I also recently discovered these little gems & love them!

I've been using tubed tomato paste for a long time. Cento, Amore and Trader Joe's have all been good IMO.

I always have a can available for larger uses but I swear by the tubes!! Have used them for years. It's typically on my Trader Joe's list of must-haves when I do my infrequent TJ's shopping :-)

Well, that so odd. I’ve never seen it in the past just until the last year or so. I’m not sure if that’s because of where we live (northern Alberta) or maybe it was kept in a different department that I don’t usually shop in. Maybe an international aisle? I’m sure the Italian centre where I get to go to once in a while has likely had it. Now, it’s right beside the canned tomato paste in the grocery aisle at the grocery store where I usually shop.

Louise, it very well could be your location. Most markets have it with the canned tomato paste, at least where I've been. Glad you can get it now!

I've been buying the Amore brand, but I actually prefer tomato powder, which tastes exactly (to me) like tomato paste when mixed with a bit of water. Tomato powder is cheaper and keeps better, except that you have to make sure that it does not clump up. I vacuum seal it in glass jars after I open the plastic container.

Most recipes don't mention the tubes. Just tomato paste. Many tube brands come in a skinny cardboard box. Not easily noticed. I bought them back in the 80's but didn't use them up timely and a brown thick funk would appear eventually around the opening.

Like Lars I use tomato powder. Lasts forever and handy for that punch of flavor. Any recipe that uses ketchup I use tomato powder so I control the sugars/additives.

No need to be embarrassed/alarmed. We all discover something new every day. And it just may have never been available in your area. Cooking, like gardening, is a lifelong journey of new flavors and discovery.

Louise, I used to do what you mentioned with canned tomato paste. I'd semi-freeze it, push it out of the can, then cut into tablespoon-size slices for the freezer. Worked nicely.

I do what FOAS does. I found that given how infrequently I use it the tube got yucky over time ..... at least to me..besides which the can is so much cheaper.

As aside off to Trader Joe's tomorrow, first visit ever.

I use it in the tube but agree that if you need to use it often it runs a bit expensive, just this week I bought ginger in the tube.

I have also bought the ginger and cilantro in a tube and like that.

I've seen the ginger in tube but haven't tried it yet.

In our Safeway, those tomato paste tubes are on the unreachable top shelf (when one is 5'2") somewhat close to dried pasta and the really bad dried Parmesan grates/ powders, not within easy reach or with the canned tomato products. Same aisle, but not together.

I have lemongrass and wasabi in tubes, and those are the ones that I use the most. I planted some lemongrass seeds on Sunday, and I hope they will grow. I used to have it in my yard, but I found that it does not like my soil, and so I have to grow it in pots. If I get enough plants, I will do both.

I buy ginger in a jar, but I keep ginger root in the freezer. The ginger in the jar has some preservatives added to it, but they do not bother me. I go through a lot of ginger, and the jar is just very convenient for me.

The cans might be cheaper, but I much prefer the convenience of the tube.

Btw, I always clean food containers before tossing in the recycle bin. Seems gross not to.

Lars, I like that lemongrass in a tube. Usually in tuna salad.

Chase, have fun on your maiden voyage! I wrote to TJ's for years trying to promote my city. Was thrilled beyond words when they finally chose it. It's been 5 years now and I visit at least once a week.

Love it! Because I would always use the tablespoon or so of paste in a can and then put it in the fridge or freezer and forget about it!

I've also been using tomato paste in a tube for years, and I found out about it here on the Cooking Forum. Now I've found garlic, ginger, cilantro, wasabi, even habanero and ghost pepper paste in a tube. I do use the cans for larger amounts, but like AnnT, like to add just a squirt to sauces and some soups, just for a bit of added sweetness and flavor.

I haven't seen lemongrass, but now I'm going to look for that too.

Sharon, have fun at Trader Joe's, I still remember my first trip there. Elery drove me to Ann Arbor specifically to shop at TJ's and Whole Foods, I'd never been to either. Now they have a TJ's in Grand Rapids but it's still over 100 miles round trip, so I go there three or four times a year. I still love the place, and always try to make a trip in the fall for raisins/nuts/dried fruits and Pound Plus chocolate for Christmas baking.

Annie

Lars: I’ve never heard of tomato powder. Where do you buy it?

Yes, where do you buy tomato powder? My grocery store doesn’t carry it, I checked today.

I don't know where Lars gets his, but I bought some at The Spice House and I know it's also available from American Spice in larger amounts.

I tried to dehydrate tomatoes and make my own, but it was a dismal failure. The tomatoes got "chewy" but never got dry enough to powder and just clumped up into a big mess when I attempted to store them for any later use.

Annie

Cans here too, freeze and twist on plastic wrap and break off what I need.

I must be the odd one out. I saw it last year in the store and bought it. But I don't like paying that price for the convenience. .50 for a can is far more economical, when I freeze it in plops. I'm cheap, but I prefer frugal. Hubby also called me Timothy tight-a$$ when he was joking around.

I buy tomato powder from Harmony House, and I usually order a few other dried vegetables from them at the same time. I like their dried cabbage, the vegetable soup mix, and the dried mushrooms. I use all of these in Japanese soups, but I frequently add kimchi to soup instead of dried cabbage, although I like both. The dried cabbage comes out very crunchy when reconstituted. I buy dried wakame (seaweed) at a Japanese market and add that to soups also.

The Spice House has a better selection of dried mushrooms, but they charge $10 for shipping, and their prices are already high.

I have seen it, but no more often than I use only a tablespoon of tomato paste, I will still be better off freezing the leftover can. That has worked fine for years and I will keep doing it.

Thank you for the link, Lars. I'm not familiar with that site, but I'll check it out.

Thanks to this thread I have now acquired my very first tube of tomato paste. As someone said above, it was on the top shelf at the very end of all the canned tomato products, so not very obvious. I got the Cento brand based on one the comments in this thread. Thanks to all of you!

junco, I like the Cento. I find tubed tomato paste to be convenient, especially since I tend to use it pretty often.

I stopped using the cans and started using the tubes because I threw out more than I could use but I bet that you could freeze any leftover from the can in an ice cube tray slipped into a plastic bag so it doesn't absorb funky freezer smells.

Just got my Mar/Apr issue of Cook's Illustrated. FWIW, they reviewed both tubed and canned tomato paste. For tubed, they recommend Cento, Amore and Mutti. For canned, Cento, Contadina, Goya, Hunt's and Muir Glen Organic.

The one I use is Mattie. Only because it’s the only brand my grocery store carries.

Yes, I like the tubes! Right now I have Amore and the Trader Joe's brand.

I find that the canned tomato pastes (that I have tried) taste metallic. These don't. Also, I am not a frequent user, so there's the convenience factor in there, too.