Sun-Dried Tomato Cooking Tips Sun-dried tomatoes are exactly what their name implies: tomatoes that have been dried in the sun. As a result, the tomato loses most of its liquid content, leaving it shriveled, somewhat chewy, oddly shaped, and dark red. So they either need to be reconstituted, or packed in oil. Once dried, the tomato's flavor becomes much more intense, so sun-dried tomatoes shouldn't be substituted one-for-one in a...