Not all tinned tomatoes are equal

[Azz]

Blimey Eliza, I don’t envy your digestive tract

[Bruce]

I don’t think I have ever bought tinned tomatoes, the real thing is cheap enough.

However I do buy tomato sauce in 2 litre bottles

[spitfire]

Never mind the quality, feel the width.

[AnnieS]

I hardly ever use tinned tomatoes these days. Ideally home grown but I make a passata by slow cooking tomatoes (regular salad and cherry mixed) with a chopped onion and half a slab of butter in hot water. Then spritzing into a lovely sauce with a blender. You can use this as a base for sauces, tomato soup pizza etc. Tastes absolutely delicious and you don’t need any added cream as the butter makes it just perfect.

[AnnieS]

@Azz

But on the topic of tomatoes… I generally don’t eat many anyway - they are part of the nightshade family and the skins and seeds are very difficult for our bodies to digest/process as well

I agree and also don’t eat too many for the same reason as the nightshade family are mischievous food villains. But it’s nice to have them now and then for a bit of variety. Particularly in a nice tomato soup.

[Omah]

@Azz

I’d just use de-skinned and de-seeded tomatoes - tinned toms usually have synthetic citric acid added (derived from yeast) so it can lead to candida overgrowth…

@Maree

I don’t think fresh tomatoes add the depth of flavour that tinned tomatoes, purée and passata do and it would be very expensive

Most of them do have citric acid, but Mutti don’t, although strangely they are the only ones to have added salt

@LongDriver

The can’s contents have to have their acidity controlled and citric acid is usually the regulator. Natural CA is far better than the synthetic alternatives

@Maree

But how would you know if what’s in your tin of tomatoes is natural or synthetic?

@LongDriver

It should be stated on the label if any of the contents are synthetic.

@Azz

If it’s listed in ingredients it’s almost certainly synthetic - if they were using natural, they’d probably just list ‘lemon juice’ (which some items do, such as some organic olives).

I’ve just checked my Mutti Cherry Tomatoes - the listed ingredients are just cherry tomatoes and tomato juice.

For my Napolina Cherry Tomatoes (Selezione Speciale) - the listed ingredients are cherry tomatoes, tomato juice and citric acid. They were, however, only 49p a can at Home Bargains so I bought a couple.

Cherry tomatoes are, of course, replete with skins and seeds so are not suitable for everyone.

[Omah]

These tomatoes, mentioned in the OP, have become available at one of my local supermarkets and are now my new favourite canned tomatoes for using in sauces:

There are no unwanted “green bits” in the contents so, although a full-priced can is relatively expensive (twice the price of the cheap alternative), there is no waste and sauces are “richer”.

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/mutti-finely-chopped-tomatoes-400g

[mart]

Six plants grown in my polytunnel gave so many cherry tomatoes that I’ve got fed up with eating them. They are coming to the end now and I won’t be buying any tinned or fresh(ish) tomatoes for a good while.

[greengage]

Do you freeze or bottle them then you can use them in meals all year round?

[mart]

Mrs mart made soup for freezing out of many of them.

[Ripple]

I’ve just made a large pot of tomato soup .
2 cans of whole tomatoes
3 carrots
4 sticks celery
2 onions
Lentils
2 veg stock pots
Sugar
Oil
Water

[macywack]

yummie, thick crustie bread to dip innit

[mart]

Overactive bladder? Tomatoes is one of the items on the ‘avoid’ list.

[Chilliboot]

Not entirely relevant perhaps but I’ve just been frying up some semi stale bread in lard for croutons.
Alas, the temptation was too much, sprinkled the fried Hovis with Malden Salt and white pepper, scoffed the lot… the croutons can wait.