# Fried green tomatoes



## callmaker60 (Jun 16, 2014)

Is there a best time to pick green tomatoes to make fried green tomatoes?


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## Katie H (Jun 16, 2014)

In my experience, and I've been making fried green tomatoes for many, many years, the best tomatoes for this purpose are uniformly green, firm tomatoes with no blemishes and no evidence of ripening.  The ones I fry are quite firm, almost hard, because they're definitely not ripe.


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## powerplantop (Jun 17, 2014)

I like to pick them just before they start to get color. Look at the bottom of the tomato and when I see some white starting to form they are mature but not ripe.


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## GA Home Cook (Jun 17, 2014)

Some of the resturants in Atlanta have the best.  Mary Mack's Tea Room are to die for.  they have a spicy Ranch that I am working on duplicating.  I like mine firm, no color.  Sliced and placed in a bag with Salt and white corn meal.  Fry up in an cast iron skillet until brown.


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## Oldvine (Jun 17, 2014)

When I see a green tomato, I pick it and fry it.  It's better if there is more than one.  Eventually, I choose them before they start to color.


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## chiklitmanfan (Jun 17, 2014)

For those of you who desire a little less oil or fat, I've tried this recipe with success.
Thin slice very unripe green tomatoes.  Dredge them through corn meal, salt, pepper and a little Parmesan cheese.  place on cookie sheet and spray with olive oil (there's that Misto again) and place under your oven broiler.  When they begin to get that slightly scorched look flip them over and spray with olive oil again.  The result is lighter, less greasy and still full of flavor.  

One of the best sandwiches I ever ate in my life was at the Asheville airport's grill.  Fried green tomatoes, roasted red peppers, an asiago cheese slice and remoulade sauce, all on sourdough bread.

It no longer shows on the menu but this is one of the better restaurants I've eaten at. Asheville Regional Airport :: Dining + Gifts


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## Katie H (Jun 17, 2014)

I make mine pretty simply.

Slice a bit off the bottom and the top so that there is tomato "meat" exposed, then slice at least 1/4-inch thick.  Dip in well-beaten egg and press firmly into Italian bread crumbs, or Italian-seasoned panko crumbs.  Make certain the whole tomato is nicely coated.  Place on a wax paper-lined rack or cookie sheet and put in the refrigerator, uncovered, to "age" for at least 30 minutes.  This last step allows the gluten in the bread crumbs to set up a bit and keeps the breading from breaking up and falling off the tomato slices.

To fry them, I heat about 1/4 inch or so of canola oil until it's shimmering and add the tomatoes.  Don't crowd the tomatoes.  Fry until they're a deep golden brown.  Turn over and cook similarly on the other side.  Remove to a wire rack and salt immediately while still warm.  Enjoy!


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## CharlieD (Jun 17, 2014)

Couple of times I've made FGT's they were too sour to eat. I wonder what I did wrong?


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## GotGarlic (Jun 17, 2014)

CharlieD said:


> Couple of times I've made FGT's they were too sour to eat. I wonder what I did wrong?



How did you make them?


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## CharlieD (Jun 18, 2014)

Sliced, seasoned, dipped in flour, i think, it's been couple of years since a gave up trying.


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## Roll_Bones (Jul 9, 2014)

My MIL is asking for "fried green tomatoes" and today she will get them.

I don't like corn meal very much, but I do have Progresso Italian style bread crumbs and i do have some peccorrino Romano.
I will fry thought Katie.

Do you salt and pepper them before breading?  Any other ingredients needed or suggested?
Katie your recipe sounds like I would like it.  So thats what i will use.
Thanks.

Oh. When i bread things, I usually put them in the freezer in single layers with wax paper in between.
Is this okay? Or is the fridge better?
The semi frozen breaded items seem to stay together better and keep well as i make the whole batch.  I will save them this way to if we cannot eat all of it.


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## Katie H (Jul 9, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> My MIL is asking for "fried green tomatoes" and today she will get them.
> 
> I don't like corn meal very much, but I do have Progresso Italian style bread crumbs and i do have some peccorrino Romano.
> I will fry thought Katie.
> ...




Okay, here's what I do and I have never had a failure and the plate is always empty.

I dip them in beaten egg, then in the Italian bread crumbs.  Place the breaded slices onto waxed paper-lined cookie sheet with a layer of waxed paper between layers of tomatoes if I'm cooking a large quantity.  I just put them in the refrigerator.

Fry them in about 1/4-inch of shimmering hot oil until each side is about bronze.  Before I lift them out of the oil I salt them, then turn the salted side down onto a wire rack and salt the unsalted other side.  Serve, sprinkled with shredded cheese, if desired, and enjoy.

