Since fresh tomatoes can cost more–especially during the fall/winter/spring–you're better off using canned/jarred tomato products for dishes in which the texture of fresh isn't important, such as pasta dishes, pizza, lasagnas, curry, soups, stews, and casseroles and you want that PEAK of season flavor and nutrition.
The antioxidant lycopene has been shown in over 700 studies to have a positive impact on breast cancer, heart cancer, inflammation and prostate cancer. Canned tomatoes have much more lycopene bioavailable compared to fresh tomatoes, which means you get more.
Since canned tomatoes are quickly cooked before canning, they're best for recipes that require longer cooking like sauces, soups or simmering stews and chilis.
It's not just home cooks who rely on this essential ingredient, though — professional chefs do, too. Of course, visit any grocery store and you'll find countless options to choose from.
Pasta with Fresh Tomato Bolognese
Enter instant bolognese, here made with fresh tomatoes, instead of canned or paste. The flavors still develop into something impressively deep and rich.
You can usually substitute 2 cups of fresh chopped tomatoes for one 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes. If a recipe calls for whole canned tomatoes, you will need to peel yours, and if the recipe calls for canned tomato puree, you will need to cook and puree your fresh tomatoes—or stick with canned.
To keep this recipe quick and easy to make, I prefer to use canned tomatoes. If you want to use fresh tomatoes, you'll need to boil them first to easily remove the skins and then finely dice them (or even puree some) so they have the texture of crushed tomatoes. How do you thicken curry?
Yes! All the time. We took a cooking class from an Italian chef in Naples and he prefers using whole, canned tomatoes for his pizza sauce. He simply crushes the whole tomatoes into a sauce before adding it to the pizza.
We appreciated how the tomatoes broke down into a velvety sauce and didn't remain crunchy like some others we tasted. The Mutti tomatoes don't contain basil, so they lend themselves to all types of cuisine.
On the other hand, canned tomatoes have three times the amount of calcium and iron than fresh ones. In addition to the antioxidant vitamins A and C, both are rich sources of antioxidant phytonutrients such as beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein and zeaxanthin.
Because tomatoes lack the significance in Chinese culture that they hold in Italian culture—as a symbol of nationalism—tomatoes are not used to the degree that they are in Italy. The cuisines of both nations also feature strong variation depending on the region.
Citric acid, bottled lemon juice, or vinegar added in the correct amounts will ensure that whether tomatoes are boiling water bath canned or pressure canned, the C. botulinum spores will not germinate when a current recipe is used and the jars are processed properly.
Spaniards taught Italians to fry tomatoes in a pan along with onions, squash, and eggplant, creating a dish similar to modern ratatouille. The fruit became popular in part because of its ability to flavor food, no small matter at a time when spices were expensive and hard to find.
Good for Your Physical Health
Naturally, stewed tomatoes have all the nutrition of their main component. Tomatoes are loaded with Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that boosts the immune system and can help prevent cold and flu. The antioxidants lycopene and beta-carotene are also abundant in tomatoes.
Do not can damaged tomatoes or those from dead or frost-killed vines. These tomatoes may have harmful pathogens. The canning process time may not be enough to kill disease organisms. This could lead to a product that spoils and is unsafe to eat.
Canned tomatoes, however, may be high in sodium, so check the nutrition panel. When it comes to cooking, canned tomatoes won't replace fresh tomatoes in every dish, but in cooked dishes such as pasta sauces they are fine.
Quality and sustainability produce a market leader
The frequent winner: Mutti from the Italian province of Parma. Mutti has worked its way up to the top of Italian food market thanks to the quality and sustainability of its tomatoes, and despite its produce costing quite a bit more than its competitors.
Mutti tomatoes are primarily grown in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. Additional varieties are grown in the south in Puglia and Campania. The annual harvest takes place from mid-July to mid-September. It is in these weeks that the company selects all its raw materials for the year.
The Brandywine is perhaps most commonly named the best-tasting tomato variety. It has the perfect balance of sugar and acidity with that superb, old-fashioned tomato taste. Growing conditions can affect the flavor quality more than some other varieties on this list.
Its smooth texture, ideal for sauces and topping pizza Passata is simply puréed, sieved tomatoes. The smooth sauce-like consistency is ideal for using in chilli, Bolognese, casseroles, sauces and soup instead of canned tomatoes – especially if your children don't like the chunks in the canned varieties.
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However, a geographical indication is not always synonymous with a centuries-old relationship between a fruit and a region. This is the story of the tomato: it came from afar and found its soulmate in Italian soil thanks to the sun, mild climate, soil characteristics, and air and water quality.
Tomato Passata is pureed, strained tomatoes usually sold in bottles. It's 100% tomato, no additives or flavourings, but sometimes contains added salt. It's uniform and smooth unlike crushed or chopped tomatoes, and makes gorgeously thick tomato-based sauces. It's known as Tomato Puree in the US (here's a photo).
Passata is uncooked. Chopped tomatoes contain seeds and usually the skin as well. In passata, the skin has been removed and the seeds have been strained out. Passata has been pureed, so it is smooth.
So canned tomatoes are picked at the height of ripeness and taste better. You can even add a pinch of sugar to help, but it may not be needed.