Why You Shouldn't Cook With Fresh Tomatoes, According to Chefs

Assuming fresh produce always beats anything from a can seems like an obvious rule, the kind of instinct nobody would think to question. Reaching for fresh tomatoes over canned ones for a pot of sauce feels like the safer, better choice by default.

Professional chefs say that instinct is actually backwards when it comes to tomatoes specifically. Keep reading to see why.

Fresh Tomatoes Are Not Always As Fresh As They Look

The tomatoes sitting in a grocery store produce aisle are often not nearly as fresh as they appear. Most fresh tomatoes get picked while still green, shipped long distances and left to ripen artificially in storage rather than on the vine.

By the time they reach a kitchen, especially outside of peak summer months, the flavor can be genuinely underwhelming. That gap between how a tomato looks and how it actually tastes is a big part of why chefs started reaching for the can instead.

Canned Tomatoes Get Picked At Peak Ripeness

Canned tomatoes work differently from the start, since they get picked at peak ripeness and canned almost immediately afterward. Stephanie Pixley, deputy food editor at America’s Test Kitchen, has described herself as a canned tomato evangelist, reaching for them anywhere a recipe calls for cooked tomato, from sauces to soups to stir fries.

That consistency is part of the appeal, canned tomatoes taste the same in December as they do in July. For professional kitchens that need predictable results every single time, that reliability matters just as much as flavor alone.

There Is Even A Nutritional Argument For Canned

The case for canned tomatoes goes beyond flavor and convenience too. Pixley has pointed out that canned tomatoes are actually more nutritionally beneficial than raw tomatoes, since lycopene, the antioxidant tomatoes are known for, becomes easier for the body to absorb once it has been exposed to heat.

That means a jar of tomato sauce built from canned tomatoes may actually deliver more usable nutrition than the same amount of raw tomato would. It is a rare case where the more convenient option also happens to hold a genuine nutritional edge.

Fresh Still Wins During Actual Tomato Season

None of this means fresh tomatoes should disappear from the kitchen entirely. Chef Esther Reynolds has described herself as a fresh tomato person during the height of tomato season, when the fruit is genuinely at its juiciest and sweetest, reaching for canned tomatoes the rest of the year instead.

That distinction matters, fresh tomatoes still shine in uncooked dishes like a salad or caprese, where their texture and brightness cannot be replicated by anything from a can. The rule really only applies once heat and a saucepan enter the picture.

So the next time a recipe calls for cooked tomatoes, it might be worth reaching for the pantry instead of the produce aisle. Sometimes the ingredient that seems like the lesser choice turns out to be exactly what professional kitchens have been relying on all along.