kosher tomato paste in a tube--does it exist?

[noya]

Our family has made a commitment to reduce canned good purchases bigtime. But I can't find kosher tomato paste in a tube anywhere. Has anyone seen it in the NY/NJ area or online?

TIA!

[jdh11]

Just curious - what is your reason to reduce canned good purchases? If the goal is saving money, you won't be saving money by buying imported tubes of tomato paste at Fairway. If the goal is the environment, cans are pretty easy to be recycled.

[noya]

neither. the goal is to reduce our BPA exposure, canned goods being a HUGE household source.

[susiejane]

I know my reason would be because frequently I just need a small amount in a recipe.
However, I prefer to use a salt free product which may not come in a tube at all, or a plastic package. i end up opening a can and freezing the remainder in a ziplock. Then I break off pieces as needed.

[AdinaA]

There should be salt-free tomato paste in a tube. Why doesn't Contadina or Hunts do this? It would be wonderful!

[AdinaA]

I don't know Noya's reasons. But I was overjoyed to discover this t. paste one day years ago in a small supervised kosher shop in Venice. Reason is, I often want about a 1" squeeze of of tomato paste. Just a dab. It can do wonders for sauces without giving them a tomato tam. A sort of secret flavoring. But once you open an American can, it goes bad very quickly. You can preserve it for a while by freezing the can in ziploc, but they , the next time you want a dab, you have to use an ice pick. And if you want ot use the rest of the can. You have to thaw it. Which means you have ot plan ahead. You cant microwave a can, and thawing one in a bowl of hot water is not so easy with an open can.

I do not understand how any cook lives without squeeze tubes of tomato paste.

[EmpireState]

Are any of these tubes kosher for Passover? In the meantime, I scoop out the remainder of the paste into ice cube trays and pop them out once frozen. This way I can use the amount that I need without resorting to a chisel or icepick...

[AdinaA]

I have no idea if Italian rabbis approve Mutti for Pesach. But of the other 51 weeks of the year, it's easier and takes less space in the fridge than an ice cube tray.

[koshergourmetmart]

there is kosher mutti in a tube available-I saw it at kosherfest

[AdinaA]

All Mutti Tomato Paste manufactured in Italy is kosher. You perhaps meant to write that you saw some with a printed hechscher.

[4greatkds]

I found Mutti's with a hechsher last summer in Florence in the grocery. I wonder why you can't get the hechser printed on it here?

[koshergourmetmart]

yes it had a heksher

[asf78]

From a food safety standpoint, once a can is opened, any leftover food should be transferred to another vessel, and not stored in the open can. An infectious disease doctor I know was adamant about that.

[noya]

that may have been before canned goods were routinely lined with a sealer (BPA). Now that we know how harmful BPA is, it is much much better not to consume food that was ever canned.

[asf78]

I don't disagree with you on that. But it's not always possible to avoid canned foods, for whatever reasons people may have, so if someone is going to open a can of something and only use part of it, from a food safety standpoint (I think botulism, but I'm not certain which illness), it is important to take the unused portion and store it in a different container.

[mamaleh]

Sadaf makes tomato concentrate in a small plastic package. See http://www.cambridgefarmskosher.com/P...

[noya]

thanks! this is an excellent lead. much appreciated

[sisterfunkhaus]

You might also explore jarred paste. I use on that is really good. It is called Bionaturae. It is made in Italy. It keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge. Not sure about it being kosher.

[noya]

It doesn't have a hechsher--I checked it at the store yesterday

[AdinaA]

No. Kosher supervised foods manufactured for sale in Europe generally don't. They publish lists instead. This has been on the lists for years. It's what frum Jews in Italy actually use. It's their county and this is they way they do hechscherim.

[GilaB]

Is Bionaturae on the Italian list? I didn't see it there, although I totally could have missed it.

[AdinaA]

Mutti Italian Tomato Paste Concentrate is sold here. It is made in Italy, where it is approved by the Rabbaim of Rome, Venice, Florence and Milan. I don't think that it has a hechscher on the package, but that is normal in Europe. You check the lists. Or you know because you live or spend time there. It's very good. Although not salt-free as most American tomato past is. You can get it at Fairway, or from Amazon.com.

[azna29]

Could you point us to "the Lists"?

[moegreene]

http://www.italykosherunion.it/Kosher...