Why Alex Guarnaschelli Uses Canned And Fresh Tomatoes For Her Soup

There's nothing as delicious and flavorful as a fresh tomato, sun-ripened and straight off the vine, bursting with juice and bright flavor. If you're lucky enough to score a loot of fresh 'maters, you're in luck — they make delicious tomato sandwiches and vibrant Caprese salads, if you don't just enjoy them on their own with a sprinkle of salt. Though you'd probably assume fresh is always best, Food Network star and chef Alex Guarnaschelli actually advises using both canned and fresh tomatoes for the most delicious soups.

There are, of course, times when fresh is indisputably the best and only choice — but when it comes to a comforting soup, don't write off canned tomatoes as inferior. You'll still reap the same nutritional benefits — both types of tomatoes are brimming with antioxidants. The canned variety also imparts a sweeter, more developed flavor into your soups, Guarnaschelli noted in a Food Network segment, making them a must-have canned food to keep in your pantry. 

Most grocery store tomato picks that people consider fresh are actually anything but. Most have been harvested prior to peak ripeness to withstand being transported many miles across the country, which explains why so many grocery store tomatoes are quite bland and flavorless. On the flip side, canned tomatoes are picked and packaged when the fruit is at optimal ripeness, meaning the bright, vibrant flavor and sweetness is captured when it's canned.

Alex Guarnaschelli maintains in the same Food Network segment that fresh tomatoes tend to veer more acidic than their canned counterparts, so she adds a bit of sugar to a soup when cooking with fresh ones. Then, she adds in a can of whole, peeled tomatoes. These canned tomatoes have more robust depth and sweetness since they've already been cooked, versus the brighter, tangier flavor of fresh tomatoes. Whole peeled canned tomatoes also give you the option to chop or puree the fruit into the exact size and texture you want. (This would be a great time to splurge for the cream of the crop: The San Marzano variety.)

Combining the two types creates a best-of-both-worlds scenario where your soup will have the lively fresh flavors of straight-off-the-vine tomatoes (your garden or a farmer's market yield the best batches!) along with the deeper, sweeter, more mature flavor of canned tomatoes. Of course, you can make a delicious soup with only one type, but it's this 50/50 split that Guarnaschelli insists is ideal. Not only will your soup have maximum flavor, but canned tomatoes are easy to work with. They have a consistent texture and quality, unlike fresh tomatoes, which vary widely depending on when they're picked and how they grow. Not to mention, popping open a can saves you all the work of washing and peeling away skins, and means delicious tomato flavor is yours no matter the time of year or season.