15 Tips You Need When Cooking With Canned Tomatoes

In the heart of one's home, there is always some form of a pantry stuffed with nonperishable staples like pasta, rice, canned seafood, and much more. Canned tomatoes stand out amongst the rest for more reasons than we can count.

With the help of canned whole tomatoes, pizza and pasta sauces come together in just minutes. On grilled cheese sandwich night, you'll love whipping up a scratch tomato soup, and yes, the flavor is always superior to the premade version. Plus, depending on what you're making, canned tomatoes can be used instead of fresh ones; often, it's better for flavor and texture.

Before you start going down that fabled road of myths about canned food, we're here to tell you most of them have been debunked by now. Preservation methods like canning help maintain and, in the case of tomatoes, encourage the further release of certain nutrients (per Healthline). So don't think twice about stocking up on those tin cans; go ahead and grab your favorites.

From understanding how to use all the different types to learning how to season and balance acidity, there are plenty of important tips to be learned when cooking with canned tomatoes.

Tomato paste is made by cooking tomatoes until the batch reaches a thick, paste-like consistency. Of all canned tomato varieties, it is one you always want on hand, as a little bit goes a long way. Tomato paste is excellent for adding a punch of intensified tomatoey flavor. A smidge will amp up the flavor in meatloaf, chili, and even bland pasta sauces that need something special. You'll also love swirling a dab of paste into hearty stews and soups.

Here's the issue with tomato paste — most cans come in a small 6-ounce size, which is still too much for most recipes, despite its small size. That's why we firmly believe in having both the canned and tube versions in stock. Store the squeezable tube version in your fridge to add small amounts to recipes without wasting leftovers. Keep cans for larger recipes that call for more than a few tablespoons at a time.

If you ever find yourself with leftover canned tomato paste, you'll have to try Martha Stewart's genius tomato paste hack that involves freezing it for future months.

Sometimes a recipe calls for a drained can of tomatoes. Instinctively, that leads us to the sink, where we pour those tomato juices right down the drain. Next time you find yourself in this situation, stop before heading to the sink and save that flavorful juice instead. Take the flavor up a notch by using up that red liquid gold.

Rather than ditching, store those extra tomato juice preserves in a food container and set them inside your fridge. As long as you use them within a week, tomato juices go well in several dishes. If you have sauces, soups, or stews on the menu within the same week, you'll appreciate having those precious flavorful juices on hand.

If you don't think you will use them in time, grab an ice cube tray, get to pouring, and freeze them overnight, then store them in a Ziploc baggie. If you need help cooling down a soup or stew, or your recipe needs additional flavor, you'll have cubes ready. If you love a good Bloody Mary every now and then, you'll also enjoy using tomato juice cubes to keep your cocktail cold without ever diluting it.

Fresh Roma tomatoes are fabulous, especially at the peak of the harvest season. Whether you're an avid gardener or a home chef at heart, you know that the hype of the growing season is short-lived. Luckily, canned tomatoes sometimes have a way of saving the day, even in raw applications.

While nothing beats the quality of fresh tomatoes that are in season, some suggest that canned tomatoes are better than out-of-season tomatoes in foods like bruschetta. The easiest way to elevate canned tomatoes for this savory starter is by roasting seeded whole tomatoes (from the can), then chopping them up and combining them with fresh basil and minced garlic. Slab some over some toasty bread and enjoy.

You'll also appreciate this hack if you only have one tomato to spare and need a little more for your favorite garlicky appetizer. Dice up your fresh tomato and combine it in the bowl of freshly roasted tomato as it cools down. This will help soften your fresh diced tomato, so the contrast of both isn't so pronounced.

Diced tomatoes have the word "convenience" written all over each tin can. They come already cut up into semi-uniform pieces, so all you have to do is open the can and dump it into whatever you're concocting. But you should know one important detail before buying canned diced tomatoes.

Diced tomatoes are preserved with a compound called calcium chloride, which helps keep the shape of each cut-up piece. Even after cooking the tomatoes, the inorganic compound makes the tomatoes extra resistant to breaking down into a smooth sauce.

This can be productive or counterintuitive, depending on what you are making. So if you're hoping for those little cubes to dissipate into a silky consistency, you won't get those results with diced tomatoes and are better off using whole-canned ones. However, if you are making a hearty stew or chili, where the large chunks of tomato should stand out, then diced tomatoes are what you should grab.

Sometimes, we don't have the time or energy to whip up a complex dinner with fancy sauces and elegant side dishes. We're with you on that. That's why reaching for a jar of Rao's Homemade when you're just not in the mood to cook is a great option.

But did you know that making a flavorful marinara or tomato sauce isn't all that complicated or time-consuming? A few cloves of garlic, basil, and tomatoes are your main ingredients in a marinara, while a tomato sauce takes things up a notch using additional aromatics and seasonings.

Plus, there are plenty of delicious takes on a classic red sauce, and chances are you have some of the fundamental ingredients needed to make that happen. A dash of cream and a swirl of butter add loads of richness, while crushed kalamatas add briny bursts of flavor to each bite.

If you have a few extra minutes to spare, raid your cabinets for a can of San Marzano tomatoes, plus a few other fun ingredients, and see what kind of delicious rendition you can come up with.

We've already given you several reasons to reach for peeled whole tomatoes, but there is one more detail we want you to know about. You already know that whole-peeled canned tomatoes are less processed than other varieties, they break down better in hot dishes, and you have more control over seasoning when you cook with them.

However, if an all-around fresh flavor is what you're after, look for this type of canned tomato. Whole-peeled canned tomatoes offer superior taste and should always land on your grocery list. They are unique because they come packed in juice or purée, which gives them a rich tomato flavor you won't get with other kinds.

Even when a recipe calls for chopped tomatoes, opt for whole peeled and do the cutting yourself. It only takes a few extra minutes, and the results will always taste much better. Remember to reach for San Marzano varieties for the highest-quality flavor.

Your personal definition of crushed tomatoes will vary significantly in texture and viscosity from one brand to another. Also, a can of already-crushed tomatoes will never boast the same quality as whole-peeled tomatoes. The solution? Crush them yourself.

If you've ever had the pleasure of crushing canned tomatoes for a recipe, then you know all about the gushes of pale red juices that fly through the air. Those pretty white cabinet doors and the shirt you're wearing will fall victim to this ferociously flavor-filled attack. Before you start mashing with a wooden spoon, grab a large Ziploc baggie or a pair of cooking shears. Both will help get the job done without making a mess.

One approach involves opening your can, then using clean kitchen shears to snip each tomato into pieces. From there, transfer your tomatoes to a bowl and carefully mash your tomatoes with a potato masher or sturdy whisk. Clipping them ahead of time will lower the risk of popping and bursting a tomato.

You'll appreciate this easy-peasy method even more if you have a large Ziploc bag on hand. All you have to do is dump your tomatoes into the bag, seal it up, and crush them by hand.