tomato paste in a tube

[care2]

I love using this product, but once it's opened, anyone know how long it keeps in the fridge? Normally I freeze spoonfuls of canned paste, but I thought this would be more convenient. So any ideas of how long it stays fresh once opened?

[John Francis]

This is a very old thread, but here's some new information. Trader Joe's now sells tubed tomato taste under its own brand - reported in the 3rd quartet Yea/Nay thread under Chains. No report yet on how good it is.

[steinpilz]

I've been using it for years and don't remember it ever going bad. Other similarly good tube items are pesto and ground anchovies.

[sarah302]

I found it at World Market (Cost Plus).

[flipkeat]

i have been using this for years..I think it's great to have on hand in my fridge!! I live in Mississauga, Ontario and have never had a problem purchasing it.

[NovoCuisine]

So where do you get it?

[flipkeat]

Sorry Novo..just saw this..I buy it many places Whole Foods in Oakville has it..Battaglia's on Lorne Park Rd has it, The Cheese Boutique has it..etc etc..

[galleygirl]

Just to update this thread, with some info from the horse's mouth...;)
I spoke to the Amore rep for New England at a trade show yesterday, and told him I'd had a tube in my fridge for three years. He laughed, and told me I wasn't cooking enough, but said, yes, it was fine, and the stuff lasts forever.

[pescatarian]

I'd love to find the tomato paste in a tube in Toronto. When I open a can of paste, I very rarely have any left over, because I love the stuff - spread on crackers with cheese or by itself :)

[FlavoursGal]

Pescatarian, Whole Foods in Hazelton Lanes carries two brands. It's in the aisle with chutneys and pestos, behind the coffee counter.

I'm pretty sure that Lady York carries it, also, as do Italian grocers throughout the city.

[pescatarian]

Thanks, FlavoursGal :) I'll check it out.

[damonster]

I've seen it in stores that sell german food products (can't for the life of me imagine why) or even eastern european stores seem to sell it frequently (i'm thinking along roncesvalles)

[Ruth Lafler]

Yeah, for some reason I just found some at a store that specializes in Eastern European and Middle Eastern foods -- maybe it's just a distributor thing.

BTW, some people mentioned Trader Joe's. I was surprised, because I've never seen it at Trader Joe's. I asked, and the manager said they didn't carry it, and as far as she knew had never carried it.

[rworange]

It was still at the El Cerrito store about a month ago when I last looked. I remember thinking ... yuk ... won't buy that again.

[greygarious]

Ruth, I know this is an old post. I THINK I have found Amore tomato paste at TJ's in the past, but yesterday noticed they now have their own brand in a tube. It's got almost a half ounce more than Amore, and is a mere 99 cents! It is from Tunisia. Does not say anything about how concentrated it is but even if it's less strong than Amore, it's less than a third the price, so who cares?

[Ruth Lafler]

Thanks, GG! I haven't been to TJ's for a while, but next time I'll be sure to look for it.

[eLizard]

the "instructions" on my tube actually say that after opening store in the refridgerator "indefinitely." i'm not kidding.

[RShea78]

LOL!!!

I guess when finished with the tomato tube paste you are required to discard the fridge! <Just kidding>

[RShea78]

Tomato tube paste (may not want to say that one too fast, or accidently put it in the bathroom...- lol) seems awful pricy per tube when you can get 6 to 12 cans for the same price. Although I must admit if it wasn't for the tomato tube paste, I never would have discovered tomato powder. These kind of things pop up in my town in the health food store first, then I search for better bulk pricings should I find a winner.

Anyway, I finished all my tomato tube paste, seldom have the need for tomato can paste, mostly relying on tomato powder for those related dishes. It does require air tight storage and clumps a bit, but it otherwise holds up very well. The taste to me is superior to the paste. Never bitter or has a hinted burnt or metalic taste that the pastes often get. Yes, my one tube did come across a bit metallic (out of the tube) but did seem to go away once cooked in a bit.

