Box Grating Tomatoes for Sauce

Pushing a halved tomato against the coarse side of a box grater is a quick way to extract pulp without fussing with a food mill or blender. Hold the tomato cut-side against the blades and rub steadily, letting the juicy flesh collapse into a bowl below. The skin stays behind in your palm, ready to discard. What you are left with is smooth, seedy pulp that forms the foundation of everything from Indian makhani sauces to Italian passata and summer gazpachos. It takes under a minute per tomato, and the texture is cleaner and brighter than crushed canned tomatoes for a fresh cooked base.