5 Easy Tomato Garnish Ideas With Step-By-Step Photos

        How to cut cherry tomatoes for a salad in half with seeds in the cut every time? The key is to know which direction to cut tomatoes. This easy method works with any type of small tomatoes I use for my salad or add to other dishes as a garnish. I tested the tomato cherry salad tip on pear tomatoes and grape tomatoes as well. In my opinion, this is the best way to cut cherry tomatoes for a salad if we looking for a beautiful presentation. Now I always have my cherry tomatoes cut with seeds in the cut when adding them to my salad. The technique is so easy!

*Some chefs suggest cutting tomatoes in half horizontally, this way seeds will be always in the cut too. It works well if tomatoes are almost round. Of course, it is up to you how to cut tomatoes for your salad. In my opinion, tomatoes cut vertically are more pleasant and visually appealing especially odd-shaped tomatoes, for example, pear tomatoes.

     1. Cherry tomatoes are not perfectly round in shape when we look at them from the top. Tomatoes are oval. This is the key to cutting tomatoes into halves with seeds in the cut every time.

     2. Look at the tomato from above and cut the tomato on the wider side. The tomato halves have always seeds on the side if we cut them this way.

          In the photo below I show how tomatoes look if we cut the narrow side and long side from the above. This is a good method to know because maybe in some recipes you want seeds covered when cutting tomatoes in the half. On some tomatoes, we can see the line through the skin and we don’t have to try to find the wider side. However, on most red cherry tomatoes this technique is the only way to cut with seeds in the cut.

        I garnished a bagel with cream cheese and a lox breakfast plate with cherry tomatoes and a cucumber flower. The technique to make a cucumber flower is so easy. The flower stays well on the plate. Check out this technique, link below.

           In some dishes, we need the opposite effect not many seeds in the cut, and this technique will be useful too. If we cut the narrow side of cherry tomato, we have flash instead of seeds in the cut or much fewer seeds in the cut. This way tomatoes release less juice on the plate. For example, the appetizer is cherry tomatoes with mozzarella and basil.

Cherry tomatoes are a great addition to many dishes! Now we know how to cut them, with seeds or fewer seeds in the cut.

      I cut so many cherry tomatoes with this technique before setting up this page and need to mention the exception. The technique works with all the red cherry tomatoes I had. However, I noticed some small yellow round shape tomatoes have sometimes three instead of one separator in the middle. In the photo above 2 yellow tomatoes from the same box. The tomato above in the photo has one separator and the tomato below has three.

The tip I got from my chef friend from a long time ago. I got so many confirmations in cooking books and from other chefs on the Internet. Keeping tomatoes in the refrigerator destroys tomato’s flavor. The best to keep tomatoes away from light.

      How to make a tomato rose I know all my life and I don’t remember who taught me to make it. I can call it is classic tomato garnish because in almost every food garnishing book I have included this technique. The technique is so easy to follow and if you make the tomato rose one time, you don’t need a guide next time for the rest of your life.

      Tomato rose is always an attractive addition to any holiday table, especially in the summertime. We can make from any size tomatoes, limit just our fantasy and creativity! We can make a rose from a large tomato and add a few small roses from cherry tomatoes around. If we have yellow tomatoes, we can make yellow roses as well but my favorite color is rich red color tomatoes for my rose tomato garnish. Some people may say it is not modern garnish because nobody wants to eat tomato skin and it is not edible. In my opinion, it is still edible, if someone wants to eat and pretty. Great idea for tomato design for plating.

What is your opinion about it? Please, share in the comments below.

1 tomato (The best is firm tomato, so it will be easy to peel)

Sharp paring knife

     1. I begin the cut from the bottom of my tomato. I make the circle at first it will be the base of the flower.

     2. After I create the base of the rose I continuously peel the tomato and make the spiral shape peel. Try to make a ribbon from tomato skin as long as possible and it needs to be in one piece.

*When I make wavy peeling the tomato the rose looks much prettier than just peeling without waves.

     3. Gently roll skin back into a spiral like on the photo. The skin side should be outside and pulp side inside.

     4. Place the roll on the base. Now we can adjust very carefully the flower by tightening or loosening for the best look.

*Tomato roses better to make on the same day of serving and covered with plastic wrap before serving.

     The inside of tomato we can use in salad or use in cooking, for example to make a sauce.

Check this page, you might like →  11 Tips How To Reduce Food Waste At Kitchen And Save Money

   We can apply this technique to cherry tomatoes as well.

Take a look at the photo below, how pretty red and yellow roses from cherry tomatoes!

On the photo, I decorated Caprese salad platter with my cherry tomato flower on the center.

