chopped tomatoes

want2bmortgage3

i've noticed a lot of recipes include a tin of chopped tomatoes, how easy is it to make these yourself from loose tomatoes? do they need skinning? do they taste better making them yourself?

tessie_bear

to make your own u need to skin the tomatoes.........place in a bowl and pour over boiled water from the kettle leave for 5 mins and the skin comes off easily............then chop in half and remove seeds..chop in to bits and away u go...........i think tinned and fresh are good...........depends on dish

bertiebots

TBH I think its because most of the OSers use value/basics tinned toms and its the cheapest option. Chopping fresh toms and cooking them has no nutritional value over tinned because tomatoes are best for you when cooked ...and are tinned on day of picking so probably fresher than fresh iyswim!
My personal opinion is that tinned give a better flavour when using in cooking but its all a matter of taste.

ryandj

I am sure it is cheaper to buy tinned ones, and the fresh tomatoes you buy in the shops here tend to be fairly flavourless anyway. Its a different matter if you have a green house.

Good money saving tip - buy whole tinned tomatoes, not chopped, then when you open the tin, drain off the liquid into the dish you are cooking, stick a knife into the tin and wiggle it back and forth a bit - hey presto, chopped tomatoes. It saves a couple of pence on a tin, not a great deal but it all adds up...

want2bmortgage3

thanks for the tips. i've just made a storecupboard pasta sauce, i fried 2 finely chopped shallots in olive oil and added a finely chopped garlic clove, then added value tinned tomatoes, heated until simmering and added some red lentils. left it simmering for about 20 mins. it ended up with a nice consistency but the lentils arent soft enough, they are still slightly hard but ok to bite into. what did i do wrong?

bertiebots

It would probably have been better to cook the lentils first and then add the tomatoes. I read somewhere that tomatoes can stop some lentils going soft if cooked together.....but cannot remember the technicalitys lol!

froogirl

I make exactly the same pasta sauce a lot, but add a bit more liquid along with the tomatoes (usually a healthy splosh of red wine, but also stock or just water). This seems to help the lentils cook quickly. Otherwise, it just needs a longer, slower simmer (30-35 minutes).

tessie_bear

i make chopped tomatoes from whole canned ones by draining off liquid (dont chuck away)put the toms in a bowl and chop up........im going to try thr knife waggling though......i would not buy toms with added herbs or garlic as is cheaper to do it myself.im sure lentils need more liquid to cook in than a tin of toms...might have been better to cook them seperately in some kind of stock and then add to the sauce

want2bmortgage3

thanks for the tips.. on the lentils packet it does say boil in water, not tomatoes.. i'll try both suggestions and report back. seems like a good sauce to make and perfect as its cheap and a good veggie source of protein!

annie-c

I often add dried lentils to tomato dishes, they just need longer in a simmering dish than in a fast boiling pan of water. 30-40 mins should do it.

Also, although I find fresh tomatoes a real treat in autumn from the greenhouse, I use tinned all year round for tomato sauces. Following a Jamie Oliver tip I use whole (not chopped) oned and cook the dish first before mashing or blending. After slow cooking they break up very easily and according to Jamie will have a sweeter taste for being allowed to cook whole.

Final tip. I add 1/2 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt per tin tomatoes and it gives sauces a delish flavour.

want2bmortgage3

Thanks for the post annie, do you know the science behind adding the sugar and salt? I'd like to learn about these sorts of cooking techniques, why they are done, how they enhance the flavour, its very interesting.