While the freezer does impact a tomato's texture, it doesn't ruin its vibrant, acidic flavor. Some diehard canners will argue that canning tomatoes preserves more of the fresh flavor, and they may be right.
Whole tomatoes tend to crack and collapse when they thaw. To successfully freeze fresh raw tomatoes, you can: Slice tomatoes into at least 1/2-inch slices.
Place the tomatoes in a gallon-sized zip-top freezer bag. Force out as much air as possible and tightly seal the bag. Freeze the tomatoes. Lay the bag flat in the freezer and freeze until solid, at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
Tomatoes may be frozen raw or cooked, whole, sliced, chopped, or puréed. Tomatoes do not need to be blanched before freezing. Frozen tomatoes are best used in cooked foods such as soups, sauces and stews as they become mushy when they're thawed.
Lay the tomatoes out on a flat freezer-proof sheet, in a single layer and not touching, and place in your freezer. Once they're fully frozen, transfer your tomatoes to sealable plastic bags and return to the freezer where they'll keep for six months or more.
Peel and Freeze the Tomatoes
Spoon the tomatoes into freezer containers or bags, leaving 1-inch headspace. Seal and label the container or bag. Freeze for up to 10 months.
Prepare a large saucepan of boiling water, as well as a large bowl filled with ice water. In batches, add the tomatoes to the boiling water in 2-minute intervals. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to the ice water and let sit for 1 minute. Place the tomatoes into large resealable bags and freeze!
Freezing tomatoes let you enjoy summer ripened tomatoes in the winter. Sure they lose some flavor as any fresh frozen produce will, but they are still great to cook with. Freezing tomatoes is one of the easiest and quickest ways to preserve them.
Frozen tomatoes hold their flavor fairly well. “Thaw and dump” pint or quart-sized portions conveniently found in the freezer section of your very own kitchen hold a lot of appeal and will add a bit of summer to those cool weather comfort foods.
Frozen tomatoes become soft after thawing so you wouldn't be able to use them raw, such as in a BLT sandwich. For cooking though, they are perfectly fine.
The Short Answer: Don't Refrigerate Tomatoes
The standard rule is to keep tomatoes out of the refrigerator. It all comes down to science: Tomatoes contain an enzyme that reacts to cold temperatures, causing the cell membranes to break down and leaving you with a piece of fruit that's mushy and mealy.
The best way to freeze tomatoes depends on how you plan to use them. If you intend to make a sauce or a dish that would be better without the skins and seeds, be sure to remove those before freezing. First score and blanch the tomatoes, and then peel off the skin and squeeze out the seeds.
As glass jars became more widely available, however, Italians began preserving their tomatoes by filling jars with their homegrown produce and submerging them in boiling water for sterilization. This process, known as “bain-marie,” is still used today.
Wash, core, and slice 1/4-inch thick. For Frying – Pack the slices into containers with freezer wrap between the slices. Leave 1/2-inch headspace. Seal and freeze.
Cucumbers are about 95% water, so freezing and thawing will affect their cell structure, resulting in a mushy texture. But there are many recipes where that texture will work to your advantage. Frozen cucumbers can be made into soups, dips, or smoothies, since a mushy texture won't make or break these dishes.
The best and easiest way to preserve cherry tomatoes is to freeze them by adding handfuls to re-closable freezer bags. Wash and pat dry the fruits before freezing so they can be added to cooked dishes straight from the bag.
Tomatoes contain a large amount of malic acid and citric acid, which will trigger gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In addition, eating too many tomatoes can also cause other gastrointestinal problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).