Normally, you would never refrigerate or freeze tomatoes, since it changes their texture. However, if you can’t can them but still want fresh tomato sauce in the off season, it’s okay to pop them in the freezer. You’ll still be able to make fresh-tasting, delicious tomato sauce come winter.
You’ll also be able to more easily remove the tomato skins when you do take those tomatoes out of the freezer. The Kitchn explains that while chilling tomatoes is generally a crime, there’s one reason you should definitely put them in the freezer:
…If you plan on using tomatoes in the depths of winter in sauces and stews, then freezing is a perfectly wonderful option. You can skip the pureeing and canning and just sock them straight into freezer bags. It’s the lazy yet smart way of preserving tomatoes; their delicious acidity and bright flavour will still come through, months later, in a way that makes you think you stepped into the Tardis and went straight back to summer.
If you prefer to use local or in season produce, this is an easy way to preserve fresh tomatoes to use during other times of the year. Plus, you get the flavour of a springtime sauce in the depths of winter, when the tomatoes at your grocery store are probably too pale and flavourless to make a good sauce. Of course, if you know how to can and preserve tomatoes, you can do that too, but if you’d rather not put in the effort and you have freezer space to spare, this method works just as well.
The Easiest Way to Preserve Tomatoes: Freeze Them! [The Kitchn]
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