Storage Tips
This TikTok Hack Is Saving Our Tomato Paste
Say goodbye to mold, rust, and everything else that ruins this near-perfect ingredient.
Tomato paste is good for adding an intense, red hue, deep tomato flavor, and body to bolognese sauce, chili, and marinara sauce. Need to dress up as a vampire for Halloween in a pinch? Tomato paste is there in all its faux-gory glory. But nobody’s perfect. If you’ve cooked with tomato paste before, then you know well that most recipes call for only all for a tablespoon or two of the paste; since most cans of tomato paste are sold in eight-ounce quantities, it will take a lot of chili and marinara sauce to get through the entire can. And whoever finishes an entire can without it going bad? Seriously, email me. I want to know. And mold, as always, creeps its way in and finds a way to ruin the leftover tomato paste before you can even make a dent. So instead of crossing your fingers and lying to yourself, saying “I’ll definitely use this all up before it goes bad,” listen to the beauty and brains of TikTok.
In a recent video posted to the social media app, TikTok user Rebeca Huffman addressed this very issue. “It’s the saga of the wasted tomato paste,” she begins. Instead of letting mold and rust fester in the can, she came up with the easiest way to store tomato paste, hands down. Grab a snack-size Ziploc bag, scoop the tomato paste into the bag, and pat it down to remove all of the air and flatten the contents. Next, seal the bag, take the spine of a knife (aka not the sharp part of the blade), and create perforations by scoring the bag to create four distinct rectangles of tomato paste. Place the bag flat down in the freezer and let it harden completely. Next time you need just a tablespoon or two of tomato paste, break off one of the individual squares and add it to whatever you’re cooking. Most days, TikTok makes me feel old and out of touch, but after this hack, I’ve never felt stronger.
Product Pick
If you’re not so keen on using single-use plastic freezer bags, store leftover tomato paste in an ice cube tray. Our favorite is from Souper Cubes; the pre-portioned silicone makes it so easy to pop out something sticky like tomato paste and the airtight lid helps to prevent freezer burn. As soon as the tray is empty, pop the Souper Cubes tray in the dishwasher for a generous cleaning. Rinse and repeat.
It's here: Our game-changing guide to everyone's favorite room in the house. Your Do-Anything Kitchen gathers the smartest ideas and savviest tricks—from our community, test kitchen, and cooks we love—to help transform your space into its best self.
Grab your copy
Written by: Kelly Vaughan
Popular on Food52
11 Comments
I have sets in every size. I recommend them, all the time, to all the smart cooks in my life. ;o)
BUT ... another option for tomato paste is the tube option. I LOVE this as I often make small batches of things and need just a tsp or T.
My local groceries have it, but of course, there is Amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/Cento-Double-Concentrated-ORGANIC-Tomato/dp/B075L9TGVW/ref=asc_df_B075L9TGVW?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=79920803409818&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583520382538729&psc=1
See what other Food52 readers are saying.