FOOD NEWS
Get The Most Flavor Out Of Canned Tomatoes By Using Your Oven
By Riya Anne Polcastro
Canned tomatoes tend to taste bland, but it doesn't take much work to improve their flavor. Elevating them adds some time to your food prep, but it's an extra step worth taking.
The best way to increase the flavor of canned tomatoes is to drain them, remove their seeds, pour a little olive oil on top, and put them in the oven to roast for an hour or so.
Keep the temperature low (around 300 degrees F) to caramelize the sugar in the tomatoes so they develop a more robust flavor. Remove them when they're dry but not dehydrated.
Straight out of the can, whole tomatoes are watery and dull. They've been cooked for food safety during the canning process, but not in a way that brings out their natural flavors.
Tossing them in the oven for an hour will drastically improve their texture as well. Instead of being soggy and squishy, drying them out will cause them to firm up a little bit.
This improved texture means they'll have a much better mouthfeel and — if you roast them long enough — a slight chewiness that makes them feel much more substantial in recipes.