There are more than 500 varieties of tomatoes grown in the United States. But learning their names and how they taste can be harder than decoding the wine list at a four-star restaurant. Not only are there red tomatoes; there are also green, orange, yellow, purple, and even black ones. There are hybrids (bred for uniform color, size, and shape) and heirlooms (prized for their unspoiled lineage and intense flavor and found only in farmer's markets and backyard gardens). Nutritionally, though, they're all packed with lycopene, vitamin C, and other antioxidants. In the kitchen, a tomato's size and shape determine when and how to prepare it.

Beefsteak

The largest tomatoes. Eat them on sandwiches and burgers or on their own with a sprinkle of kosher salt. The dense flesh resembles marbled steak, hence the name, and makes for sturdy, meaty slices.
Varieties to try: Better Boy, Big Beef, Big Rainbow, Brandywine (shown), Evergreen, Mortgage Lifter, Pruden's Purple, St. Pierre.

Cherry

Varying from berry to plum size, cherry tomatoes are great for snacking, salads, and, when large and plump, roasting.
Varieties to try: Principe Borghese, Red Pear, Sun Gold, Sweet 100, Sweet Million, Yellow Pear.

Plum

Good all-purpose tomatoes. Slice them for salads or sandwiches or cook with them. Plum tomatoes have more solid flesh than watery seeds, which makes them ideal for boiling into sauces and baking. Knobby plum tomatoes (like Costoluto Genovese) are difficult to peel, so use them for slicing.
Varieties to try: Amish Paste, La Rossa, San Marzano.

Salad

These seedy tomatoes are generally about half the size of beefsteaks and have less marbling. The high water content makes them better for eating raw, cutting into wedges, broiling, and stuffing.
Varieties to try: Arkansas Traveler, Lemon Boy, Long-Keeper, Nebraska Wedding, Stupice, Tigrella, Zorba.