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Original poster

Tinned tomatoes 🍅

139 replies

smurfette11 · 29/07/2023 22:04

Settle an argument at home.

YANBU it doesn't matter which tinned tomatoes you buy they all taste the same and the trick is to cook them properly and drain off the watery stuff

YABU premium brands are so much better And have more pulp

OP posts:
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ClemmyTine · 30/07/2023 16:39

As a treat I sometimes buy tinned cherry tomatoes. They are nice.

Crikeyalmighty · 30/07/2023 16:03

Absolutely correct @LadyPenelope68 I know someone who worked at northern foods - and stuff was done in batches for different 'clients'

kitsuneghost · 30/07/2023 14:26

A lot depends on what you are cooking.
More expensive ones are thicker but if you are adding water/stock the cheap ones are fine just use a little less stock/water.
I usually have a mix in

lurchermummy · 30/07/2023 14:24

You get what you pay for, value ones are weak and the tomatoes themselves too chunky. Mufti are good, or Cirio. Even my student DD won't buy value tinned ones.

HRTQueen · 30/07/2023 13:47

I find the chopped Aldi ones (not the cheapest range) very good

I like the sieved Mutti tomatoes but only buy them when on special offer.

i just add more tomato purée for a richer taste

BaublesinSummer · 30/07/2023 13:31

An Italian chef recommended Mutti but their chopped tomatoes and too finely chopped - almost like passata.

You definitely get what you pay for though, even when slow cooking for ages. I think Cirio are the best, followed by Napolina (think I've spelt it right).

It's also the same with red wine in cooking - adding good quality red to a bolognaise etc tastes way better than adding cheap wine.

Onelifeonly · 30/07/2023 11:08

I generally buy the cheapest as I always add seasonings, herbs etc. But on the odd occasion (forced to buy from the corner shop, for e.g.) that I have bought more expensive brands, they have been tastier. But not enough for me to make a habit of it.

TheWayoftheLeaf · 30/07/2023 11:08

Although if you're making a sauce or something it's far easier to just use passatta

TheWayoftheLeaf · 30/07/2023 11:07

You get what you pay more. Richer flavour, less water.

Hoppinggreen · 30/07/2023 11:05

NeedMoMoney · 29/07/2023 22:28

What a wierd thread.. to try and advertise this mutti brand...

I recommend Mutti and if I am being paid to advertise them I am wondering where my money is

MrsSkylerWhite · 30/07/2023 11:04

Deluxe cherry tomatoes in tins at Aldi are delicious

Pandorapitstop · 30/07/2023 11:02

Another vote Mutti.
Gamechanger in any recipe that needs tinned tomatoes: why spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar?

Vanillabourbon · 30/07/2023 10:51

I use the cheapest 37p supermarket ones. If you chuck them in a slow cooker with onions, garlic & herbs/spices for approx 4 hours, it makes the best rich tomato sauce. I then freeze into portions. Great to have in the freezer as a base for loads of meals.

paradoxicalfrog · 30/07/2023 10:41

Not tried Mutti. We use Napolina - much better that Tesco own brand. I usually by Napolina unchopped and chop them up for sauces, curry, casseroles etc. The sauce is much thicker than what you get in Tesco own brand and it's rare to get an unripe section at the base of the tomato that needs cutting off. They are currently £2.49 for a four tin pack in Tesco.

ThinkingAgainAndAgain · 30/07/2023 10:40

I buy Cirio now, having bought own brand for 30 years. I only bought Cirio as they were recommended by Mary Berry for her ten minute tomato soup, and I saw a difference in flavour. I only buy them when theyre 4 for £2.50, which isn’t that much at all.

CurlewKate · 30/07/2023 10:18

It depends why you're doing with them. If I'm making a tomato sauce I'll use posh ones. If they're a background ingredient I'm use cheap with a little sugar.

JaukiVexnoydi · 30/07/2023 10:16

If you reduce down a tin of nasty watery cheap tomatoes to the same overall consistency as a tin of premium quality you only have half the volume of sauce, or less, so you need more tins - and you don't get a good flavour.

bellac11 · 30/07/2023 10:14

JMSA · 30/07/2023 08:33

One thing that is a mystery to me, is why people would have tinned tomatoes rather than fresh in their breakfast.

Fresh tomatoes arent tomatoey enough

stiltonbriecheddar · 30/07/2023 10:13

Pressed send too soon I prefer passata if possible and Aldis passata with the black lid is amazing!

bellac11 · 30/07/2023 10:13

I saw Jamie Oliver suggesting you use plum tomatoes and just mash the up so I do this now

stiltonbriecheddar · 30/07/2023 10:13

KTM, Mutti or Napolina here

BitOutOfPractice · 30/07/2023 10:10

JMSA · 30/07/2023 08:33

One thing that is a mystery to me, is why people would have tinned tomatoes rather than fresh in their breakfast.

I don’t really like grilled tomatoes. They are always either hard or mushy. Never just right. And with Tinned tomatoes there’s juice! Lovely juice to mop up with bread.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 30/07/2023 09:33

smurfette11 · 30/07/2023 08:10

Also I bought this Trullo cook book which totally changed how I cooked any sort of tinned tomatoes, I always seive off any excess liquid even if it is for a chilli or bolognese and cook them first then add them to a dish.

Unless you're trying to cook something in 5 minutes, why wouldn't you just simmer the sauce so the excess liquid evaporates? Maybe my tastebuds are faulty but I've never noticed this metallic taste. I do usually have onions and garlic in there with the tomatoes, though, and sometimes carrot and celery too. The natural sweetness of the veg probably cancels out any issue with the tomatoes. I usually add sundried tomato paste too.

cushioncovers · 30/07/2023 09:20

Peony654 · 30/07/2023 08:11

I’ve only ever bought supermarket own brand, not just tinned tomato’s but everything! It’s all made in the same factory

Same factory maybe. But definitely not same ingredients. Things like flour or sugar might be the same but put into different packaging but certainly not a lot of other foods.

TheDogsMother · 30/07/2023 09:05

I bought some from Lidl and they were really sharp like they had been made from unripe tomatoes. Recently the Sainsburys ones have gone the same way. I've found that a pinch of sugar can rescue them though. I haven't tried the Mutti tomatoes as the price has always put me off.

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