Never Skip One Step For More Flavorful Canned Tomato Paste
Tomato paste is a great way to add a boost of rich tomato flavor to any of your dishes, but it does come with some strings attached. Unfortunately, it sometimes tastes tinny straight from the can. No need to fret, however, because there's one tried-and-true technique that helps you get rid of that flavor, and using this method adds a much deeper and more appealing taste to your final dish.
Good thing this is an easy trick, too. All you need to do is caramelize it in the pan prior to adding anything else to it. That means you simply need to heat up some oil, put the paste in the pan, and stir it until it takes on a slightly darker color (but make sure it's not blackened). That deeper red hue indicates that you've caramelized the sugar in the paste a bit, which is what nixes that metallic taste and boosts the natural savoriness in the concentrated tomatoes.
Tomato paste plays a good supporting role in sauces and stews
It's easy to assume you'd be best off using tomato paste exclusively in dishes like pasta and tomato sauce, but I actually use it for things where a tomato flavor isn't so obvious. In fact, tomato paste makes a great flavor booster as part of the base of a beef stew. That's because it has a lot of umami flavor, which plays in parallel with the natural savoriness of the beef and other ingredients you choose to add to the mix, such as mushrooms. You can also use tomato paste to bolster the base of other stews and soups, as well. Put it in your chili, or double-down on rich and savory flavors in this Instant Pot lentil and French onion soup.
Another spot where tomato paste can come in handy is in sauces — especially those with a red wine base — because it deepens the flavor of the end product. For sauces, it's all about coaxing out as much concentrated flavor as you can, and condensing that into a few tablespoons of liquid. That is why tomato paste is such a good culinary tool. Just don't forget to give it some extra love by caramelizing it a bit in the sauce pan before you whisk in the other liquid components, and you've added more flavor to your food with hardly any extra work involved.