10 Ways to Use Up Bruised Tomatoes

So you went to the market and bought all the beefsteak tomatoes that your arms could hold because they were just so fat and so beautiful. You used a handful to make some BLTs, but now the rest of them have started to bruise, no longer firm enough for sandwich-ready slices.

In the dead of winter, we dream of having too many tomatoes -- but in the summer, it can be a serious problem. Luckily, there are many ways to use summer's red beauties even when they've lost their firmness and are too soft to slice into a salad.

First, however, you need to make sure your tomatoes are bruised, and not rotten: When they go bad, tomatoes start leaking liquid -- at this point, it's time to hurry up and put them to use. If their skins develop black spots that are obviously not dirt or blemishes, your tomatoes have begun to mold and it's time to chuck them.

Now that you're done inspecting, we've got some ideas to get your creative (tomato) juices flowing.

Check out the slideshow above for 10 ways to use bruised tomatoes.

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This article originally appeared on Food52.com: 10 Ways to Use Up Bruised Tomatoes.