Cheapo Meals: Tinned Tomatoes on Toast
Half a can of tomatoes on toast, with seasoning (salt and black pepper) and a sprinkle of dried mixed herbs, that could cost as little as 20p - good news for students and fieldwork cooks
Tinned Tomatoes On Toast
This basic meal tastes great and is cheap, vegan and pretty healthy. The tomatoes take a minute or two on the hob or in the microwave to heat, and all you have to do is add some salt and black pepper and slide them onto the toast.
Illustration of 16th century tomato plant. The tomato (“jitomate”) was domesticated by the Mesoamerican peoples 2,600 years ago (Credit: México Desconocido)
The arrival of the tomato in Europe from the Americas - at first as an ornamental plant - and its subsequent cultivation on a large scale for culinary use in the following centuries, revolutionised much of Asian and European cookery. The development of the plum tomato in Italy was especially important for pasta and pizza sauces and the massive industry around canned tomatoes.
In the 16th century the tomato plant was an exotic curiosity in Europe, prior to its use as a culinary staple. Tomatoes known from the 16th century AD, collected illustrations of tomato plants that had arrived in Europe from the Americas (source: Tinde van Andel at. al. 2022.)
Home-grown tomatoes are also popular in pots, planters and gardens, and a seasonal glut can be blanched, preserved and used throughout the year.
Blanched tomatoes - the skins slide off easily and they can be frozen or preserved in cans or jars. Tomatoes contain vitamins A, B1, B2 and C, plus folic acid and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. They are thought to have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
Pricing
The cheapest ‘value’ tinned tomatoes in UK supermarkets are currently selling at 28p, with the standard own brands at around 45p. You can choose between whole plum tomatoes or chopped. (Tinned cherry tomatoes exist but are much more expensive.) Whole plum tomatoes are better on toast than chopped, I think; and are often (surprisingly) a few pence cheaper.
Tinned tomatoes vary in price from 28p upwards and are sold in all supermarkets
Toast obviously varies in price depending on what bread you buy. At the time of writing there are still sliced loaves (white or whole meal) for sale at supermarkets for 34p - 39p, which comes to around 3p - 3.5p per slice.
Spreads, especially own-brand value spreads, are significantly cheaper than butter. Using a value spread like Adsa’s adds about 3p onto the costs - although a spread isn’t needed.
As ever with food, there is an ‘eco premium’ and an ‘ethical premium’ to be paid if the consumer wants (and can afford) produce that’s organic and guarantees higher worker welfare. Some brands promote decent working conditions for the seasonal tomato pickers and decent land stewardship - it’s on the labels, and reflected in the pricing.
The contents of one can of tomatoes - this plateful is from a basics range and cost 28p
Method
Put two slices of bread into the toaster or under the grill. When toasted, add spread or butter if you prefer, or leave unbuttered.
Mixed herbs are a good investment for jazzing up cheap meals like tomatoes on toast or cheese on toast - this jar cost 60p in Asda (55p in Aldi) and will last for many months.
Meanwhile heat the tomatoes on a plate or in a bowl in a microwave, or in a pot on the hob. When hot, slide the tomatoes onto the toast, and add seasoning as desired and available (salt, black pepper - maybe a sprinkle of dried mixed herbs if you have any), and that’s it.
Add some salt, black pepper and dried mixed herbs for extra flavour
Adding Cheese
I used to be convinced that buying a ‘value’ block and grating it would be the cheaper way to add a bit of cheese to a meal-on-toast, but funnily enough that isn’t the case - it’s buying the supermarket’s own cheapest ready-grated cheese in a plastic bag.
However - it doesn’t keep as long, I found. It definitely can go ‘funny’ at the bottom, even before the ‘use by’ date. It’s better and lasts longer if you decant it out of the plastic bag into a tub, to keep in the fridge. Must be the airing it out or something. And you can also freeze some of it.
Anyway, sprinkling an ounce of value cheese onto your meal-on-toast currently adds around 19-20p. To measure an ounce or 28g in your head, I can tell you - through the power of online searching - that it’s the equivalent volume (from a block, not grated) of an adult thumb. Who knew? You might want both thumbs’ worth, you glutton. Just don’t let Lee ‘30p’ Anderson and Therese ‘Turnip’ Coffey know.