Here's What It Means When Tomato Paste Is 'Double-Concentrated'

Tomato paste is an excellent way to brighten up your cooking with both flavor and color. Check the packaging and you usually find a little label dubbing the Italian condiment "double-concentrated." This doesn't mean it's been focusing super-hard on a test in the fridge; it's actually all to do with the production process. Tomato paste is made by cooking down tomatoes to reduce water content. All double-concentrated means is that it has been reduced even more, often through being placed in evaporation tanks to further concentrate flavor. You might recognize double-concentrated paste for its bold flavor and signature dark-red hue. For instance, Mutti's double-concentrated tomato paste is made through heating crushed tomatoes at a high temperature, separating the liquid from the seed and skins, and then heating them again.

Don't confuse tubed tomato paste with the canned version. The tubes are more expensive, yes, but they're preserved with salt (which adds to the flavor) rather than citric acid. You can also keep tubes in the fridge without worrying about oxidization. You can intensify the taste of bog-standard canned tomatoes through cooking them down, but there's nothing like the tangy richness of tubed tomato paste.

You got your hands on a tube of the good stuff, but what next? You're in luck; the paste might just be one of the most versatile ingredients in your pantry. Whether you're about to embark on an Italian feast, a pizza party, or curry night, double-concentrated paste takes your dishes to the next level. Just know that, if you're adding tomato paste to a dish, it's a good idea to sauté it first. Frying the paste in oil for a few minutes can get rid of any metallic undertones from the tube and darkens the color of the paste, which adds a unique depth that elevates any sauce.

You can easily try your hand at a traditional three-ingredient pizza sauce by combining high-quality tomato purée with olive oil, garlic, and a sprinkling of salt. When making pasta sauce, just combine the paste with butter, olive oil, and cream for a decadent dinner. A chef's pro tip to make store-bought sauce taste homemade is to dress up your sauce with plenty of herbs and spices, such as basil and red pepper. Make sure to top your dish with a healthy dose of Parmesan to finish. Tubes of tomato paste are hard to use up, so if you have a little bit left, try your hand at making ketchup or barbecue sauce from scratch, or freeze your leftover tomato paste in portions to use later.