We’re often made to believe that fresh is a better choice than canned items. But in reality, both fresh and canned come with their advantages and disadvantages. For example, if we talk about fresh tomatoes, they can be found all year long.
Tomatoes taste best in their season, which is the first half of the year. In the remaining half, you would get more flavor from canned tomatoes. So if you’re looking to substitute fresh tomatoes for canned, then we’ve got you covered.
How to substitute fresh tomatoes for canned tomatoes?
Tomatoes are of many types, including the hybrid and heirloom varieties. Cherry tomatoes, grapes, and roma are available throughout the year, but heirloom varieties like Brandywine and Black Krim are only sold when it’s their season.
According to New York city-based chef Julia Chebotar, you can use 2 cups of fresh chopped tomatoes instead of 14.5 ounces of canned diced tomatoes. If your recipe demands the use of canned tomatoes, then you can totally replace it with peeled and fresh tomatoes. In the same way, if the recipe demands canned tomato puree, you can replace it with the tomato puree made by cooking fresh tomatoes.
Steps
Now you’ll need to follow some steps to substitute fresh tomatoes for canned tomatoes. Let’s see of the things you should make available with you then we’ll go to the steps.
Things Required:
- Tomatoes
- Pot
- Colander (non-compulsory)
- 2 bowls
- Knife (paring and coring)
- Chopping board
- Ice
1st step: Wash Tomatoes
Hygiene is a must, so wash your hands first with soap and water for about 20 seconds. Now wash the tomatoes with cold water for a few minutes.
2nd Step: Boil and Peel
It’s not easy to peel tomatoes when they’re in their raw form. So to make it easier, boil the tomatoes. Before that, take a knife and make an ‘X’ near the stem part. It makes it easy to take off the tomato skin.
You need to put the tomatoes to boil for 30-60 seconds and then put them into ice-cold water immediately. Once the hot tomatoes become cool, it will be easier for you to take out their skin.
3rd Step: Cutting
You need to remove the watery pulp and seeds from the tomato, so for that, you need to cut tomatoes into two pieces. Squeeze each half very gently to remove the seeds and pulp; if there’s remaining, you can use your fingers to remove them.
Do not throw the pulp as it may come in handy if your recipe demands the juice. Of course, you can also eat it as it’s tasty.
4th step: Dicing
It’s time to place the tomatoes on the chopping board and start dicing them. First, you can dice it into ½ or ¼ pieces, whichever you need. Then you can put them into use according to your recipe. If there’s excess, then you can freeze them for later use.
How to use canned tomatoes in place of fresh tomatoes?
We know that you’ve got the answer to your question above, but in case you’re wondering how you can use substitute canned tomatoes for fresh tomatoes, then we’re going to tell you that too.
Canned tomatoes come in various varieties: chopped, peeled, fire-roasted, dice, whole, crushed, and many more in 14.5 or 28-ounce cans.
Fresh tomatoes taste good when used in their season, but they are usually hard and bland when they’re not in season. Canned tomatoes are durable and consistent as picked when they were ripe in their season.
If you don’t like the taste of tomatoes when they’re out of their season, then canned tomatoes would be a great alternative here. However, if you’re replacing canned tomatoes with fresh tomatoes, then choose the whole or peeled canned tomatoes, if possible. It’s said such type is of high quality, and you can also use diced canned tomatoes.
A 28 ounce can or two 14.5 ounce can of canned tomatoes equals 10-12 peeled and whole tomatoes. You can use canned diced tomatoes in many recipes like sauces, stews, curries, chilis, and soups. Canned tomato sauce can be used in sloppy joes, pizzas, pasta, or enchiladas. However, the USDA advises using canned tomatoes for around 1 year.
Conclusion
Finally, fresh tomatoes can be substituted for canned tomatoes very easily. There’s no such thing as fresh is better than canned or vice versa. Each has its own benefits at its own time. When it’s tomato season, fresh tomatoes work best, and when it’s not, canned tomatoes work best because they were canned in their season. You need to follow a few very easy steps when substituting fresh tomatoes for canned tomatoes.