Product: Tomato Shark

With the first piles of heirloom tomatoes appearing at the market, I can’t stop fantasizing about all the different ways I’m going to use them this summer. Yet nothing takes the fun out of making salsas or sauces more than the messy process of stemming and seeding tomato after tomato after tomato. Fortunately, I've recently discovered that the toothy tomato shark makes this task a breeze.

If you’re only taking out the stem/core, one quick scoop to the top of your tomato does the trick. If you want to get the seeds out as well, first cut the tomato in half, then scoop the bisected core out on each side, taking the seeds with it. You may need a few extra scrapes along the insides to catch a stray seed or two, but the majority will come out in your first try.

The shark can be found at Sur La Table and other kitchen supply stores. As an added bonus, it also does wonders as a strawberry corer.