A food expert has compared cheap and expensive tinned tomatoes to settle whether it is worth spending more, with the key factor being the percentage of tomatoes in the tin.
Kathryn Bruton, who regularly provides simple and quick recipes on social media, compared three tins of tomatoes – a cheap own-brand variety, a medium-range version, and a more expensive product – and explained how to determine which one you need. She was speaking in a TikTok video, where she is seen in a supermarket holding three tins, ranging in price from 47p to £1.60.
How to decide between cheap and expensive tinned tomatoes
"The easiest way to decide for the quality is by looking at the percentage of tomatoes," she said. She showed the own-brand variety contains 65 per cent tomatoes, while both the other versions contain 99 per cent.
"I would say it depends on what you're using them for," she said. "Soups and stews, I would save in this scenario. If you're making something where tomato is the main flavour, I think this is where it's worth spending your money."
Passata and tomato puree comparisons
She carried out the same comparison on packets of passata, a smooth tomato sauce made from strained tomatoes. Displaying four different varieties, she said: "If you look at the ingredients labels on these, they all just say tomato and citric acid. So really, for me, if you're spending or saving, I would just save."
Moving on to tomato puree, she compared two varieties, a Tesco own-brand version at 59p, and a branded one costing £1.50. "They both have exactly the same concentration of tomatoes," she said. "So both of them are tomato puree, double concentrated, 28 per cent. So this is a really good place to save." Holding up the branded variety, she concluded: "Ditch this one."
Kathryn's easy pasta sauce recipe
Kathryn made the video in response to a comment on an earlier clip she made in which she demonstrated a recipe for an easy pasta sauce you can make at home in just a few minutes.
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp frozen garlic (or two fresh cloves, finely chopped), 1 tbsp frozen basil (or leaves from three sprigs of fresh basil), a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, 20g parmesan (grated, plus extra to garnish), salt and black pepper, and reserved cooking water from pasta.
Method: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the garlic for about one minute, or until it starts to turn golden. Add the tinned tomatoes, then quarter-fill the tin with water and add to the pan. Stir in the grated parmesan and basil. Simmer over a high heat for about five minutes or until it has reduced a little and thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce along with a splash of the cooking water, and stir until the sauce coats the pasta. Serve garnished with extra parmesan.
