I make salsa using store-bought tomatoes in a can. The salsa has a "can" taste that I don't like. Does anyone know of a trick to cut that taste out? Thanks.
By Sarah Brown from Cleveland, TN
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I don't know a trick for that. Why not just use the equivalent amount of fresh tomatoes instead? Most likely will cost less money and no preservatives ;-)
I came across a trick quite by accident by putting in sliced potatoes to thicken a tomato sauce. Incidentally the potatoes now taste just like a can. I will be feeding them to my goat.
That is the acid chemical change with the tin/aluminum. Not much you can do, maybe add some lemon or lime juice? I process my own and occ have to buy from the store. That is the difference. I use jars.
My experience with canned tomatoes is they should be used soon after purchase while they still taste good, and the metallic taste becomes more pronounced the longer they are stored. I personally wouldn't use them, as we are already getting enough harmful metals in our bodies from other sources. Especially in your good salsa, which is so labor intensive!
Try a pinch of sugar to regulate the amount of acidity in the tomatoes and mask the "canned" taste. I've always used canned tomatoes in my recipes since its not always convenient to have fresh tomatoes on hand, especially if you don't use them up quickly.
Be careful of any cans that have that new plastic lining. some times it is clear or white. the danger here is bisphenol-A. there is a lot on the net about the danger. Your grocer should know what cans have it.
Sometimes I want to cook the old fashioned way, but sometimes I want things easy. Come on guys. It is just a bit of baking soda, and sugar!
Oh yes to neutralize the metallic, a teaspoon of baking soda, yes!! does the job every time. In the morning I use one teaspoon of soda in cup of tepid water mix and drink.
I added 1 tsp. baking powder, but I can still taste the metal, also none its got a bad after taste, almost gritty.
The last thing you want to add to a tomato sauce that has that tinny/metallic taste is another acid! NEVER add vinegar, lemon, or lime juice. The metallic taste is caused by a chemical reaction between the acidity of the tomatoes and the tin cans they were in.
It is the acid of the tomatoes itself that carries the metallic taste, so to neutralize this, you need to think kitchen chemistry: You need a base. You need a bit of baking soda. First, turn down the heat of the burner on your cooking sauce or you might end up with a volcano from the chemical reaction. Then, add a teaspoon of baking soda... stir well... then wait a second or two. Then taste. You will be shocked as to how much this masks the metallic taste.
Also, a teaspoon or two of sugar will also help neutralize the acidity of the tomatoes. It won't rid the sauce of it 100%, but it will certainly make it far more edible.
Thank you..thank you....I read lots of suggestions..mostly was told dump it...I am married to a chemist...he is always giving me suggestions..but not this time...
I think "mask" is the key word here. Adding baking soda or sugar after the fact is just covering up the metallic taste with another taste. The problem is that the cans were not lined so that the acid of the tomatoes would not react with the metal in the can. That reaction causes the change in flavor, and once done, cannot be completely undone. Now, I'm looking for tomato paste in a jar or some reasonable substitute for tin-can-sauce.
I used fresh tomatoes out of my garden, a stainless steel soup pot and ball jars and still have a metallic taste! The longer I cooked it the more metallic it tasted. I will be trying the baking soda trick. Thx!
Olivia: Just for the record- NOTHING you eat changes the pH of your body. Drinking baking soda does nothing. Your body's pH is finely tuned and regulates with no help from you. Eating healthy does matter- but if you did change your pH- you would be dead...rather quickly.
That would be very incorrect on many different levels. Too much bicarbs can cause metabolic alkalosis. You don't die instantly. What you ingest can can throw off your homestasis of which you talk about.
I opened a can of tomato sauce it taste very sweet and It also Taste like the metal of the Can
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