17 Delicious Recipes From a Simple Can of Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with an open can of tomatoes? ›

If you don't use the whole tin of tomatoes or bottle of passata, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week. Avoid keeping leftovers in the metal tin as the acidic tomatoes can react with the metal.

In part, thanks to Tower and many other famous chefs, today, canned tomatoes are a common ingredient in high-end restaurant dishes and are considered a staple in all home kitchens. Now more and more chefs are raising awareness to sustainability, seasonality, and food waste.

Tomatoes are naturally acidic fruits, and acidity levels are even higher when you're using canned varieties. To help temper that acidity, you'll need to add some neutralizing ingredients like sugar. A dash of sugar will kick your tomato sauce up a notch, help balance that acidity, and help improve the all-around taste.

It's typically safe to eat food that's past its expiration date, with a few exceptions. If the can in question contains a higher-acid food such as tomatoes, fruits, pickles, sauerkraut, or a food in a vinegar-based sauce, the USDA recommends discarding these items after 18 months from date of purchase.

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.

First, pour some olive oil into the pot and heat it over medium heat. Then, add the canned tomatoes to the pot and let them cook for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add some garlic, basil, salt, and pepper to the pot and let everything cook for another 20 minutes. And that's it!

Some growing conditions may cause the tomatoes to be unsafe to can even when the tomatoes look fine. Tomatoes with blight and those from dead or frost-killed vines may be lower in acidity and are more likely to carry bacteria. Do not can using the open kettle method.

San Marzano tomatoes, which are prized for their mellow flavor, can be grown anywhere. Certain San Marzano tomatoes are certified DOP, which guarantees that they've been grown, processed, and canned in a specific geographical zone in Italy.

Because if you're making anything other than a caprese salad, whole, fresh tomatoes are an inferior product. That's right: 99% of the time, canned tomatoes are better than fresh. That's the truth.

Should I use the liquid from canned tomatoes? ›

Depends on what you want. If you're simmering for a while, use the sauce too since a lot of the water will evaporate. But if you're doing a really quick sauce and you're just looking to warm the tomatoes, you can use the juice or not, depending on how liquid you want your sauce.

However, you can't always interchange canned and fresh in dishes -- you won't get the same texture or flavor. 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.

Add Some Baking Soda

If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.

As expected, tomatoes canned with commercial cider vinegar and bottled lemon juice had altered flavors. Note that the flavors mellow (like most pickled or acidified products) after 4 to 6 weeks, so it's best to test your canned products after several weeks.

Yes, there are other ways to make your tomatoes taste even better and increase the acidity. There is lemon, vinegar, or my personal favorite, balsamic. Just imagine a tomato bruschetta with a balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top.

We recommend that you store opened canned tomato products and juices in a sealed plastic or glass container for no more than 7 days in the refrigerator.

An oft-repeated reason to avoid sticking an open can in the fridge is that chemicals from the metal can and packaging could seep into the food and contaminate it with Bisphenol-A (BPA). This synthetic compound has hormone-like properties, which can build up in humans and potentially affect metabolism and disease rates.

Although canned tomatoes are most often used as an ingredient (pasta sauce, chili, soups, etc.) where you will actually cook them, they are also great right out the can... ready-to-eat! Throw them in a blender to make homemade salsa or drain them and use on salads, tacos and bruschetta!.