Found out my canned tomatoes were the same price per ounce as fresh ones

I was doing my weekly meal planning at Aldi last Tuesday and took a closer look at the price tags. Turns out the store brand canned whole tomatoes are 18 cents per ounce, and the fresh Roma tomatoes right next to them were also 18 cents per ounce. Does that change how you decide between fresh and canned for your budget meals, or do you still go one way based on taste or texture?

2 comments

2 Comments

umac711mo ago

Wait, so the fresh ones were literally the same price? Did Aldi forget to add the "you have to wash and chop them yourself" tax lol? I feel like now I'm just paying extra for the privilege of getting my hands dirty and having to deal with those little stem nubs. Honestly at that point I'm grabbing the canned ones every time just to save myself the hassle.

shane7511mo ago

But have you thought about the seasoning though? Canned green beans are usually sitting in salty water with preservatives, so they already have a certain taste. Fresh ones soak up whatever seasoning you throw at them differently. I tried cooking both side by side once for a potluck and the fresh ones with garlic and butter were way better, even though they cost the same. Also canned ones get mushy real fast if you heat them too long, while fresh ones stay crunchy. So it's not just about the prep work, the final dish comes out completely different.