For all the different ways we use tomatoes in the kitchen, all our adoration of their juicy, tangy brightness, we are remarkably quick to discard their skin. It goes straight from the cutting board into the trash can without a lingering thought, and down the drain goes all the unexplored potential. Simply dried and ground, it can surprise you with power of tomato powder — a bold, complex seasoning capable of making the blandest meals interesting.
You’ll be glad to know that making tomato powder from scratch is a relatively straightforward process. It starts with drying the skin, which you can either microwave on high for three minutes, followed by 30-second intervals, or bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for up to three hours. A food dehydrator should take around 8 to 12 hours when operating at 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
After the skin pieces have cooled down to room temperature and become paper-thin and brittle, grind them with a few teaspoons of salt and sugar until you get the powder. Alternatively, you can coarsely crumble them to create tomato flakes. Do this using a spice mill, a coffee grinder, or even a mortar and a pestle. Once done, keep it in airtight containers and away from direct sunlight to use for up to two years.
A massive flavor boost hidden in a spice jar
Tomato powder doesn’t merely capture the flavor of fresh tomatoes. It condenses and intensifies it into a better, more pronounced version, the kind of vibrancy you normally have to coax out through simmering sauces and slow-roasted pans. It bottles all of that signature acidic sweetness from the peak of a summer harvest, tucks it into a spice jar, and creates a flavor gateway you can revisit all year round. Needless to say, you should always keep tomato powder in your pantry. It will come in handy much more frequently than you’d think.
Add it to your favorite recipes, and it’s an instant game-changer. A creamy bowl of tomato soup, often accompanied by a grilled cheese sandwich, couldn’t be more mouthwatering with a few spoonfuls sprinkled in-between. Got some roasted vegetables about to enter the oven? Throw in a pinch to diversify the flavors. Spice-rubbing a savory protein for dinner or dredging it in flour to deep-fry? A small sprinkle can massively enhance the taste profile. You can even add it to the batter when you’re baking a loaf of homemade focaccia bread as a simple reimagining of the Calabrian version called grupariata.
Did you know that you can also make tomato paste simply by combining it with water in a 1:1 ratio? Beyond that, try adding the powder when you’re simmering tomato sauce or marinara sauce for more depth. Or make an ordinary block of butter more interesting by giving it a tomato twist, and say a permanent goodbye to boring breakfast toasts. The possibilities are endless.
