Tomato paste is an ingredient every cook should have on hand. If you don't have a recipe that asks for it, add it to your grocery list.
What is tomato paste?
Simply put, tomato paste is a tomato sauce that has been reduced and concentrated to a much finer consistency. To make tomato paste, first tomatoes are reduced in volume by simmering until they become very thick, and then the paste is strained to remove the peel and seeds. Tomato pastes that are prepared commercially typically contain, in addition to tomatoes, salt (or, sometimes, no salt at all), as well as various types of herbs and spices. There are three different levels of concentration that may be found in tomato paste: single concentration, double concentration, and even triple concentration. Each of these levels is much more potent than the previous one.
Different types of tomato paste
Hot Break and Cold Break tomato pastes are both useful, but they have different textures and flavors, which limits their interchangeability. To manufacture Hot Break (HB) paste, fresh tomatoes are chopped and then cooked at a very high temperature (85 to 100 degrees Celsius). Cold Break (CB) paste is made by heating freshly chopped tomatoes at a lower temperature (between 65 and 75 degrees Celsius). Triple-concentration paste sold for home use often has a Brix reading of 36-38 degrees, making it suitable for use in CB paste, whereas ketchup and other types of tomato sauce typically ask for a Brix reading of 28-30 degrees, making them suitable for use in HB paste. Many supermarkets stock both types of paste. 
Tomato paste specification
Tomato paste is composed of tomatoes that have been reduced and concentrated. It is nothing more than tomatoes that have been boiled down, drained to remove the seeds and skins, and then reduced even further until they attain a consistency that is similar to that of a paste. Raw tomatoes have a significant amount of sour acidity and savory umami flavor, but once all of the water has been boiled out of them, the concentration of these flavors is considerably greater. When dealing with a concentrated component such as this one, just a little bit goes a long way, which is why the cans are far more compact than those that contain sauce or crushed tomatoes. If a jar of tomato paste advertises that it is "double-concentrated," then you can assume that it has two times the amount of tomato flavoring as regular tomato paste. 
Where to buy tomato paste?
There are so many tomato-based items right next to the pasta aisle that it can be overwhelming. Despite their proximity on store shelves, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and marinara sauce are not the same thing. You were fortunate enough to be able to rely on our team of specialists, as they have carefully selected the best tomato paste options for you to consider.
Points you need to take seriously while buying tomato paste
Tomato paste is made by pressing the pulp from ripe tomatoes without the addition of anything else. After drying in the sun, they are combined to form a thick paste. The sun-drying method gives this tomato paste a more robust, mellow, and concentrated tomato taste. The flavor is earthy, Smokey, and sweet, almost like jam. This high-quality tomato paste can be difficult to locate, is relatively expensive, and is often sold in tubes. In addition, when processing tomatoes into commercial tomato paste, the skins and seeds are often removed. Instead of simply letting them dry in the sun, however, they are cooked down to make a thick paste. Tomato paste is available in many different brands, each with its own unique flavor and texture.