The Grate-est Kitchen Tip of All Time

When you’re looking for an excuse to eat all the tomatoes, look to a box grater. It’s all you need to turn those summer superstars into a puddle of extreme, late-summer deliciousness. 

To make the easiest ever tomato puree, cut the tomaoes in half. If the tomato is small to medium-sized, cut a thin piece off the bottom—the side opposite the stem. This gives makes a flat surface to press against the grater and will help keep your fingers from getting scraped. Put the grater on a cutting board or inside a bowl, and rub the cut side of the tomato over the largest holes on the grater. After you’ve given it a couple of passes, press your palm flat against the tomato to protect your knuckles. When you’re done, toss the skin and use the pulp to make a fresh tomato sauce. 

Stir a few cloves of finely chopped garlic and a few torn leaves of basil into the tomato pulp. Whisk in a little olive oil and don’t forget the salt. Toss with warm pasta and you’ve got a top contender for summer’s easiest dinner. You can use those grated tomatoes on a pizza, too, or for gazpacho or an old-school tomato soup. Spoon a little on top of garlic bread for a riff on a Spanish pan con tomate. Transfer whatever’s left to a zip-top bag, squeeze out all the air and freeze. Use it to make a pasta sauce on the worst day of winter and remember that summer will come again.