Tomato paste with tomatoes or tomato sauce

albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.

13 years ago

Many recipes call for tomato paste along with tomatoes or tomato sauce. I've no experience with tomato paste.

What does the tomato paste do?

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Comments (7)

lindac
13 years ago
Tomato paste is concentrated tomato puree...I guess you would get the same taste andt exture if you cooked tomato puree down to a thick paste.
Linda C
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User
13 years ago
Tomato paste will thicken up a tomato sauce, especially one made from juicy , fresh, tomatoes.

Just a TBSP can add a nice richness to beef stews and gravies. I keep a tube in the fridge for just such dishes.

It can be quite bitter so I use it sparingly.
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grainlady_ks
13 years ago
Tomato paste is much thicker and more concentrated than tomato sauce. Paste also has a deeper tomato flavor and is indicated for use where you may want more flavor than other tomato products provide, for a smaller amount of total product.

I've reduced the number of canned products in storage and use tomato powder for both tomato sauce and tomato paste. For a thick paste mix 3 parts water with 1 part tomato powder, for sauce mix 4 to 1. Such wonderful stuff for all kinds of things...pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, just to mention a few more.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: The Spice House - tomato powder
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mustangs81
13 years ago
Thanks for the reminder, I forgot I had it and it came in handy last night. Peppi took me to The Spice House in Chicago specifically to get tomato powder.

Grainlady, I have it stored in a FoodSaver canister, is that okay?
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lindac
13 years ago
I find Contidina tomato paste to be less bitter than any other I have had. If I need just a tablespoon of tomato paste, I'll open the can and put dollops of the rest of the can on a piece of foil and freeze it....when frozen I put the dollops into a plastic bag and keep in the freezer.
Linda C
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grainlady_ks
13 years ago
mustangs -

For relatively small amounts (1-cup or less), store your tomato powder in a dry environment - either vacuum-sealed or in a refrigerator (refrigerators are dry due to the frost-free feature). I keep a user-friendly amount in a pint jar in the refrigerator with some moisture absorbers in it (recycled from supplements we take) to keep it from clumping.

When I open a #10 can of tomato powder I keep it free-flowing in a vacuum-sealed canning jar/s, FoodSaver canister, or some other container that can be sealed with a FoodSaver Universal Lid. I like to use the Universal Lids when I move food from long-term storage to the pantry, especially things I get in-and-out of frequently.

-Grainlady
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mustangs81
13 years ago
Thanks GL!! I have 2 cups at most so I'm good with the FS canister and I did throw in some moisture absorbers.
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Tomato paste with tomatoes or tomato sauce

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lindac

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