A picture of diced tomatoes can instantly remind you of home-cooked pasta sauce simmering on the stove. Diced tomatoes are picked at peak ripeness, often within hours of harvesting, to lock in flavor and nutrients. Unlike whole or crushed tomatoes, diced ones are usually packed with calcium chloride to help them hold their shape.

Some chefs prefer using a picture of diced tomatoes to gauge consistency and cut size before prepping their own. In 1973, canned diced tomatoes became widely popular in the U.S. as more people began cooking at home. Diced tomatoes are a staple in Tex-Mex cuisine, especially in salsas and chili recipes.

A well-lit picture of diced tomatoes often shows their juicy texture and bright red hue, which signals freshness. Tomatoes were once believed to be poisonous in Europe because they belong to the nightshade family. Adding diced tomatoes to your stew late in cooking helps preserve their structure and adds a vibrant pop of color.

If you freeze diced tomatoes, they lose their firm texture but still work great in sauces. Tomato plants have tiny hairs that help them trap moisture and ward off pests. A picture of diced tomatoes can be surprisingly artistic—chefs and food bloggers often use it to capture kitchen aesthetics.

The Aztecs used to eat a version of diced tomatoes with chili and squash, centuries before tacos existed. Tomatoes didn’t arrive in Italy until the 16th century but became essential to Italian cuisine within 200 years. To make diced tomatoes at home, use a serrated knife—it cuts through tomato skins more easily than a chef’s knife.

Some canned diced tomatoes include added spices like basil, oregano, or garlic for extra flavor. Picture of diced tomatoes is often used on soup labels to give a visual cue of what’s inside the can. Tomatoes grown in volcanic soil, like in Italy’s San Marzano region, are considered some of the most flavorful for dicing.

Early American settlers grew tomatoes mainly for decoration, not eating. Sunlight boosts lycopene in tomatoes—a powerful antioxidant especially concentrated in red varieties. When you sauté diced tomatoes with onion and olive oil, you’ve got the beginning of hundreds of global recipes.

A vibrant picture of diced tomatoes is a go-to image in cookbooks for anything from jambalaya to curry. Tomato seeds contain natural gelatin, which helps thicken sauces as they cook down. Heirloom tomatoes, while great for flavor, are often too soft for dicing unless very firm.

The shape of a tomato determines how well it dices—Roma and plum tomatoes are preferred for their meatiness. Tomatoes were officially declared a fruit by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1893 but are legally taxed as a vegetable. A picture of diced tomatoes on your recipe blog can boost search traffic if paired with step-by-step cooking visuals.

You can roast diced tomatoes before adding them to recipes for a smoky flavor twist. In Spain, diced tomatoes are often tossed with olive oil and garlic as a topping for crusty bread. Canned diced tomatoes have a shelf life of up to 18 months, making them a kitchen essential.

Some people chill diced tomatoes to use them as a cold topping for summer dishes like gazpacho. Tomatoes are 95% water, which is why they release so much liquid when diced. One picture of diced tomatoes can tell the story of a meal even before it’s cooked.

Tomatoes are botanically classified as berries, which surprises many people. Dice size matters: finer cuts are best for quick sauces, while chunkier ones hold up better in soups. A good picture of diced tomatoes shows seeds, skin, and pulp, which all contribute to taste and texture.

Home gardeners love tomatoes because they’re easy to grow and yield heavily in summer. You can dry diced tomatoes in a dehydrator and blend them into homemade tomato powder. In Japan, tomatoes are often served chilled and sprinkled with sugar—an unusual twist for the Western palate.

A tomato’s ripeness affects how easily it can be diced—underripe ones are firmer but less flavorful. In the 1800s, ketchup was sold as a cure-all medicine made from diced tomatoes and spices. Slicing tomatoes is different from dicing—slicing is for sandwiches, dicing is for cooking.

The word "tomato" comes from the Nahuatl word “tomatl,” used by the Aztecs. Tomatoes can come in many colors—yellow, green, purple—but red ones are most common for dicing. A picture of diced tomatoes in a rustic bowl evokes a Mediterranean vibe that food stylists love.

Crushed tomatoes are often cooked before canning, while diced tomatoes are usually raw-packed. Tomatoes grown in greenhouses may be available year-round, but outdoor tomatoes peak in late summer. Sautéing garlic before adding diced tomatoes helps mellow their acidity in pasta dishes.

Roma tomatoes are often preferred for dicing because they have fewer seeds and thicker flesh. Some chefs salt their diced tomatoes to draw out moisture before adding them to dishes. A picture of diced tomatoes may look simple, but capturing it with good lighting can be surprisingly tricky.

When canning at home, adding lemon juice to diced tomatoes ensures safe acidity levels. Tomatoes have a “vine-ripened” stage where they gain most of their sugar and flavor. Even tomato skins add nutrients—if you don’t mind the texture, don’t peel before dicing.

Diced tomatoes are an essential part of gumbo, one of Louisiana’s most iconic dishes. Adding diced tomatoes to scrambled eggs can brighten the dish and add texture. A simple picture of diced tomatoes can tell a lot about freshness, ripeness, and quality.

Cherry tomatoes can be diced, too, but it’s time-consuming due to their small size. The world’s heaviest tomato weighed over 10 pounds and would make a lot of diced pieces. Some food photographers mist diced tomatoes with water or oil to make them look fresher in pictures.