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[Anne H]

Maybe it's a separate topic, but I'd love to hear how people use this stuff. I put tomato paste in lots of things from stews to soups to stir-fry sauces. It gives such a nice depth to the flavor. I probably discovered it because I was trying to avoid using a can of tomatoes, because one of my kids won't eat tomato chunks. What's your favorite use for it?

[FlavoursGal]

I use a bit of tomato paste in most of the braising/stewing I do. Just a couple of tablespoons added to the aromatics in the final minute of sweating. Tomato paste should be cooked a bit, but not much as it tends to burn and turn bitter.

When making beef/veal stock, it is traditional to add tomato paste to the bones and mirepoix towards the end of roasting, prior to adding liquid.

Tomato paste is a great flavour enhancer, and adds real depth to dishes. It (and all concentrated tomato products) is also extremely healthy.

[ballulah]

I had an almost totally bare pantry recently, but had to feed three people in a hurry. I had a box of spaghetti, boiled that up, but was at a loss for what to do for a "sauce" of any kind. I had some onions (which I halved and sliced finely) I had a very small handful of grape tomatoes (which I cut in half), some bread crumbs, and....my saviors, a tube of anchovy paste and a tube of tomato paste. So I sauteed the onions until soft and caramelized in some good olive oil, and at the end I added a little white wine left over from the night before. When the wine had party evaporated I added some anchovy paste and some tomato paste, a healthy dose of pepper and some rubbed sage and tossed in the grape tomatoes. I continued to saute until the tomato skins started to brown, and then I added a good handful of the bread crumbs. I tossed that all with the spaghetti and my emergency store of pecorino in the freezer...and that was lunch. It was good. The real depth of flavor came from the toasted tomato paste (and maybe the anchovies too). I'd make it again, bare pantry or not.

[chef chicklet]

I think I saw it Trader Joes or was that a dream?

[NovoCuisine]

I can't find this stuff for the life of me!

In my searching, I have come across sundried tomato paste in a tube, which I really enjoy; as well as garlic and olive pastes, all of which I now keep in my pantry. But plain ol' tomato paste eludes me.

[chez cherie]

surfas always has it (cheap). if you are near south pasadena, nicole's gourmet imports carries it, too (el centro and meridian). i believe, but cannot swear, that cost plus world markets has it, too. i think this product is, literally, better than sliced bread. (i can slice my own bread, but i ain't gonna freeze my own tomato paste!)

[NovoCuisine]

I am in Canada and we have none of those stores unfortunately! But thanks for trying to help. I should post to my local board about it. I can think of a dozen times in just the last month that I've had to open a small can of tomato paste for just a tablespoon of the stuff.

[FlavoursGal]

Novo, I'm from Toronto also, and the tomato paste in a tube is available in numerous places here, including St. Lawrence Market, Italian groceries (Lady York on Dufferin, stores in Woodbridge and St. Clair West), and also Loblaw's, I believe - check the "international" section.

[NovoCuisine]

Thanks for the help! St. Lawrence sounds like my best bet.

I have checked numerous Loblaws stores in the past, to no avail.

[mtl to tor]

Not sure where you live, but I just picked some up at Magnolia Fine Foods, on College at Euclid - $2.

[chez cherie]

(gaaaah. sorry--i forget that this is not the regional board!)

[Katj]

I did a google search and came up with several sites that carry it. Here is one, http://www.pennmac.com/items/113

[galleygirl]

I'm embarrassed to admit years, not months...i only use it for a Vietnamese peanut sauce i make, so this is the perfect packaging...

[FAL]

Being an italian American . I can not live without it. Plus you do not have to use a whole can when you need a tablespoon. I use a the Montali bvrand .I buy it a Coluccio's in Brooklyn USA for $ 1.20 a tube. I also use a brand from Star call Doppio it is a 2 .79 a tube it has a stronger tomato kick. BTW they last a long time in the fridg.

[seefood]

I do as FlavoursGal describes, freezing the portion of the can that I don't use right away. And, BTW, you should never store leftover food in the can it came in. Once you open the can, the food is exposed to the base metal, without the benefit of the protective lining. It is a safety risk. Store in a plastic storage container, glass jar, etc. instead.

