety's available in the US (IMHO): 1) San Marzano (imported) 2) Muir Glen Organic

Worth noting that San Marzano is an Italian DOC, distinct from the US brand SMT, which has previously called their tomatoes San Marzano, despite not actually being that. They engage(d) in various shady practices so I personally avoid them and suggest others do too.

For more info, see http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/68538/are-these-t...

Re: A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

#74

Post by xapata »

Spellman wrote: post #64
dicroce wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are 2 really good canned variety's available in the US (IMHO): 1) San Marzano (imported) 2) Muir Glen Organic

Odd. Either I have terrible tastebuds or it doesn't matter in this particular application, but last time I made sauce with San Marzano vs generic tomatoes no one could tell the difference. Someone more experienced want to pipe in and help my ignorance?

Depending on how you cooked it, the difference might be subtle enough that only someone familiar with it would notice.

Try eating the tomato raw, like an apple. A good tomato is wonderful with just a sprinkle of salt.

I only started noticing the difference after I grew my own heirloom tomatoes. I was amazed when I ate my first harvest, fresh off the plant. I had never tasted a tomato before in my life! Basic supermarket tomatoes just taste like water.

Re: A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

#75

Post by tornadoboy55 »

Eric_WVGG wrote: post #10

There's a similar problem with popcorn. Showing my age card here, but back in the 1970's popcorn actually tasted like corn , which seems to be a difficult concept to explain to anyone under 40. It all went south around the same time that microwave popcorn became popular. People always ask if I don't like tomatoes when I eat around them in salads or remove from burgers. Nope, I love tomatoes, that's why I don't eat fl…

Pro tip: never eat canned goods. The coating inside of them is loaded with endocrine disruptors.

Edit: nice to see downvotes without any discourse. Keep it up HN!

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2726844/

Re: A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

#76

Post by vermontdevil »

I used to eat tomato sandwiches made from tomoatoes grown in my parents' backyard. These beefsteak tomatoes were huge and sweet. The store variety are noticeably bland.

Going back to the backyard and starting again. I think the hard part is finding the right seed.

Re: A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

#77

Post by balfirevic »

david-given wrote: post #52

If you refrigerate tomatoes, they go bland --- the cold temperatures kills some of the flavour. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/10/18/science/tomato-flavor-...

Did they actually test for taste in that research? This guy has and he disagrees:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/07/how-to-store-tomatoes.htm...

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/tomato-taste-test-refrige...

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/why-you-should-refrigerat...

Re: A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

#78

Post by samirillian »

Tomatoes are practically weeds. They grow like crazy, and you can eat heirlooms as sweet or as savory as you like.

Sometimes I think I didn't know wealth until I had a cherokee purple straight off the vine. You can practically make sashimi with it.

Now I'm just gonna come out and say it: fucking with genes worries me. It only takes one unforeseen toxic externality for the whole thing to turn out very poorly. (dangers of monocropping; turning plants into intellectual property, whatever the hell happened to pugs, etc.)

Just know how surprisingly easy it is to grow your own--and do! That's all I'm saying.

Re: A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

#79

Post by ada1981 »

This is perhaps the most hilarious thing I've seen. There are plenty of varieties of delicious tomatoes you can grow or buy.. the idea we need to "reengineer a genetic fix" seems like something the Onion should be running.

At our cooperative store we have amazing flavorful tomatoes.

Re: A Genetic Fix to Put the Taste Back in Tomatoes

#80

Post by ada1981 »

tornadoboy55 wrote: post #75
Eric_WVGG wrote: post #10

There's a similar problem with popcorn. Showing my age card here, but back in the 1970's popcorn actually tasted like corn , which seems to be a difficult concept to explain to anyone under 40. It all went south around the same time that microwave popcorn became popular. People always ask if I don't like tomatoes when I eat around them in salads or remove from burgers. Nope, I love tomatoes, that's why I don't eat fl…

Pro tip: never eat canned goods. The coating inside of them is loaded with endocrine disruptors. Edit: nice to see downvotes without any discourse. Keep it up HN! https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2726844/

I love the edit.
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