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We all know about waste by opening a can of tomato paste, only to use 1 or 2 tablespoons and the rest is tossed. Supposedly, you can freeze small portions in ice cube trays, etc. but that is so fiddle-faddley. Have been hearing for years about tomato paste sold in tubes and see it that way on all the cooking shows, but have never found it in the grocery stores, even high-end. Where have you found it? May have to order on line?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wannaquilt2,

I use it all the time and love it. We CAN find ours in our grocery store (in our little town!) and we also have a cooking shop/gourmet store that carries it as well. So we always have it available.

I'm like you -- I've thrown out too many cans of paste for that tablespoon that a recipe needed!

This is the perfect solution! And it keeps a long time!

I would check Amazon -- I think you can buy ANYTHING on Amazon!

BTW, it is more expensive than those cans but in the end you use it all up -- with the cans, you buy one for a tablespoon and toss, buy another for a tablespoon and toss . . . so even though the tube is more expensive in the long run it probably isn't. I've not bought it in a while and can't remember what I paid.

BTW, the gourmet shop also has tubes of anchovy paste and garlic paste as well. (The anchovy paste comes in really handy and I usually have one of those in the fridge as well).

Martha

You will pay through the nose for tomato paste in a tube. So if your primary concern is not to be wasteful, it'll cost you. If your primary concern is to save money, that won't happen. A 4.5 oz. tube of paste costs in the neighborhood of $5-6. A 6-oz. can is what... 66 cents sometimes?

After I open a can of paste and use what I need, I put the rest in a zipper bag, push it down to the bottom into a roll shape using a rubber spatula or just the side of my hand. I press all the air out so the plastic completely encases the roll, and then it gets stored in the door of the freezer. When I need a dab more, it cuts easily off the roll with a chef's knife. To me, that's lots less 'fiddle-faddley' than an ice cube tray. To better illustrate, here's what the one I have stored now looks like:

I buy Amore brand tomato paste in a tube at our local Albertsons. If you can't find it locally Chef's Catalog has tomato - and other flavors - paste in a tube.

I do the EXACT same thing as nettiejay. You don't waste a drop, AND it's less expensive than the tubes. And the freezing doesn't affect the flavor one bit. I would suggest you try it with one can as an experiment to see if it works for you, I think you'll like it!

Thanks for the idea NettieJay. I was avoiding or substituting in recipes with just a little bit but I don't have to.

I really like convenience items but I do refuse to 1000% more for it. (and no, that is not a typo)

I use Amore brand tomato paste in a tube; much more practical for me. Cannot tell you how many times I have thrown out canned tomato paste that went bad. It really depends on how you much you need to cook with tomato paste.

I rarely use it, even when making my own tomato sauce for pasta, because I find tomato paste way too acidic. I just use canned Italian crushed tomatoes; it makes a rich sauce without tomato paste.

My psyche would scream at spending $6 on such a small amount of tomato paste.
One tablespoon from a 6 oz. can costs about 7 cents.
One tablespoon from a 4.5 oz. tube costs about 80 cents. Yes, I did the math!

I never use t. paste in a tomato sauce. It does taste too acidic and strong used that way. I use it most by putting just a dab into beef dishes... stew, smothered round steak, pot roast gravy, stroganoff, beef and noodles, etc. Only about half a tablespoon, never more than a full tablespoon. Makes the gravy somehow taste "beefier" without it tasting at all of tomatoes.

nettie - that's exactly what I use it for. My beef stroganoff uses 1 T. I've tried other recipes wo it and mine taste much better with the paste. Don't know why.

Even though cans of tomato paste are small, rarely use the whole thing. Have done 2 different things with left-overs. Have a SMALL "ice cream" scoop... maybe a TBSP max. Have scooped out onto wax paper in a paper plate, stuck into freezer until solid and then into zip bag or freezer container for retrieving later. Have also scooped left-over onto sheet of was paper, formed into log, and into freezer. It doesn't get ROCK hard... then I slice into "coins" about a TBSP each and into freezer.

Though tube paste is convenient... pricey compared to those little cans. Most economical would be to scoop & freeze little blobs or a roll.

I've been looking for it in the tubes, but haven't seen it. The last time I got some, I got the smallest can, and then just put tablespoons in their own zip lock bags and tossed them in the freezer. I don't have any ice cube trays anymore since I have an ice maker.

I've gotten tomato paste in a tube at Williams-Sonoma stores. And our local grocery store carries several items in a tube -- tomato paste, basil paste, pesto, etc.

I've use Amore tomato paste in tubes for 35 years.
When I travel and check out local stores or different chains elsewhere there are always things I pick up to restock my pantry shelves.
The tomato paste in tubes is one of them.
I have no idea where I bought the most recent 2 tubes, they were just waiting for me in the pantry and I opened one a few days ago.
I too have pesto, anchovy and garlic pastes in tubes.

But I did use up a whole can of tomato paste in a couple weeks time from the refrigerator this past winter but I really had to keep coming up with dishes to prepare to use it:
Vegetable beef soup, baked beans, Swiss steak sauce, stuffed green peppers, beef stroganoff.

I think the cookie scoop or zip loc baggie freezer suggestions are EXCELLENT.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Lurah,

The cookie scoop idea is great!

I like acidic tomatoes. To me, they have waaay more flavor. If a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, I use 2.