CANNED TOMATOES

Do you shudder at the thought of making a fresh

tomato sauce out of bland winter tomatoes? You
should. Even at the absolute height of summer, it can
be difficult to get a great tomato unless you grow it
yourself, which leaves us with canned tomatoes. But
what’s the best type to use? You’ll see five different
versions at the supermarket:

• Whole Peeled Tomatoes are whole tomatoes
  that are peeled (either by steaming or by
  being treated with lye), then packed in tomato
  juice or tomato puree. Those packed in juice
  are less processed and therefore more
  versatile (tomatoes packed in puree will
  always have a “cooked” flavor, even if you
  use them straight out of the can). Sometimes
  calcium chloride, a firming agent, will be
  added to help prevent them from turning
  mushy. You’ll also see them packed with basil
  leaves.


• Diced Tomatoes are whole peeled tomatoes
  that have been machine-diced, then packed in
  juice or puree. The main difference here is
  that with a greater exposed surface area, the
  calcium chloride can make the tomatoes too
  firm: they don’t break down properly when