Tomato Tips: Don't Forget About the Canned Ones!

Canned Tomato Tips

From the Zone Diet

Even as warm weather starts to wash over most of the country, juicy, locally grown tomatoes are still a few months off. And the available tomatoes tend to be pale, unsatisfying, and expensive. But there are always canned tomatoes, and at this time of year they're a better bargain in every way — they're cheaper, more flavorful, and full of disease-fighting lycopenes. So eat up!

Here are tips for buying and enjoying canned tomatoes:

What to buy: The types of canned tomatoes out there include whole, diced, crushed, sauce, and paste. If you're using them as a base for a quick sauce, choose diced tomatoes, adding garlic, pepper, and oregano. Whole peeled tomatoes, which break down during long cooking times, are ideal for soups, stews, and meat sauces. Tomato paste is highly concentrated and generally used only as a thickener and flavor enhancer in sauces, soups, and stews. A little bit of paste goes a long way, so use sparingly.

How to store: Like most canned goods, tomato products have a long shelf life. Unopened, they will keep in the pantry for up to a year. Once a can is opened, transfer its contents to a storage container (to prevent it from taking on a metallic taste). It will keep in the fridge for up to a week. You can freeze leftover tomato paste in an ice-cube tray. Once frozen, pop the cubes into a resealable plastic bag; they'll keep up to six months.

MEMBERS GET MORE! You'll find hundreds of kitchen tips and tasty recipes on Dr. Sears Zone Diet Advantage.

Join the Zone Diet TODAY!