The best way to store leftover canned tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

The best way to store leftover canned tomatoes? ›

The best way to store leftover canned tomato

Refrigerate any leftover canned tomatoes by transferring them from the can into air-tight plastic or glass containers. Tomato based products, fruits and juices should be used within five to seven days.

To store canned food wisely, follow these guidelines

Store in a cool, clean, dry place where temperatures are below 85 F (between 50-70 F is good) but not freezing temperatures. Rotate foods so the oldest is used first. Try not to keep canned foods more than 1 year.

All canned tomato products are best used as soon as possible after opening. To store once opened, transfer them from the cans to tightly covered plastic containers or glass jars and keep refrigerated. Cover tomato paste with a thin layer of olive oil to keep it from drying and forming mold.

Store large tomato halves cut-side down on a paper towel inside a storage container and use within two days. The tomato will taste best if you can remove it from the fridge even 30 minutes before eating to bring it back to room temperature.

Tinned food

To store food from a tin can safely: put it into a clean bowl or container in the fridge once it's opened – don't store it in the opened can.

If you are using tomato sauce from a can rather than a jar or bottle, remove it from its original packaging (don't just cover the can and put it back in the fridge). "While it is safe to store the food in the can, it will retain better flavor if transferred to a glass or plastic storage container," says Fiest.

Whether you're testing out the best basic tomato sauce recipe or riffing on your tried-and-true minestrone, defrosted canned tomatoes can hold their own whenever you're ready to use them. Their texture may become softer or more watery after this time in storage, but their taste will remain unchanged.

What can I do with expired canned tomatoes? ›

When you open a canned tomato product that is past its date, take a look and a sniff. If it smells off or has an altered color, throw it away. Be prudent. A really good looking can of tomatoes, not swollen, leaking, dented, or rusted, that is a few months past its date, is more than likely okay.

Citric acid, bottled lemon juice, or vinegar added in the correct amounts will ensure that whether tomatoes are boiling water bath canned or pressure canned, the C. botulinum spores will not germinate when a current recipe is used and the jars are processed properly.

Drain whatever else you'd like, but leave your canned tomatoes undrained. While this may seem a little bit strange, you're actually avoiding washing away those savory juices. Canned tomatoes themselves may make up the bulk of your can, but aren't the only part of the vegetable that's worth hanging onto.

If the tomatoes are not yet ripe, they are best stored on the counter for a few days until they ripen. (You'll know they're ripe when they're fragrant and give a little bit to the touch.) Once they're ripe, either consume them or go ahead and put them in the refrigerator to preserve their freshness.

The best way to store leftover canned tomato

Avoid keeping leftovers in the metal tin as the acidic tomatoes can react with the metal. To freeze leftover canned tomatoes, place in labelled zip-lock bags or containers and freeze for up to 6 months.

Under-ripe tomatoes are best left on the bench to develop further, while over-ripe tomatoes can be saved by popping them in the fridge. Tomato varieties with a higher pulp to flesh ratio, such as cherry tomatoes, also tend to fare better in the fridge than fleshier counterparts like roma tomatoes.

For acidic foods such as canned tomatoes, metal leaching out from the lining of the can is a possibility, says Carl Batt, a professor of food microbiology at Cornell University. Bet she wishes she had used a Tupperware.

Can linings might discolor or corrode when metal reacts with high-acid foods such as tomatoes or pineapple. As long as the can is in good shape, the contents should be safe to eat, although the taste, texture and nutritional value of the food can diminish over time. Home canned foods should be used within 1 year.

Yes. Unused portions of canned food may be refrigerated in the can, but to preserve optimum quality and flavor, place the unused portion in a food-grade glass or plastic container. Use within 4 days.

Freezing tomatoes is the simplest way to preserve them. You don't need to peel them beforehand, as freezing makes them easy to peel later. Simply store whole tomatoes in a zip-top bag in the freezer, scoring the bottoms with an X and removing as much air as possible. For better results, use a food vacuum sealer.