Why You Should Use Baking Soda To Make Canned Tomatoes Taste Better

Baking soda has so many uses beyond just baking. Nearly everyone knows about how useful it can be as a cleaning hack, but its culinary uses are also quite extensive. From improving the flavor in coffee to tenderizing steak, baking soda can do it all.

Another way baking soda can help save the day is with canned tomatoes. Adding just ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to canned tomatoes can help reduce and neutralize acidity. This is especially useful, as the acidity of canned tomatoes can vary highly from brand to brand and even from can to can.

Canned tomatoes are a convenient ingredient, and a can of particularly acidic tomatoes should not get in the way of some delicious cooking. This trick is handy for recipes that need a nice, smooth flavor, such as tomato soup. Keeping this trick in your back pocket means no more sour, pungent canned tomatoes and an easier cooking process overall.

The reason baking soda works so well against tomatoes with high acidity is due to the fact that baking soda is an alkaline. Essentially, this means that baking soda works to neutralize acidic compounds. It works at a scientific level to balance out the acidity, thus restoring canned tomatoes to a more appealing flavor.

One thing that is great about using baking soda to combat acidity in canned tomatoes is that not a lot of baking soda is required. Just ¼ teaspoon is more than enough to neutralize acidity. In fact, it is better to avoid using a lot of baking soda, as it can alter the taste if used in excess.

When baking soda is added to recipes that use canned tomatoes, such as tomato soup, it is normal for the baking soda to foam or fizz somewhat when it first makes contact with the surface. This is actually a visual sign that the baking soda is hard at work neutralizing those acids! Some light stirring over the course of a few minutes should stop the fizzing, and at the same time remove the bitterness and acidity from the tomatoes.