Tomato paste is a delicious base for a wealth of meals. Its popularity means it can be found in any grocery store. However, because it's stored in a can, it can come in quantities too large for smaller servings, prompting shoppers to waste tomato paste and spend additional money on buying more from the shop.
One TikTok user, Natali (@natali.testing.tips), showcased a solution so that these issues are no longer overwhelming your food shopping.
@natali.testing.tips The best way to store tomato paste🍅 That will save you a lot of money! 💵 Viral hack for kitchen Put tomato paste in a ziplock bag, cut into cubes with a knife and put it in the freezer, and wow it works! #tomatopasta #tomato #lifehack #hack #kitchenhacks #cookinghacks #homehacks #kitchentips #foodstorage #foodtok #fyppage ♬ love on the brain sped up - xxtristanxo
The scoop
The hack is simple. Chuck any excess tomato paste you have left into a Ziploc bag. Then, lightly perforate the paste into cubes using a knife and store it in the freezer. Now, each time you need to use tomato paste, just break off a chunk and throw it into your recipe. Tomato paste is perfect for soups, stews, and sauces.
Natali mentioned that the hack was a tried-and-true method passed down from her mom.
"My mom taught me this method," she wrote in the video.
How it's helping
Tomato sauce can be used in just about any recipe, making it a staple that flies off grocery store shelves. What aids in the mass consumption of tomato sauce is that it also comes in large quantities, meaning there's often excess that goes to waste. However, cooks will still buy more after each use.
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While the tomato paste cans are inexpensive, at around 80 cents per can, constantly repurchasing them can make a difference to your yearly grocery shopping budget. Intermixed with how many meals tomato paste can be used in, buying a new can for each recipe can add up. Natali's hack can have you using one can of tomato paste for about five or six meals, dramatically reducing the price of one can.
Besides just the monetary benefits, the environment is thanking you with this hack. Approximately 30% to 40% of food is wasted annually, which can make up about 92 billion pounds or more than 20 pounds per person per month. Food waste then decomposes in landfills, where it releases methane, an air-polluting gas that can be more harmful than carbon dioxide, according to Earth.Org.
Additionally, the production and transportation of food that is ultimately wasted further boosts the environmental damage. All resources used to produce food, whether it is water, land, energy, or labor, are also wasted along with it.
It's little hacks like the one Natali showed that can make more of a difference than one may think.
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Glass containers 😎 What everyone's saying
Natali's hack went viral, and commenters flocked to state how thrilled they were to find the hack.
"I throw half a can away all the time," one user wrote. "Thanks for the idea."
"Genius idea!" another added.
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