Tomatoes are fruits, and that is mostly used as veggies, and in this case, they are spices. Cooking has been normalized using tomatoes. Bad seasons may hamper the production of this precious red gold. Due to this, the demand may become higher, which will make the prices of the tomatoes soar. To help absorb such shock, you need to have alternatives.
In this case, there are limited options to circle around. The closes options remain to be direct substitutions; so that, you will be substituting different forms of tomatoes. Depending on recipes, you will also be needed to alternate these ingredients. So, it isn’t a question of demand and lack of; it is also a question of what does the recipe directs you to do?
1. Diced tomatoes and tomato puree
In the first case, we’ll look at how you can substitute diced tomatoes with tomato puree. The difference between these two is basically in their physical form. However, they are all made of tomatoes. A tomato puree is one that is cooked into a paste. It is used to provide thickness and flavor to the dish. O0n the other hand, diced tomatoes are cut into regular pieces. They are used in giving garnish.
While cooking a stew or a soup; basically a liquid meal, you will need either of the two. However, diced tomatoes do not provide the best texture for your meal. This is why, if a recipe is keen on the texture, tomato puree should be used without question. Tomato puree can withstand extreme heat. With diced potatoes, you cannot expose them to heat for long. For, it will disintegrate.
2. Diced tomatoes and chili sauce
Red pepper chili sauce can successfully be used as an alternative for diced tomatoes. The reason is that the chili sauce in question is made using tomato sauce. Furthermore, it does not only incorporate tomatoes, but it has other spices that make dishes spicier and attractive than necessarily using tomatoes.
Chili sauce is made by mixing deseeded red pepper with almond oil and tomato sauce. The mixture is blended to yield a fine solution which is further acidified using vinegar. In other cases, you can experiment with cinnamon, clove, garlic, and other spices. Also, lemon juice can be used to acidify the solution.
3. Diced tomatoes and ketchup
Here, ketchup replaces diced tomatoes in cooking. This is one of the most successful substitutions. Ketchup is made by mixing tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar, and clovers. Due to the presence of tomatoes in the ingredients, ketchup can be a great alternative for diced tomatoes but in the correct recipe.
4. Diced tomatoes and tomato juice
Tomato juice is made from mixing tomato sauce, and water then blended to make a fine solution. It can also be referred to as tomato soup.
The bottom line
From the above discussions, you can point out that the different alternatives that can be used for diced tomatoes simply do exist in different forms. However, the user is guided by the type of food they are preparing.