I like them leftover cold and sometimes use them as the tomato part of a BLT.


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## Mad Cook (Jul 9, 2014)

CharlieD said:


> Couple of times I've made FGT's they were too sour to eat. I wonder what I did wrong?


What about sprinkling a little sugar on then with the salt & pepper before coating them? Just a suggestion as I've never eaten fried green tomatoes. Now I know what they are I must try them. Always wondered what they were after seeing the film.


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## Hoot (Jul 10, 2014)

Generally, I eschew commercially prepared seasoning mixes for fried foods. However, I have found that a good seafood breader mix works very well on most fried veggies, such as squash and green tomatoes. I 'spect that most seafood breader mixes are very similar. We prefer House - Autry brand, but that is because it is made in NC. Your mileage may vary.


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## Roll_Bones (Jul 10, 2014)

Katie H said:


> Okay, here's what I do and I have never had a failure and the plate is always empty.
> 
> I dip them in beaten egg, then in the Italian bread crumbs.  Place the breaded slices onto waxed paper-lined cookie sheet with a layer of waxed paper between layers of tomatoes if I'm cooking a large quantity.  I just put them in the refrigerator.
> 
> ...



I made mine well before I saw your post.  So, thank you very much.

I sliced, then lightly salted the tomatoes. I put them on paper towels to drain for about an hour in the fridge.
I then dabbed them again with paper towels to get as much water away as possible.  Then very light S&P.
I used the traditional breading technique. Flour, then egg wash, then bread crumbs. 
I mixed bread crumbs with Romano. About 1/3rd Romano.
Fried as you described and got rave reviews from MIL, wife and GD.
Will make again.



Hoot said:


> Generally, I eschew commercially prepared seasoning mixes for fried foods. However, I have found that a good seafood breader mix works very well on most fried veggies, such as squash and green tomatoes. I 'spect that most seafood breader mixes are very similar. We prefer House - Autry brand, but that is because it is made in NC. Your mileage may vary.



I also like House Autry.  Got the idea from Jeff Smith.
For this dish, seems bread crumbs would be a better fit?

My mileage will be very low as we have HA in all our stores here.


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## Katie H (Jul 10, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> I made mine well before I saw your post.  So, thank you very much.
> 
> I sliced, then lightly salted the tomatoes. I put them on paper towels to drain for about an hour in the fridge.
> I then dabbed them again with paper towels to get as much water away as possible.  Then very light S&P.
> ...



Your method is interesting but, to me, you could easily eliminate some of the steps.  As far as it has been my experience there is no real need to salt them prior to breading.  You will also save some time by not having to refrigerate them and pat them dry.  Freshly sliced green tomatoes are generally dry enough without removing any moisture.

I've used flour in my breading but prefer to have a lighter coat of crunch and only dip the slices once in egg wash and once in bread crumbs.  I refrigerate the breaded slices for at least 20 minutes before frying.  This step allows the gluten in the bread crumbs to "hold hands," which is largely why the breading doesn't break off or fall off the tomatoes during the frying process.

I have included cheese in the breading but not everyone here likes the cheese "in" the slices, rather they prefer to sprinkle a bit on top while they are still hot.

One thing that is the biggest help to me when I bread and fry anything is my handy little pigtail turner, which eliminates the yucky "breading fingers" and allows me to evenly and thoroughly coat the food items.  Love it to turn the tomato slices as they cook, too.

As far as salting the fried tomatoes, I follow Alton Brown's guidance and salt them as soon as they are done and still hot.  This way the salt melts into the food and seasons it nicely.

Just my feedback and experience.


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## Roll_Bones (Jul 10, 2014)

Katie H said:


> Your method is interesting but, to me, you could easily eliminate some of the steps.  As far as it has been my experience there is no real need to salt them prior to breading.  You will also save some time by not having to refrigerate them and pat them dry.  Freshly sliced green tomatoes are generally dry enough without removing any moisture.
> 
> I've used flour in my breading but prefer to have a lighter coat of crunch and only dip the slices once in egg wash and once in bread crumbs.  I refrigerate the breaded slices for at least 20 minutes before frying.  This step allows the gluten in the bread crumbs to "hold hands," which is largely why the breading doesn't break off or fall off the tomatoes during the frying process.
> 
> ...



Great advice as usual.
I had never made them before and just went with what I know.

They were time consuming and added more work to my dinner than I needed.  I also made mashed potato's, butter beans and biscuits to go along with my deep fried chicken livers.
So, it was a Sunday dinner on weds night.

