Tinned Tomatoes

My ‘luxury’ meal when I was a very broke student was a packet Vesta paella - anyone else remember those? Nice and easy to make on a Baby Belling.
Can’t remember how much they were, maybe all of 2/-, very extravagant!

I'm Shielding for another few days/weeks/months/whatever and I've tonight completed my home delivery order. So, is it you lot who're stockpiling tinned tomatoes? None to be had at Iceland(the only s/market round here that had spaces).Didn't check their sugar stocks tho..

Beans on toast with a poached egg on top were a luxury in those days.
A perfect meal.

Tinned tomatoes on toast were my go-to lunch in the student canteen when I was even more broke than usual. They cost all of 9d.

I make my own tomato sauce if we have a glut of tomatoes and freeze it and always add just a pinch of sugar

Adding a pinch of sugar to tinned tomatoes brings out the flavour perfectly. Most cooks/chefs advocate using tinned tomatoes now when they are cooked and incorporated in dishes because the standard of fresh tomatoes in the shops is so poor. It's easy to see this if we try home/garden grown tomatoes, the difference in taste is very marked. Too many supermarket tomatoes are artificially ripened by blasting them with methane and while the skins turn red, they have little taste, are watery inside and have thickened areas inside the fruit which stays white or lime green. Tinned tomatoes are always of a reliable standard. If I use fresh, I normally buy cocktail tomatoes for the flavour in winter. In summer I buy from local markets where they are cheap and they always smell peppery and just like those my Granddad grew in his garden when I was young.

Anyway, I have heard tell that sugar is bad for you.
But I must support the cane farmers.

Food is very much a moral issue! Think of guilty treats, ‘syns’ with one of the slimming groups, clean-eating, ‘dirty’ burgers, rewards and so on.

I must say, I don’t think a pinch of sugar in four portions of a spag Bol sauce is going to cause anyone to crave sugar and if you eat a lot of processed food anyway, well, game over.

Isn't it intriguing how food can become a moral issue !

You should see the cake I just made for Miss on the Maths thread, quizqueen if you're going to be the new Sugar Tsar.

All those supermarket shelves full of fizzy drinks sweetened with aspartame fill me with horror.

And no, we don't have much sugar chez nous.

I think half a teaspoonful of sugar spread over 5 portions of food is hardly over-indulging.
I would not use a jar of bolognaise sauce as I'm sure the sugar content is too high.

Funny that our very elderly relative likes about 5 teaspoons of sugar in tea; how did he get to be over 100?

Obviously, people haven't heard that sugar is bad for you. There's too much already hidden in processed foods. There's absolutely no reason to add it to savoury foods; you are just encouraging your taste buds to crave more sweetness.

It was autocorrect again
I wouldn't type an pinch (would I?)

FarNorth

Yes, a pinch!!

Only time we eat tinned tomatoes on their own is Sunday breakfast. Always streaky bacon, mushrooms, tinned tomatoes-welldrained- and toast. DH also has 2 fried eggs and I have pesto on my tomatoes???

Same here Minimoon

1 tsp of sugar in a dish containing tinned toms really brings out of the flavour of the toms.

I like tinned tomatoes on toast. Never added sugar.

A pinch, Callistemon?

I used to eat tinned tomatoes on toast growstuff but haven't done that for years.
Before I read the tip about adding an inch of sugar.

I always add a little honey or sugar to tinned tomatoes, it cuts through the acidity which can cause indigestion especially if you have a sensitive tummy.

It says a lot about the way things are at the moment that we can have 49 posts about tinned tomatoes. I really dislike them.

DH’s favourite breakfast is tinned tomatoes (sans sugar) with bacon, eggs and a fried Derbyshire oatcake to soak up the juice! Not my cup of tea, but, a chacun son gout!

Do people eat tinned tomatoes on their own? I'd never thought about. I must admit I don't and I don't think I would. I only ever use them to make sauces, which I cook down.

I've been making up batches of tomato "sauce" to top pizzas and always add a pinch of sugar to my tinned chopped tomatoes, but would never think to add the sugar if I was eating whole tinned tomatoes on their own.

I use a lot of tinned tomatoes and have always added a level teaspoon of sugar. It improves the flavour. My father would never have any other tinned tomatoes but Cirio with his breakfast, which he insisted were the best (they are certainly one of the most expensive!). I use any old brand - he’d be disgusted!