Tomato purée facts for kids
Tomato purée is a thick liquid made by cooking and straining tomatoes. It's like a smooth, concentrated tomato sauce, but usually without extra seasonings. People use it in many recipes to add a rich tomato flavor.
What is Tomato Purée?
Tomato purée is a popular ingredient used in kitchens around the world. It is made by taking fresh tomatoes, cooking them down, and then straining them to remove the skins and seeds. This process leaves you with a smooth, thick liquid that has a strong tomato taste.
How is Tomato Purée Different?
You might have heard of tomato paste or tomato sauce, and it can be a bit confusing to tell them apart! The main difference between tomato purée, tomato paste, and tomato sauce is how thick they are and what's in them.
- Tomato purée is thicker than tomato sauce but thinner than tomato paste. It usually has a deeper tomato flavor than sauce.
- Tomato sauce is often thinner and usually has other ingredients like herbs, spices, and sometimes vegetables added to it.
- Tomato paste is very thick and concentrated. It's made by cooking tomatoes for a long time to remove most of the water, making its flavor very strong.
In the United States, tomato purée is often just tomatoes, but sometimes you can find versions with a little seasoning. It doesn't usually have all the extra ingredients you find in a full tomato sauce, like onions or garlic. The thickness of tomato purée is usually measured by how much natural tomato solid material is in it, which makes it thicker than sauce but not as thick as paste.
What is Passata?
You might see something called Passata di pomodoro on store shelves. This is a special kind of tomato purée that comes from Italy. The word "passata" comes from the Italian verb passare, which means "to go through."
Passata is unique because it's an uncooked tomato purée. This means the tomatoes are strained to remove seeds and skins without being cooked first. This gives passata a very fresh, bright tomato flavor, almost like fresh tomatoes, but in a smooth liquid form. It's often used in recipes where you want a pure, fresh tomato taste.
