Tomato paste is a pantry must-have for mixing up delectable, deeply flavored dishes; it can elevate a mundane recipe, such as a sauce or soup, to something truly spectacular.
One factor to consider while laying that foundation is tomato paste. Many of the greatest qualities of tomatoes — the savory and sweet aromas, as well as the acidity — are present in this pantry staple in a strong and handy form.
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Why Do You Need Tomato Paste?
The advantage of using paste over other canned tomato varieties or even fresh tomatoes is that you receive the rich tomato flavor without the excess water, which is ideal for recipes like taco filling.
How Much Tomato Paste Do You Need?
A tiny amount of tomato paste goes a very long way, which is why tomato paste is usually found in small cans. Most recipes just need one or two spoons of tomato paste. Therefore, even if you have the smallest can, there will be enough left over. You may always save the leftovers in the fridge or freeze them for later use.
Add your tomato paste early in the cooking process, before you add liquids like broth, water, or other canned tomatoes, to get the most flavor out of it. The tomatoes will be able to caramelize and mature much more this way.
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How to Use Tomato Paste?
Tomato paste can be used in a variety of ways, all of which are tasty. To go with your grilled cheese, and what about a creamy tomato soup? You may use it to make a fast tomato sauce at home.
Tomato paste is an important component that instantly adds a delicious taste. Aside from using tomato paste to prepare a tomato-heavy cuisine, such as soup or sauce, you may also use tomato paste to enhance the taste of other dishes.
Uses of Tomato Paste
You can use tomato paste in various ways. Some of the uses of tomato paste are:
Making BBQ Sauce
Make homemade BBQ sauce as it is a great way to get creative with tomato paste. To prepare the base, you only need a can of tomato paste, and then you may add spices, vinegar, and sweeteners.
Sauces and Dips
Usually, the main use of tomato paste is making dips and sauces. For instance, you can use homemade or store-bought tomato paste to make Italian sauces such as pizza sauce, and creamy sauces for pasta. There are many other dips as well that you can prepare with this highly useful tomato product.
Use in Soups and Stews
You can use tomato paste in soups or stews, or any other dish in which you want to bring a tangy flavor.
Marinades
Tomato paste gives a unique flavor to marinades. For example, when you use it in Chatakedar paneer, it helps in coating vegetables and absorbing the actual flavor.
Benefits of Tomato Paste
- Tomato paste high in lycopene offers skin-protective properties. It helps to lessen the redness of skin that has been exposed to UV rays.
- Consuming tomato paste regularly helps in lowering your waist circumference as well as body weight, especially in women.
- Carotenoids present in tomato paste can help to prevent blood vessel obstruction by reducing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol particles.
- Some evidence suggests that lycopene can help prevent asthma, as it protects the lungs from infection.
- With its high antioxidant capacity and can help battle the oxidative damage caused by exercise.
How to Store Tomato Paste?
How many cans of tomato paste have you actually finished? Let’s be honest about it. You can usually finish a can in one sitting.
Leftover tomato paste can be stored in a variety of ways. If you expect to use the paste within a week, keep it in the refrigerator; if you don’t have any immediate plans, search in the freezer. In any case, the tomato paste must be kept carefully to ensure its safety.
Make Paste Dallops and Freeze
Drop tomato paste dollops on a small pan using a measuring spoon. You can use wax paper or freezer paper to line the container or pan.
Freeze the pan dollops with the tomato paste lumps for at least an hour or until they are solid.
Peel the lumps out of the pan after the tomato paste is fully frozen and store it in a freezer bag or container for long storage.
Use an Ice Cube Tray
Fill an ice cube pan halfway with the remaining tomato paste and freeze. After the cubes have been frozen, store them in an airtight freezer container with a label for up to three months.
If you only need a little amount of tomato paste on a regular basis, try buying it in tubes rather than cans. A tube may be opened, the required amount squeezed out, and then refrigerated for up to 6 weeks after being opened.
How to Fix Too Much Tomato Paste?
Tomatoes paste is a common element in a variety of recipes. If you add too much paste to your dish by mistake, the entire dinner will begin to taste like tomatoes.
This ruins the flavor, which may be rather irritating. Fortunately, there are certain things you may do to assist in the repair of your dish.
Cook for Longer
Cooking your dinner for longer will help to decrease the overpowering taste of tomato paste in your dish. The longer you simmer a food, the more flavors will meld together. This will change the flavor of your food and darken the color.
Add Salt to the Dish
If you mistakenly put excessive tomato paste in your meal, thin it down with water and salt before continuing to cook it. This will make your meal’s consistency excellent by diluting the taste of tomatoes.
If you can’t accomplish this, seasoning them with salt can make them taste better. Depending on the size of your meal and the amount of paste you used, you can add 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon to it. This should assist to mask the tomato paste’s overpowering flavor.
Conclusion
Tomato paste is used to enhance the depth of flavor of foods, especially the inherent umami flavor contained in tomatoes. Soups, braised meat, and pasta sauces are all examples of recipes where tomato paste is widely utilized.
