Content

• Advice
• Warning
• What you need

Remove the core and cut the tomatoes into 4 parts. Cut each tomato in half. Cut off the stem and any other parts that are not tomato meat. Then, cut each half into two equal parts.

Place the cut tomatoes in a large saucepan (a pot that doesn't react with any food). Use a non-stick pot or a ceramic pot instead of an aluminum one, as the aluminum reacts with the acid in the tomatoes, discoloring and losing the flavor of the tomato.

Squeeze tomatoes for water. Use a potato mash or a wooden spoon to squeeze the tomatoes until water comes out. At this point, the pot should be filled with a mixture of tomato juice and the pulp of the fruit. Cover to boil.

• If the mixture is too dry to boil, add a few more cups of water so that the water in the pot is enough to boil.

Bring the mixture to a boil in a saucepan. Stir the tomatoes and the juice repeatedly to prevent the mixture from burning. Heat until soft and watery. This process takes about 25-30 minutes.

Add spices if desired. Add a pinch of sugar, salt and other spices to make the tomato juice delicious. The sweetness of the sugar will help reduce the acidity of the tomatoes.

• If you don't know how much sugar, salt or pepper to add, add a little first. Then when you bring down the tomato pot to taste, you can add more if needed.

Strain the meat from the juice. Place a sieve or filter with a mesh over a large glass bowl. If using a filter, choose one with a small mesh. Use a glass or plastic bowl because metal bowls can react with the acids in the tomatoes. Slowly pour the cooled tomato mixture through the sieve. Most of the tomato juice will flow through the holes in the sieve.

• Shake the sieve occasionally so the tomato flesh won't get stuck in the hole and let the juice drip into the bowl. Use a plastic spatula to press the tomato mixture again. Pressing on the tomato mixture will help squeeze out the remaining juice in the pulp.
• Discard the pulp remaining in the sieve after pressing the juice. The pulp is not much of culinary value at this time.

Cover and refrigerate the juice. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and be sure to stir well before drinking. Tomato juice is stored in tightly closed containers / bottles and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. advertisement

Part 2 of 3: Making Juices from Tomato Sauce

1. 

   Scoop the tomato sauce out of the box and place in a medium-sized jar. Choose a jar with a cap and a sealing hose to keep the juice longer. Use a larger jar if using a 360 ml ketchup box.

2. 

   Measure the water 4 times the ketchup box. Then pour water into the ketchup jar. You can measure water with a regular measuring cup, but measuring with a can of ketchup will help you measure the water in the right proportions.

3. 

   Stir the tomato juice and water together until blended. If possible, use a hand blender to make sure all ingredients are mixed well.

4. 

   Season with sugar, salt and pepper. Stir the ingredients in the ketchup jar or blend them with a hand blender until they blend well together. If the tomato sauce already has salt, you can skip this step.

5. 

   Disinfect the jars. You can boil each jar in water for about 5 minutes or use a dishwasher to disinfect it. Place the jars on a clean dishcloth to prepare them for filling.

6. 

   Prepare fresh tomato juice. If you want to make a jar of tomato juice, make juice from fresh tomatoes instead of using ketchup. Make enough juice to fill one or more 0.95l jars. Always remember that when pouring juice into a jar, leave 1.5 cm above the jar.

7. 

   Strain out the flesh, skin and seeds of the tomato.

8. 

   Boil tomato juice for about 10 minutes. Boil tomato juice for 10 minutes to disinfect and prepare to close the jar. At this point, you can do one of the following to better preserve the juice:
   • Add lemon juice or vinegar. The acidity of the lemon juice and vinegar can help preserve the tomato juice. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a jar of tomato juice.
   • Salt. Salt acts as a preservative. If you want salt, add 1 teaspoon of salt to 0.95 liters of tomato juice. Keep in mind that salt changes the flavor of the juice.

9. 

   Pour the juice into the jar. Remember to leave 1.5 cm of space above the jar. Close the lid and tighten the metal rod.

10. 

    Place the jars in a pressure cooker and heat. Follow the instructions for each pressure cooker. The standard heating time is about 25-35 minutes. After disinfection, remove the jars and let them cool for 24 hours.

11. 

    Store the jars of tomato juice in a cool and dry place. advertisement

Advice

• If you don't like the taste of tomatoes, or want to add nutritional value, grind a few more vegetables to make vegetable and tomato juices. Chopped celery, carrots and onions are great for blending with tomato juice. Or you can mix with a little chili sauce to make the juice spicy.
• Experiment with making a variety of tomatoes juice. Large Steak tomatoes have thick meat and strong flavor, while Plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes are usually slightly sweeter. Note that the smaller and sweeter the tomato, the less sugar is needed.

Warning

• Opt for a canned tomato sauce that is free of the chemicals Bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA can react with the acid in the tomato and chemically contaminate the tomato sauce. The glass jar does not contain BPA, so the tomato sauce sold in the glass jar is safest.

What you need

• Dish towels or paper towels
• Sharp knife
• Heat-resistant spoons or whisk
• Non-stick pot or ceramic pot
• Sieve or filter with mesh
• Glass bowl
• Pressure cooker