5 Ways to Cook With Canned Tomatoes

Canned tomatoes aren’t second-class citizens.

Growing up, I ate many a canned green bean, cling peach (in heavy syrup!), and mushy serving of canned “petits pois.” Those fruits and vegetables are indeed poor iterations of their fresh originals, but a canned tomato is a different story — it has integrity and its own identity. While you can’t really make a salad using a canned tomato, you can achieve all manner of other deliciousness.

Coaxing canned whole tomatoes into the shape and size you want can be a bit sloppy, but you can mitigate the mess with the following strategies.

When all you need is slightly smaller pieces: Break the whole tomatoes up while they’re still in the can. Either take a sharp knife and slice through them several times, or use your kitchen scissors to snip them into pieces. Be sure the hinge of your scissors is clean because you’ll be submerging them in the tomato juices. (Yes, I see what’s in your junk drawer.)

When you want uniform chunks or finely chopped tomatoes: Take the whole tomatoes out of the can and gently “squeegee” each tomato with your fingers to remove excess liquid. Lay them on your cutting board, and customize the size and shape.

When you want the tomatoes truly broken up: To take the whole tomatoes even further so they can be integrated into a braise or soup, pour them into a big bowl, and squish them with your hands. Messy but effective … and therapeutic!

Regardless of how you are chopping, snipping, or squishing, pay attention to the stem end and core of the tomato. Most are very soft and will easily break apart during cooking, but sometimes you get a batch with a tough, stringy core, and the stem end of almost every tomato is dense, so chop or crush the tough sections before you add the tomatoes to your dish.

How to shop for canned tomatoes

The challenge with a canned tomato is that, unlike a fresh one that you can see, smell, or even squeeze (gently, surreptitiously), a canned tomato is hidden inside a can … ideally a recyclable steel, BPA-free one.

So how do you know which ones to buy? Not only are canned tomatoes produced by many brands, but they also come in many forms: whole peeled, with or without basil, garlic, and/or chiles. Diced. Petite diced. Crushed. Pureed. Stewed. Even fire-roasted, for gosh sake. I (mostly) use whole peeled tomatoes. Whether the intended result of your recipe is a smooth tomato puree or tomatoes cut into small dice, it’s best to start with whole peeled tomatoes, with no other flavorings except salt, and do the shape-shifting yourself rather than buy the tomatoes in a more manipulated form.

Minimally processed and versatile, whole peeled tomatoes are ripe tomatoes that have been peeled and packed either with their own juices or with a tomato puree. The peeling is done by running the tomatoes through a lye bath, which is economical and efficient, or by steam-peeling them, which feels much nicer to me. Check the label. All organic peeled tomatoes must be steam-peeled. Most brands add a bit of salt and perhaps a basil leaf, which don’t interfere with the tomato flavor. Some brands include calcium chloride, a substance used to keep the tomatoes firm — which can actually be a problem because keeping the tomatoes firm discourages them from breaking down and integrating into your dish.

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Unpacking the San Marzano mystique

Grown in the volcanic soil around Mount Vesuvius, the San Marzano (the name of both the tomato variety and the canned product) is a slender, plum-type tomato with thick flesh, few seeds, low acidity, and rich flavor.

Authentic canned San Marzano tomatoes have DOP status, meaning they are allowed to display a mark certifying that they are the correct tomato type, grown in a designated area under strict guidelines for cultivating, harvesting, and packing. The DOP system is a way of controlling the quality of the product, along with its ability to command a high price, but any time an ingredient fetches a premium, beware.

The organization that governs San Marzano production claims that only around 5% of the San Marzanos sold in the United States are genuine — there are no regulations in the States that prevent a seller from sticking a DOP label on a can. Note that true San Marzanos will only be whole peeled or halved tomatoes and labeled “Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese Nocerino DOP.”

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Here are five ways to cook with canned tomatoes tonight

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Roasted Tomato Pissaladière

The popular Provençal pastry, commonly topped with caramelized onions, olives, and anchovies, is bulked up with tomatoes in this riff by Martha Holmberg. Canned whole peeled tomatoes are roasted until slightly dehydrated, giving them a pleasantly chewy texture and concentrated flavor.

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Tomato-Coconut Chutney

Inspired by a trip to southern India, chef Vishwesh Bhatt of Snackbar in Oxford, Mississippi, combines fragrant curry leaves with canned tomatoes and coconut cream in this silky, spicy chutney. It’s a great substitute for ketchup and is superb with grilled cheese sandwiches.

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Obe Ata (Nigerian Chicken, Tomato, and Pepper Stew)

Glistening with habanero-infused oil, tomato sauce drapes over braised chicken thighs in this heat-packed stew from Simileoluwa Adebajo, chef of Eko Kitchen in San Francisco. Fresh ginger adds an underlying brightness to complement the sweet and mildly acidic canned tomatoes.

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Huevos Rabo de Mestiza (Poached Eggs in Tomato-Poblano Rajas Sauce)

Charred poblanos, canned tomatoes, and sautéed onions form the base for poached eggs in this satisfying dish from cookbook author Pati Jinich. For a smokier version, try canned fire-roasted whole peeled tomatoes.

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Chashushuli (Georgian Beef and Tomato Stew)

In this slow-cooked stew from the country of Georgia, a bouquet of fresh cilantro infuses a mixture of canned tomatoes and beef with a gorgeous aroma. Cookbook author Carla Capalbo leans on two cuts — chuck roast and short ribs — to add layers of richness.