Chemical composition and calorie content of tomato paste. Useful properties, contraindications for use and harm. How to use it correctly?
Tomato paste is a high concentration puree made by boiling tomatoes. To create a product, tomatoes are peeled from seeds and skin, ground and boiled. During the treatment with the thermo-method, the moisture contained in the fruits evaporates, and the concentration of dry elements increases. At the same time, tomatoes retain a huge amount of nutrients. The product is used to make sauces and ketchups and can be seen in many recipes. The beneficial properties of the paste are associated with the presence of a large amount of vitamins and minerals in it. Puree can be harmful only if it is made from low-quality raw materials. The product contains only tomatoes and salt.
Composition and calorie content of tomato paste
Tomato paste comes in different varieties: extra, superior and first. Extra, as well as the highest grade, has a pronounced reddish-orange tint, in the first grade it is closer to brown. The best quality is mashed potatoes, the raw materials for which were collected and processed during the day. There are salted and non-salted pastes.
In tomato paste, dry matter accounts for 20% to 40%. The more fruits were used in the production, the higher the quality will be.
The calorie content of tomato paste is 102 kcal per 100 g of product, of which:
- Proteins - 4, 8 g;
- Fat - 0 g;
- Carbohydrates - 19 g;
- Dietary fiber - 1, 1 g;
- Water - 70 g.
Note! The fat content is zero, therefore the product is considered dietary.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin C - 45 mg;
- Vitamin B3 - 1.9 mg;
- Vitamin A - 1.8 mg;
- Vitamin E - 1 mg;
- Vitamin B5 - 0.85 mg;
- Vitamin B6 - 0.63 mg;
- Vitamin B2 - 0.17 mg;
- Vitamin B1 - 0.17 mg;
- Vitamin B9 - 0.025 g;
- Vitamin H - 0, 0045 mg.
Macro and microelements per 100 g:
- Potassium - 875 mg;
- Chlorine - 232 mg;
- Phosphorus - 68 mg;
- Sulfur - 51 mg;
- Magnesium - 50 mg;
- Calcium - 20 mg;
- Sodium - 15 mg;
- Iron - 2.3 mg;
- Zinc - 1, 1 mg;
- Copper - 0.46 mg;
- Manganese - 0.2 mg;
- Molybdenum - 0.03 mg;
- Cobalt - 0.025 mg;
- Iodine - 0, 009 mg.
Useful properties of tomato paste
The main advantage of tomato paste is considered to be an increase in the taste of dishes and their appearance. Any food prepared using such mashed potatoes turns out to be appetizing and aromatic.
But the benefits of tomato paste are not limited to this, it has many other advantages:
- Stimulating the work of immunity, helping in the fight against harmful microorganisms;
- Prevention of a number of diseases, including oncology, due to the high concentration of ascorbic acid;
- Activation of metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism;
- Slowing down the development of atherosclerosis;
- Normalization of pressure and function of the heart muscle due to the content of potassium;
- Strengthening of nail, dental tissue, bones, thanks to the phosphorus component;
- Reducing the risk of eye and ischemic diseases.
Doctors advise a tomato diet to patients prone to venous pathologies and the formation of blood clots, manifestations of rheumatic type and gout.
Interestingly, the number lycopene - a natural antioxidant - even higher in processed tomatoes than in fresh fruits. This substance, which counteracts premature aging and reduces negative external influences, is more actively absorbed after heat treatment, but the presence of fats is necessary for its absorption.
American doctors believe that the daily use of pasta or products made from it can reduce the risk of cancer manifestations by half. The product also contains serotonin, which is called the hormone of joy. It normalizes the emotional state and contributes to the successful fight against various stresses.
The use of pasta improves the digestive processes. It provokes an increased production of gastric juice, and food is easier to process. That is why tomatoes are traditionally combined with pasta.
Contraindications and harm of tomato paste
As for the harm of tomato paste, it manifests itself when a low-quality product is consumed. Unscrupulous manufacturers introduce starch into puree in order to thicken its structure and increase nutritional value. The negative effect is enhanced by the presence of stabilizers or preservatives.
You should be careful with such products when:
- Increased acidity characteristic of gastric juice;
- Gastritis;
- Gastric ulcer;
- Gallstone disease;
- Allergies;
- Presence of kidney stones;
- Arthritis.
Tomato paste contains several acids of organic origin (citric and malic), which irritate the mucous membrane of the digestive organs. If you abuse the product, the acidity of the gastric juice increases, and discomfort occurs, heartburn appears. Tomatoes themselves are a strong enough allergen that can cause a corresponding reaction.
How to make tomato paste?
You can also make mashed potatoes yourself, and homemade tomato paste is usually much better and healthier than store-bought one. For this you need to use only ripe fruits without greening, damage and rot. Unripe and brown tomatoes will not work. For summer residents who have received a good harvest of vegetables, this is a great way to prepare some of the tomatoes for the winter, and then use them as a tasty and healthy addition to a huge number of dishes.
The variety of tomatoes is very important. Plum tomatoes are good for making pasta, but you can use any others. Small tomatoes are sweeter and lighter in flavor, while larger ones are richer. To obtain a complex aroma, you can combine different varieties.
Before preparing tomato paste, you need to decide on the spices. They are chosen according to their own preferences. Coriander, cloves, pepper, basil, parsley give the product an original and piquant taste. In this regard, you can experiment.
There is nothing difficult in making tomato paste at home. The first step is to wash and cut the tomatoes: in half, in quarters, or into small pieces. They are placed in a bowl of suitable volume and put on fire, bringing to a boil. After that, the heat must be reduced and the tomatoes must be boiled for about half an hour, until the peel is separated. During this time, the pulp turns into gruel.