        I like this technique on how to make a flower from cherry tomato because it always comes out so pretty, especially flowers from rich red color tomatoes. We can dress up so many dishes with our cherry tomato flowers! Especially finger food and small appetizers. We can use a single tomato flower on a plate as on my photo or several flowers on a plate. The technique of how to cut a tomato into a flower is slightly different than the technique N 1. This technique is great for oval shaped tomatoes.

2 cherry tomatoes oval shape with rich red color

Paring knife

Cutting board

     1. The first tomato will be the base of the flower.  Make 4 cuts as shown on the photo. Remove the center with pulp and seeds from a tomato, so we have left flower with 4 petals.

     2. The second tomato will be inside of the flower. Cut the top as on the photo and start continuously peel tomato in a spiral around.

3.  Now we have the ribbon and the tulip-like flower from cherry tomatoes.

4. Begin at the end where you finish wrap the ribbon around itself. This rose from cherry tomato can be absolutely beautiful garnish by itself as you can see on 1 tomato rose technique.

*I like more flower looks in a combination of 2 cherry tomatoes.

     5. Place the rose like a flower inside of the tulip-like flower and we have our gorgeous tomato flower ready for garnish.

On the photo below, cherry tomato flower decorates cucumber garnish. So great combination by looks and by taste! Very nice decor for small appetizers platter, canape platter, and much more.

     A festive and super-easy way to serve tomato wedges. I saw this idea in one of my cookbooks and love simplicity and an impressive look. Mostly I use this technique when adding tomatoes to the plate with the main dish. I like to dress up tomato wedges because it like a mini tomato salad on the plate and a great way to add vegetables to the dish. Variations for tomato toppings can be so many just depends on what you have in the kitchen and your preferences. I use finely chopped onion chives and mayonnaise. We can use mayo sour cream, balsamic glaze, or other salad dressings. Take a look and I am sure you are going to use this technique in the future.

     1. Chop very fine your favorite greens. Put a tablespoon mayonnaise on a plate.

    2. Dip the tip of tomato wedge in mayonnaise it delicious and help stick greens.

     Baskets from tomatoes so cute with any stuffing! We can make them from different size tomatoes but tomatoes must have thick skin. I used small tomatoes to make my stuffed tomato buskets. Very attractive and cute appetizer for a kid’s party!

     1. Remove the spot where tomatoes attached to a branch with a paring knife.

     2. Make 2 cuts a half way through like on the photo. It is my basket handle.

    3. Make 2 horizontal cuts on each side of the handle.

     4. Cut flash inside the handle.

     I have a small tomato, approximately 2 inches. Inside of tomato not easy to remove without a damage of the handle, so I cut off it on one side. When tomato will be filled with stuffing, it almost not noticeable when we attached it. If we don’t cut it off before remove seeds, the handle can be damage on the top and it is very visible.

     5. Remove seeds with a small spoon or with a melon baller.

The best tool to hollow tomatoes, especially small is a melon baller. Very inexpensive garnish tool but very handy to use for fruit and vegetable stuffing and more.

     Check out the recipe ⇒ Russian Style Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes Appetizer

     Another cute presentation idea is fly agaric mushrooms from tomatoes.

        So cute idea to garnish sandwich with ladybug made out of tomato slice and olives for kids! In the photo above, decorated bagel with avocado on it. The cute eggs in the shape of flowers we can make without any molds. The technique you can check here ⇒ 3 Easy Hard Boiled Egg Garnish Techniques – No Molds

   Very cute flower idea from cucumber and cherry tomato. I garnished tomato snacks plate with celery and cucumber flower on the center is cherry tomato.

Read more how to make flower from cucumber with step by step technique and video → 7 Easy Ideas How To Cut Cucumber For Cocktails

1. Keep tomatoes at room temperature, don’t store them in the refrigerator. Tomatoes lose their taste and flavor in a cold environment.
2. Green tomatoes ripen well at room temperature if the skin is not damaged. People who have a garden know it very well. Of course, tomatoes ripened on the plant have the best flavor. Green tomatoes can be canned or just give it time and tomatoes will be ripening in a few days. In the photo above I bought tomatoes from our farmer’s market, they are much more flavorful than tomatoes from the store. I used red tomatoes at first and after a few days, my green tomatoes became perfectly ripe.
3. To peel easy tomatoes skin dip tomato in boiled water for 1 minute. Then put in water with ice. To slip off the skin will be very easy.

Botanically tomato is a fruit.

   Don’t have time to make a garnish?

Cherry tomatoes are always a great garnish to many dishes as is. We can use only red cherry tomatoes as a garnish or a combination of yellow and red. It is fresh up any platter because of the tomato’s bright color!