I like the pig tail flipper idea.  I use a fork and like to push down on the food item to make sure its coated real good.
While messy, its far from "yucky"! 
I have no issue using my hands to mix anything.  So a little breading sticking to my fingers is common.
But I do like the idea for flipping.  I hate to disturb breaded items and ruin their appearance.

The reason I put cheese in the breading mixture was two fold. To help make a sturdier breaded product and for taste.
I did not get any complaints on mine.  But for sure will take your advice and not put so much work into them next time.

Thanks again!


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## Katie H (Jul 10, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> Great advice as usual.
> I had never made them before and just went with what I know.
> 
> They were time consuming and added more work to my dinner than I needed.  I also made mashed potato's, butter beans and biscuits to go along with my deep fried chicken livers.
> ...



I can see why it took you a while to do the tomatoes, which is why I offered my experience.  When I make them, it only takes me a couple of minutes.  Most of the time, I bread them way ahead of the meal and leave them in the refrigerator, then all I have to do is to fry them.  I've been making them for so many years, I hardly think about what I'm doing.

Yes, the pigtail flipper is fantastic and it makes it really, really easy to push the food into the breading, flip and bread the other side, all the while not disturbing any of the breading.  Love that little tool and I use it all the time.  It's also great for turning bacon.


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## CharlieD (Jul 10, 2014)

Reading all the posts I see that I am nt doing anything different than what has been describe, flour or no flour affects the breading not the taste. And my problem was always the taste. I've tried few different types of tomatoes, and have done it at the different time during growing season, still they are either very tart or even bitter.


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## Roll_Bones (Jul 11, 2014)

CharlieD said:


> Reading all the posts I see that I am nt doing anything different than what has been describe, flour or no flour affects the breading not the taste. And my problem was always the taste. I've tried few different types of tomatoes, and have done it at the different time during growing season, still they are either very tart or even bitter.



Mine were a bit tart, I assume this is how a green tomato should taste.
They were very good BTW.

I did learn to use the greenest of the green.  Seems the ones that were turning even a little bit were to juicy.
The pure green ones worked the best.  No color at all.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 11, 2014)

CharlieD said:


> Reading all the posts I see that I am nt doing anything different than what has been describe, flour or no flour affects the breading not the taste. And my problem was always the taste. I've tried few different types of tomatoes, and have done it at the different time during growing season, still they are either very tart or even bitter.



They're supposed to be tart, since they're unripe. If they're bitter, they may have been picked too soon.


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## Mad Cook (Jul 11, 2014)

CharlieD said:


> Reading all the posts I see that I am nt doing anything different than what has been describe, flour or no flour affects the breading not the taste. And my problem was always the taste. I've tried few different types of tomatoes, and have done it at the different time during growing season, still they are either very tart or even bitter.


It occurs to me that you might not have this problem if you use some heritage varieties of tomatoes which are green when ripe.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 11, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> It occurs to me that you might not have this problem if you use some heritage varieties of tomatoes which are green when ripe.



Those won't work. Ripe tomatoes are too soft and juicy and won't stand up to frying.


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## Katie H (Jul 11, 2014)

I actually have tried frying ripe tomatoes with moderate success.  And, as GotGarlic says, they are quite moist because of their ripeness but they can be fried if one has the patience.  I have tons of patience but I much, much prefer the green variety.


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## Aunt Bea (Jul 11, 2014)

I fry medium size ripe tomatoes for breakfast.  I cut the tomato in half, dip the cut side in a little seasoned flour and put it into a cast iron pan with some sizzling bacon grease.  I cook it until the top half of the tomato 'sweats' profusely and the cut side is quite dark.

I only fry green tomatoes in the early fall when we are about to get our first real frost and tomato season is ending in my area.  I dip thick slices in flour, beaten egg, seasoned bread crumbs and 'fry' them in the oven on a oiled cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, I usually flip them once after about 15 minutes.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 11, 2014)

It makes sense that if you cut them in half, they would hold together better than if you cut them into several slices.


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## Oldvine (Jul 12, 2014)

I don't use an egg wash, I do it like my mother and grandma did... a light film of mayo and then the flour or bread crumbs. I've even used Ranch Dressing instead of mayo.   There are a few recipes that mayo works well in place of eggs.


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## Roll_Bones (Jul 12, 2014)

Oldvine said:


> I don't use an egg wash, I do it like my mother and grandma did... a light film of mayo and then the flour or bread crumbs. I've even used Ranch Dressing instead of mayo.   There are a few recipes that mayo works well in place of eggs.



I like that idea!


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