The boiled tomatoes are rubbed through a strainer to remove seeds and skins. Next, the resulting mass is boiled over low heat for about 2, 5-3 hours, stirring occasionally. It is important to ensure that the puree does not burn. When the paste thickens and approximately halves in volume, it is boiled for another 45-60 minutes with frequent stirring.
As a result, the mass should become very thick and covered with bubbles. Stir the product frequently and vigorously, lifting the contents from the bottom. Turning off the heat, the paste is poured into sterilized jars, rolled up with lids, turned over and well wrapped until it cools completely.
Interesting! According to Georgian recipes, tomato paste has a hint of nutty aroma; in Greece, only the mildest spices are added to it. In different countries of the world, you can find cooking traditions using all kinds of vegetables, meat or mushrooms.
Every housewife who knows how to make tomato paste has her own secrets. Here is some of them:
- Stir the boiling puree with a wooden spatula.
- For flavor, you can add greens or bay leaves, tied in a bunch. This will make it easy to remove such a bundle after use.
- Spices are added to the boiling mass, so they better reveal their taste.
- It is convenient to store puree in small jars (half-liter) in a dry place without access to light.
- Salt and sugar are added before the end of boiling.
- An open workpiece is poured with vegetable oil, sprinkled with horseradish or crushed butter. This way the pasta will last much longer.
Note! From 3 kg of ripe fruits, about 500 g of puree is obtained.
There are many recipes for tomato paste, each of them has its own flavor. For example, tomatoes can be scalded and skinned beforehand. Sometimes it is not removed at all, placing the tomatoes in a blender after a little boiling.
Tomato paste is cooked not only on fire, but also in a slow cooker or oven. In the first case, you need to prepare the tomatoes by removing the stalks and making an incision with a cross. The product is placed in boiling water, then in cold water, the skin is removed and the seeds are taken out with a spoon. The remaining mass is ground and placed in a bowl. Pre-processed and chopped hot and sweet peppers, garlic is added to the puree along with vegetable oil. After stirring well, the product is cooked for 1, 5 hours, turning on the stewing mode.
To obtain tomato paste in the oven, the fruits are washed, cut and boiled for half an hour, then cooled and wiped. Oil is added to the puree, salted, poured into a deep dish and sent to the oven for 2 hours at a temperature of 180O… With an interval of 15 minutes, the future paste must be taken out of the oven and mixed well. After 2 hours, greens are lowered into the mass, which must be removed after half an hour. At this point, the paste is ready for conservation.
The taste of tomato paste can be varied by adding various natural ingredients. Berries and apples help sweeten the mashed potatoes, you can add a spicy note with pepper, and lemon juice or vinegar add sourness. Spicy lovers add hot peppers or garlic to the mass.
There is another way to prepare tomato paste - by decanting. Its mechanism is similar to the production of curd. Tomatoes, mashed in a blender or using a meat grinder, are hung in a gauze or calico bag over a bowl. The liquid drains, the process of evaporation and boiling to a thickeness is accelerated.
Tomato Paste Recipes
One of the simplest dishes that can be made from tomato paste is sauce … It goes well with pasta, stews, sausages, kebabs and other products. To do this, it is enough to fry finely chopped garlic, sauté with onion head until transparent, add chopped basil to taste and 200 g of tomato paste. After that, the sauce is cooked over low heat for about an hour and stirred constantly. Finally, add salt and spices to your taste.
Tomato paste is used in most Italian dishes. Pour lasagna sheets with 100-200 g of mashed potatoes and cook in a skillet under the lid, and then sprinkle with grated cheese. Tomatoes make the pumpkin curry taste brighter, and the sauce from this product goes well with meatballs.
In preparation pasta "Bolognese" the sauce has a special role to play. Fried onions and garlic, as well as sugar, salt, spices are added to 200 g of tomato mass. 2 minutes before readiness, pour in a tablespoon of wine vinegar, put paprika (2-3 pieces, cut into cubes).
But tomato paste isn't just on the Mediterranean menu. With its help, you can improve the taste of borscht, kharcho and cold dishes that are familiar to us. When cooking soup, 50-100 g of pasta is added to grated beets, poured into a pan and brought to a boil. Then the frying is salted and put in a saucepan with soup.
Sometimes chefs fry pasta before adding it to dishes. To do this, add a little sugar and half a glass of hot water to the mass. The puree is stirred, heated until boiling. The result is a homogeneous syrup, which is used to season dishes.
Fish and meat are stewed with pasta, hodgepodge and squash caviar are prepared, used as a basis for reconstituted natural tomato juice. Puree makes a delicious seasoning for all types of pizza. In general, tomato paste is used in the culinary field in two versions: as a seasoning or as a component for sauces, for example, Georgian satsibeli. This natural product is much healthier than ketchup, which can be found on shelves in stores, and is also significantly healthier.
Interesting facts about tomato paste
There are many interesting facts about tomato paste:
- Residents of Italy consume on average 25 kg of product per person per year.
- In Great Britain, the product entered the menu only in 1700, before that tomatoes were considered poisonous.
- In the process of preservation, the taste properties of tomatoes only improve, so most chefs prefer canned products.
- Tomato paste helps to remove oxides from jewelry and copper products.
- There are over 10 thousand varieties of tomatoes in the world, many of which are used for making pasta.
- Tomato sauce was added to Italian pasta in the early 18th century. Vegetables were brought to Europe 200 years earlier.
Tomatoes, even cooked tomatoes, are high in beta-carotene, which helps mitigate the effects of radiation.
How to cook tomato paste - watch the video:
Properly prepared tomato paste has a beneficial effect on the body and allows you to make familiar dishes even tastier.
