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Cento Organic Double Concentrated Tomato Paste, 4.56 oz, 2 Tubes
$19.52
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Product Details
Cento's paste is doppio concentrato, the Italian double concentrate: tomatoes cooked down further than standard paste, so a spoonful carries depth you would otherwise coax out of a much larger amount. It is dense, dark and faintly sweet, and it melts into a sauce rather than sitting on top of it.
The tube is the point. Most recipes call for a tablespoon or two, whether that is the base of a ragu, a braise that wants body, chili, lentil soup, a pan sauce or a marinade, and a tube lets you squeeze out exactly that much. Cooks who keep one within arm's reach end up reaching for paste far more often than those who work from cans.
One habit worth borrowing: fry the paste in oil, or in the fat left from browning meat, for a minute or two before any liquid goes in. It darkens, loses its raw edge and turns savory. Two tubes is a sensible number for a kitchen that cooks Italian more than occasionally.
Ingredients
Nutrition Information
| Servings per container | 4 |
|---|---|
| Serving size | 2 tbsp (33g) |
| Calories | 40 |
| Total Fat | 0g (0% DV) |
| Saturated Fat | 0g (0% DV) |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg (0% DV) |
| Sodium | 70mg (3% DV) |
| Total Carbohydrate | 8g (3% DV) |
| Dietary Fiber | 1g (4% DV) |
| Total Sugars | 5g |
| Includes Added Sugars | 0g (0% DV) |
| Protein | 2g |
| Vitamin D | 0mcg (0% DV) |
| Calcium | 21mg (2% DV) |
| Iron | 1mg (4% DV) |
| Potassium | 410mg (8% DV) |
Directions & Storage
Cento Organic Double Concentrated Tomato Pa...
$19.52
Questions About This Product
The things people actually want to know before they cook with it.
What does "double concentrated" actually mean on this tube?
Double concentrated paste has been reduced further than standard tomato paste, with more water evaporated out so the tomato flavor is denser and the color a deeper brick red. Cento describes its paste as going through the evaporation process twice to reach that concentration. In practice that means a more assertive tomato flavor per spoonful than a typical supermarket canned paste.
Can I use this in place of regular canned tomato paste in a recipe?
Yes. Cento's own guidance is to swap it one for one with conventional tomato paste, keeping in mind that the flavor lands stronger. If you are sensitive to a very forward tomato note, start with slightly less than the recipe calls for and taste before adding the rest.
Why does tomato paste come in a tube instead of a can?
The tube exists so you can use a tablespoon without opening a whole can and then hunting for something to do with the remainder. It reseals after each use, so the paste stays covered and portioning is easy. Cento says an opened tube holds up for 30 to 45 days refrigerated, which is considerably longer than paste sitting in an opened can.
Does tube tomato paste taste different from canned?
Tube and canned paste are produced differently. American canned paste is typically cooked at a higher temperature and preserved with citric acid, which gives it a darker color and a denser, deeper flavor, while tube paste is generally preserved with salt and reads fresher and brighter. Once either one is simmered into a long-cooked sauce the gap narrows, so the difference matters most in quick dishes where the paste barely cooks.
Where are these tomatoes grown, and is Cento an Italian company?
The organic paste is made from Italian tomatoes grown and processed in Italy. Cento Fine Foods itself is an American family business, started in 1962 in New Jersey by Alfred Ciccotelli Sr. and now run by the third generation, built specifically around importing Italian foods for the US market. So this is an Italian product sold under a US-owned brand.
How much paste does one 4.56 oz tube hold compared with a small can?
A 4.56 oz tube works out to roughly eight tablespoons of paste, while a standard 6 oz can is closer to ten. One tube covers most recipes that call for a small can, and the two-tube pack gives you comfortable margin. Since recipes usually ask for a tablespoon or two at a time, a single tube stretches across many meals.
Should I cook the paste before adding the other liquids?
Frying the paste in oil for a minute or two before the tomatoes or stock go in is a standard technique worth doing. It darkens the paste, cooks off the raw metallic edge, and deepens the savory backbone of the finished dish. Add it to softened onions or garlic, stir until it turns a deeper brick color and smells toasty, then deglaze.
Can I freeze what I do not use?
Tomato paste freezes well. Spoon leftover paste in tablespoon portions onto parchment, freeze until solid, then move the pieces to a sealed bag so you can drop one straight into a hot pan. With a tube this is rarely necessary since the cap reseals, but it is a useful move if an open tube is nearing the end of its window.
What is the difference between tomato paste, tomato puree and tomato sauce?
Paste is the most reduced of the three, cooked down until it holds its shape on a spoon, and it is used a spoonful at a time for depth and body. Puree is thinner and pourable, and canned tomato sauce is thinner still and usually seasoned. They are not interchangeable by volume, since a tablespoon of paste is doing the work of a far larger quantity of puree.
Is this the same thing as the doppio concentrato sold in Italy?
Yes. Doppio concentrato di pomodoro is the Italian name for double concentrated tomato paste, and in Italy it is commonly sold in exactly this kind of soft resealable tube. Cento's tube is that same format prepared for the US market with English labeling. If an Italian recipe calls for doppio concentrato, this is what it means.
How does the organic tube differ from Cento's regular tomato paste tube?
The organic version carries USDA organic certification, meaning the tomatoes were grown to organic standards and the product is certified through processing and packing. The paste itself is still the same double concentrated style in the same resealable tube. The certification is the meaningful difference between the two.
Is the tube BPA free?
Cento lists this tomato paste tube as BPA free. The cap reseals between uses, which is part of why the format appeals to people who would rather not keep an opened metal can in the refrigerator.
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