Tinned or fresh tomatoes when making sauce?

[caseydog]

I do buy cherry tomatoes on a regular basis. They are generally sweet and pretty full-flavored. I just eat them as healthy snack food, mostly. I do sometimes half them for a salad, or to saute with olive oil, garlic and black pepper to mix with pasta.

Another tomato topic. I have heard over and over not to refrigerate tomatoes, just leave them out at room temperature. Refrigeration changes their taste. From my own experience, it seems to be true. I would expect then, that they NEED to be made into some kind of sauce/puree before freezing?

CD

 

[LissaC]

I do buy cherry tomatoes on a regular basis. They are generally sweet and pretty full-flavored. I just eat them as healthy snack food, mostly. I do sometimes half them for a salad, or to saute with olive oil, garlic and black pepper to mix with pasta.

Another tomato topic. I have heard over and over not to refrigerate tomatoes, just leave them out at room temperature. Refrigeration changes their taste. From my own experience, it seems to be true. I would expect then, that they NEED to be made into some kind of sauce/puree before freezing?

CD

This is a really good question. I refrigerate mine and never felt a difference. If I don't refrigerate them they go bad quite quickly. With covid around I avoid going to the supermarket often. Back in the day I was going to the supermarket 3 - 4 times a week and anything fresh I needed I'd buy on the day. Nowadays I go to the supermarket once on the weekend so if I know I will be cooking a tomato sauce on Thursday, I buy tomatoes on the Saturday before. If the temperature isn't cold enough the tomatoes may be starting to rot by then, so I always refrigerate. To be honest I always kept tomatoes in the refrigerator even before covid unless I wanted them to mature faster.

 

[caseydog]

Now that you mention, tinned tomatoes do have a resemblance to ketchup and I hate ketchup just the smell makes me nauseous.

I don't get that smell/taste at all in the canned tomatoes I buy.

I think even that would be better than the "red balls of water" that I can buy in North Texas most of the year (good description, Duck).

BTW, I only like ketchup on fries/chips.

CD

 

[caseydog]

This is a really good question. I refrigerate mine and never felt a difference. If I don't refrigerate them they go bad quite quickly. With covid around I avoid going to the supermarket often. Back in the day I was going to the supermarket 3 - 4 times a week and anything fresh I needed I'd buy on the day. Nowadays I go to the supermarket once on the weekend so if I know I will be cooking a tomato sauce on Thursday, I buy tomatoes on the Saturday before. If the temperature isn't cold enough the tomatoes may be starting to rot by then, so I always refrigerate. To be honest I always kept tomatoes in the refrigerator even before covid unless I wanted them to mature faster.

I only buy cherry tomatoes. They go by the name "Cherubs" in the stores (TR, do you get those in Kroger in Ohio?). I set the container on the bar between my kitchen and living room, and grab one as I pass by, and pop it in my mouth -- nature's candy. They don't last long enough to go bad.

CD

 

[LissaC]

I only buy cherry tomatoes. They go by the name "Cherubs" in the stores (TR, do you get those in Kroger in Ohio?). I set the container on the bar between my kitchen and living room, and grab one as I pass by, and pop it in my mouth -- nature's candy. They don't last long enough to go bad.

CD

Yes I sometimes buy those for salads in the summer. I keep them in the refrigerator as well, they usually last me around a week.

 

[caseydog]

Yes I sometimes buy those for salads in the summer. I keep them in the refrigerator as well, they usually last me around a week.

If I put them in the fridge, I wouldn't see them, and would forget about them, and the would definitely go bad.

CD

 

[rascal]

I do buy cherry tomatoes on a regular basis. They are generally sweet and pretty full-flavored. I just eat them as healthy snack food, mostly. I do sometimes half them for a salad, or to saute with olive oil, garlic and black pepper to mix with pasta.

Another tomato topic. I have heard over and over not to refrigerate tomatoes, just leave them out at room temperature. Refrigeration changes their taste. From my own experience, it seems to be true. I would expect then, that they NEED to be made into some kind of sauce/puree before freezing?

CD

Our tomatoes are on the corner of the bench in s bowl, next to the fruit bowl. Never refrigerated but ones sitting on a bowl look like getting a bit too ripe go in a bag we have in the freezer. When we get enough I make ketchup or pasta sauce.
We are lucky enough to be picking daily. The small cherry ones we get are so sweet.
My guilty pleasure ( I hardly use salt at all.) is to take the cherry ones inside cut in half and sprinkle salt on. It's just heaven those wee morsels. You wouldn't do this I think with your salt intakes.

