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My neighbor watched me dump a can of diced tomatoes into a pan and said "you know those are better if you cook them first"
I always just opened a can of diced tomatoes and threw them in cold with ground beef for quick tacos, but after she said that I started letting them simmer for 5 minutes and the whole dish actually tastes like something now, anybody else ever get a random cooking tip that instantly made your weeknight dinner way better?
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tyler_hall923d ago
Oh man, that's exactly the kind of thing that changes everything! Once you start simmering those tomatoes for even a few minutes, it releases all the sweetness and depth (plus it helps the flavors actually stick to the meat instead of just sitting on top). I do the same thing with my pasta sauces now - even a cheap jar of marinara turns into something special if you let it bubble for 10 minutes with a little garlic and oregano. It's one of those tiny steps that feels like it should take forever but really doesn't, and the payoff is huge. Good on your neighbor for the heads up, honestly.
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gray_nelson22d ago
Hold up @tyler_hall9, you're mostly right but simmering diced tomatoes releases acidity, not sweetness - you gotta add a pinch of sugar if you want it sweet, otherwise you're just cooking out the raw taste.
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