Shop Your House First · No. 12 of 20
Tomatoes: Fresh, Canned, Paste, Sauce & When to Use Each
Which can does which job, how long each keeps once open, what to do with the half can and the half tube, and the exact swaps for when you have the wrong one.
Somewhere in your fridge there’s half a can of tomatoes in the can, with a sheet of foil on top, getting a little metallic. And in the pantry there are four kinds of canned tomatoes and the recipe wants a fifth. Here’s the whole tomato family: which can does which job, how long each one keeps once it’s open, what to do with the leftover half, and the exact swaps for when you have the wrong one.
No. 07 swapped ingredients by the job they do. Canned tomatoes are the best example in the pantry: same fruit, five very different jobs depending on how chunky or smooth it is. Pick the form for the job and you can stop buying a can of every kind.
1 · Which canFrom chunky to smooth.
Diced
They’re treated with a firming agent, so they stay in pieces even after cooking. Good when you want texture: chunky sauces, soups, stews, chili. Petite diced soften faster.
Whole peeled
The most flexible can, and the closest to fresh. Crush them with your hands, snip them with kitchen shears, or blend them: one can, any texture. Imported San Marzano-style whole tomatoes break down into a silky sauce; most American brands stay firmer.
UseCento San Marzano Certified Peeled Tomatoes, 28 oz · Red Gold Whole Peeled Tomatoes
Crushed
Somewhere between diced and purée. It clings to pasta, so it’s the one for quick sauces and soups where you want a bright tomato taste.
Purée
The smoothest, with seeds and skins gone. Best in dishes that cook a long time: lasagna, sloppy joes, meatballs, chili.
Paste
Tomato cooked way down: the most concentrated form, used a spoonful at a time. A tube keeps far longer once opened than a can does (more below).
Jarred sauce
Already seasoned and ready. Once it’s open, plan on 3 to 5 days in the fridge.
2 · Fresh tomatoesCounter or fridge? Both camps have a point.
The usual advice is to keep tomatoes on the counter until they’re ripe, then use them within about a week, because the fridge can dull their flavor. Others have found that once tomatoes are fully ripe, the fridge doesn’t hurt their flavor much and buys you a few extra days. Here’s a sensible middle: ripen them on the counter out of the sun, eat them there if you can, and move them to the fridge in a sealed container once they’re ripe and you’re not getting to them. Cut tomatoes always go in the fridge, in a covered container, and get used within a day or two. Cherry tomatoes keep about 10 days on the counter.
One pound of fresh tomatoes is 3 to 4 medium ones, about 2½ cups chopped. And when they go soft, No. 10 has the rescue: freeze them for cooking.
3 · The half canOut of the can, into a jar, and give it a job.
Opened canned tomatoes
Into a glass or plastic container (they can stay in the can, but they taste better out of it), in the fridge, 5 to 7 days. Then give it a job: a cup of it into Tuesday’s soup, chili or a pot of rice.
Opened tomato paste
From a can, it keeps about 5 days in the fridge; some cooks find it stays good-tasting up to a week or two in a sealed container. A tube keeps its flavor 30 to 45 days once opened, which is why it’s worth paying a little more if you only ever use a spoonful.
Freeze the paste in a log
Open both ends of the can and push the paste out in one piece. Wrap it in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze, then slice off just what you need while it’s still frozen. It keeps 2 to 3 months.
Fresh tomatoes for the freezer
Dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen the skins, then core, peel and freeze whole or in pieces, leaving an inch of room in the container. Thawed, they’re soft, so they’re for cooking only.
4 · Wrong can?Exact swaps, so you don’t have to buy another.
Keep a can of whole tomatoes and a tube of paste in your backstock (No. 03) and you can make almost any of the others from those two.
5 · When you need the whole canShakshuka: eggs poached in tomato.
Serves 4 to 6. Warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and cook 9 to 10 cloves of garlic, minced, with 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, ½ teaspoon cumin and 1½ tablespoons of a garlicky chili paste (the original calls for pilpelchuma) for 2 to 3 minutes. Add one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Make little wells in the sauce and crack in 4 to 6 eggs. Cover, turn the heat to medium and cook without lifting the lid for 4 to 6 minutes, until the eggs are set the way you like. Top with ¼ cup feta and ¼ cup chopped cilantro, and serve with pita. It’s also a great No. 02 dinner when the eggs are what needs using.
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6 · SafetyCans and pots.
- D
Dented cans — A small dent on an otherwise good can is fine. Throw out a can with a deep dent (one you can lay a finger into), any dent on a seam, or one that’s swollen or badly rusted.
- A
Don’t store sauce in aluminum — Acidic food like tomato sauce shouldn’t sit in an aluminum pot. Move leftovers to glass or plastic.
- H
Canning your own? — Home-canned tomatoes need added acid: 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice per pint, 2 per quart. Follow a tested canning recipe; it’s not the place to improvise.
Quick referencePin this.
Sources: USDA FSIS, Shelf-Stable Food Safety and FoodKeeper data · National Center for Home Food Preservation, Freezing Tomatoes and canning guidance on acidifying tomatoes · Colorado State University Extension, Ingredient Substitutions 9.329 and Shakshuka · University of Nebraska–Lincoln · Mississippi State Extension · University of Kentucky · Utah State Extension · Clemson HGIC, Cookware Safety · America’s Test Kitchen, How to Choose a Canned Tomato Product, whole canned tomatoes, tomato paste, How to Freeze Common Foods, refrigerating tomatoes, and reviews of serrated knives, can openers, Dutch ovens, immersion blenders and jarred sauce. Checked October 4, 2026. HearthIQ may earn a commission on product links.