Russ

 

[TastyReuben]

Another tomato topic. I have heard over and over not to refrigerate tomatoes, just leave them out at room temperature. Refrigeration changes their taste.

According to Kenji Alt-Benji at Serious Eats, it's perfectly fine to refrigerate tomatoes (and cucumbers, supposedly another no-no)...just let them come to room temperature first before eating.

I only buy cherry tomatoes. They go by the name "Cherubs" in the stores (TR, do you get those in Kroger in Ohio?).

Yep, I can get those. Cherry tomatoes are the only supermarket tomatoes I'll buy. I snack on them, use them in salads, halve them for scrambling into eggs or tossing into pasta, and my favorite application, tomato vinaigrette.

 

[Yorky]

I have tinned tomatoes in the cupboard. I also usually have fresh tomatoes in the fridge (although our fresh tomatoes are not the best), and peeled skinned tomatoes and liquidised tomatoes in the freezer. I never, ever put un-skinned tomatoes in a chilli or curry.

Peeled skinned fresh tomatoes from the freezer.

Skinned tomatoes s.jpg

• Yorky
• 7 Mar 2021

 

[medtran49]

I do buy cherry tomatoes on a regular basis. They are generally sweet and pretty full-flavored. I just eat them as healthy snack food, mostly. I do sometimes half them for a salad, or to saute with olive oil, garlic and black pepper to mix with pasta.
CD

Try roasting them with some EVOO, S and P, and dried basil. Oven to 350-375 F for about 30 minutes until they burst slightly. They hold heat really well so let them sit for a while before you try to eat. They will burn you otherwise.

We sometimes grow Everglades tomatoes. They are the only native tomato in Florida and are about dime sized. We love to use them for
Recipe - Tomato, basil, mozzarella galette

 

[TheChefGoingHomeToday]

I do buy cherry tomatoes on a regular basis. They are generally sweet and pretty full-flavored. I just eat them as healthy snack food, mostly. I do sometimes half them for a salad, or to saute with olive oil, garlic and black pepper to mix with pasta.

Another tomato topic. I have heard over and over not to refrigerate tomatoes, just leave them out at room temperature. Refrigeration changes their taste. From my own experience, it seems to be true. I would expect then, that they NEED to be made into some kind of sauce/puree before freezing?

CD

I read an article that says the ideal temperature to store tomatoes is 12 deg C or 55 deg F. That's warmer than a fridge and cooler than room temperature . Although, it also said the fridge is the best place for overripe tomatoes as the cold stops the ripening process. I have a cupboard that's always cooler than room temperature so store mine there.

 

[Yorky]

I read an article that says the ideal temperature to store tomatoes is 12 deg C or 55 deg F. That's warmer than a fridge and cooler than room temperature . Although, it also said the fridge is the best place for overripe tomatoes as the cold stops the ripening process. I have a cupboard that's always cooler than room temperature so store mine there.

Our tomatoes are definitely stored in the fridge (or the freezer) - ambient today is 37°C and even higher in the kitchen!

 

[caseydog]

Our tomatoes are definitely stored in the fridge (or the freezer) - ambient today is 37°C and even higher in the kitchen!

It gets hot here, but probably not nearly as humid. With AC in the summer, inside the house is less humid than outside -- the evaporator coil removes a lot of water from the air. In winter, my house is really dry, due to the gas forced air heating. I have to use lip balm and moisturizers.

I can't help but wonder if the dryer environment inside my house helps with the tomatoes left out on the bar???

CD

 

[Master Cutler]

My wife loves whole tinned tomatoes on toast and let's the bread soak up the juice.
Not really my thing though, bit of an acquired taste.
However, I have found that the variation of taste and quality of fresh tomatoes available from U.K. supermarkets doesn't give me any incentive to cook and use them for sauces etc.
Tinned tomatoes plus tomato paste is my preferred route for cooking, and fresh tomatoes only eaten raw.

 

[TheChefGoingHomeToday]

Our tomatoes are definitely stored in the fridge (or the freezer) - ambient today is 37°C and even higher in the kitchen!

It's minus 1°C outside here right now!