It is February, and even though the winter looks like it is beginning to break around here, there is still not a fresh tomato to be found. Whether you canned your own tomatoes last fall and your supply has become diminished, or you thought you could rely on the ones at the grocery store, tomatoes are scarce. And that is sad to me. I love tomatoes, perhaps my single favorite food. It doesn’t help either that I grew up in an Italian kitchen, continually craving all those delightful sauces.

So we have come to a point were we may have to take a peak at those store brand canned tomatoes. This guide is meant to help sort through the weeds of canned tomato selections.

Sodium

Perhaps the most important factor to look at when purchasing canned tomatoes is the sodium content. While high sodium tomato may yield a better tasting product out of the can, it will undoubtedly make your sauce too salty when stewed. A good brand will have as little as 35mg of sodium per 1/2 cup. If your store doesn’t carry such a product, an average amount would be between 100-200mg sodium per 1/2 cup. Anything over 200mg will be too much.

Other Label Markers

Whole tomatoes indicate an intact tomato, pealed and  preserved in a liquid. This is your best quality choice, if a recipe calls for diced or crushed, simply do it yourself. Calcium chloride is added to diced tomato to help keep the from being crushed in the can. This will limit your tomato’s ability to be broken down during cooking.

The liquid in which the tomato is preserved in is also important. Puree is the result of extended cooking, and will lead to a thicker consistency. Tomatoes in tomato juice will give be of a fresh nature, since the extended cooking is not present.

Tomato paste is a puree that has been cooked for several hours and reduced into a thick paste. It can enrich your sauce, but be careful too much can be harsh.

These products can last anywhere from a year to a year and a half in the pantry. Watch the shelves though, over time they will develop a metalic taste.

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