Buzz
This has been a persistent issue for me as long as I’ve been cooking. I often need just a small amount of canned diced tomatoes for a side dish or sauce, but I don’t want to open a whole can. So, I store the remaining portion in a glass container, refrigerating it for future use. But by the time I get back to it, usually 10 days later, the tomatoes have taken on a questionable appearance.
It’s the same with chicken broth. I tried a new shrimp scampi recipe that called for just three tablespoons of chicken broth (a crime, really!). This left me with nearly an entire can—minus the three tablespoons—to store for a week and eventually pour down the drain, along with my tears of regret. Who would freeze just a few spoonfuls of diced tomatoes or a small portion of chicken broth? My mother-in-law, that’s who.
The realization hit me a few weeks ago while I was in her kitchen. I watched her pull a plastic container of diced tomatoes from the freezer, pour half a can into it, and then return it to its frozen spot. “What was that? What did you just do? What are you doing?” I stammered in disbelief.
“I got fed up with tossing half-opened cans of diced tomatoes all the time,” she stated confidently. “So, whenever I have some left, I toss it into that container. Next time I’m making a recipe that calls for a couple of cans of diced tomatoes, I’ll just thaw the whole batch.”
This method works for any canned tomatoes, broth, or other canned items you might be wasting in your kitchen. Just make sure to label the container with the date you started using it so you don’t leave it frozen for too long. (Tomatoes can be stored frozen for up to three months, while broth can last six months.)