[rworange]

Could have been the brand I bought, but I prefer the canned stuff and freezing leftover rather than the stuff in the tube. That's probably why it was in the fridge so long. I finally got sick of looking at it and used it up over the holidays. Don't think I'd buy this again, no matter how long it lasts ... also it is pretty expensive compared to the canned tomato paste.

[lisaf]

I just discovered this because I often waste a can for just a couple of tablespoons in a recipe. They had both regular and sundried tomato paste at my supermarket in the aisle with canned tomato paste and soups.

[wonderwoman]

and amore just came out with pesto in a tube. have a tube in the fridge, but haven't tried it yuet.

[heidipie]

I was told long ago to squeeze out and discard the tiny bit of paste that was sitting in the very front of the tube, which may have reacted with the unlined metal within. I've never substantiated this, but do it anyway as a quasi-religious ritual.

[Elizzie]

An absolute staple in my fridge (and there's almost always another tube waiting in the pantry). I use it a lot, however, so I think the longest I've had an open tube in the fridge was maybe two months. By the way, I just buy it at the regular supermarket/Trader Joe's.

[rworange]

A few days ago I finished up a tube I bought about two years ago at Trader Joe's. I gave it a taste ... it was fine ... I'm still alive.

[Mild Bill]

Never used it!
I'll grab some today!
Great!

I'm notorious for scooping out what I need fom a lil' can, then discovering the remains in the back of the fridge months later...

[FlavoursGal]

I freeze my leftover canned tomato paste (flattened) in a ziploc bag, and break off pieces as I need it.

[Anne H]

This is brilliant, thank you. I always have at least one can of tomato paste in the fridge with blue fuzz on it. Now I'll freeze it and never have that problem again!

[CindyJ]

I love the tomato paste in tubes, but can't always find it. When I have to open a can, I freeze the leftovers in spoonfuls on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. When they're frozen, I peel them off the paper and put them in a zip-loc freezer bag. Then they're in nice, small portions and readily available.

[empecot]

Can you please tell me where I can find this or who makes it? It sounds great!
Thanks!

[pitu]

I've only seen Italian brands . . . sold (somewhat overpriced, ahem, but since you can use one tablespoon at a time over many months, it's worth it) in many Italian pork stores/delis. And my food coop sells it, in Brooklyn - but that probably doesn't help you.
You might want to post on your home board.

[JRL]

you can find in in the supermarket. Depending on the market, it can be with the canned tomatoes/sauces or the condiments. The tube is packaged in a box - the brand is Amore.

[rose water]

There are lots of brands. They can generally be found alongside similar boxes of tubes of pesto and other things. The stuff hanging out in my fridge is Montali brand. Generally under/around $2

[Anne H]

$2!!!!! You have to be kidding! Where are you, I'll buy a bunch the next time I am there. I think I've paid $4 or $5 for it.

[pitu]

that's what I thought too . . . it's around $2 at co-op, but $4 at the pork store
(and worth every penny, compared to wasting little cans)

when I looked at Trader Joes in December in VA, they only had cans
anybody buy it there recently?

[Pedr0]

$2 a tube for Montalli at Buon Italia in Chelsea Market. San Marzano DOP Tomatoes are $3.95 for the 28oz can.

Great store that.

[jme1beachbum]

I got mine at Publix supermarket- top shelf near the pasta and (ick) velveeta cheese. You could ask anyone in the store tho- they are big on cust service.

[DeeCeeNYC]

Trader Joe's just started stocking this product... It is 99 cents a tube...

[pitu]

I've never noticed the actual number of months either, but I love this stuff and find it lasts a good long time . . . no air in the tube, and if you manage not to introduce bacteria...
Certainly months and months, if not significantly longer.

[rose water]

It lasts ages and ages. I have no idea when I bought mine, and every time I give it a squeeze, I'll sniff and taste a bit first, but it's always inexplicably fine.