What is the difference between passata, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée?

The tomato aisle can feel like a quiz. Whole, chopped, cherry, passata, purée, double concentrate, sugocasa, polpa. They all come from the same fruit, and every one of them is useful. The difference is texture and concentration, and that decides what each is for.

Passata: smooth and pourable

Passata comes from the Italian passare, "to pass through", and Wikipedia's passata entry describes passata di pomodoro as a tomato purée with the seeds and skins removed. It comes in jars, cartons and bottles, smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon.

Use it when you want a silky result:

• Quick pasta sauces. Warm garlic in oil, add passata, salt and basil, simmer until it thickens slightly.
• Pizza. Seasoned, uncooked passata spreads thinly and evenly.
• Soups and stews that want a smooth tomato body.
• Baked dishes like parmigiana, where a smooth layer is easier.

Because it has no pieces, it can taste a little one-dimensional on its own. A splash of oil, a pinch of salt and a short simmer bring it to life.

Chopped tomatoes: texture and juice

A tin of chopped tomatoes is pieces of peeled tomato in juice. They give a sauce some body and bite.

• Chunky pasta sauces and ragù-style vegetable sauces.
• Bean stews, curries and soups where you want pieces.
• Shakshuka and eggs baked in sauce.

Many cooks prefer whole peeled tomatoes and crush them by hand, arguing they are often better tomatoes and give a nicer texture; chopped are simply more convenient. Both are fine. The tins themselves are covered on tinned tomatoes versus fresh.

Chopped tomatoes hold more water than passata, so they need a longer simmer to thicken. When the oil gathers at the edges and the sauce no longer looks watery, it's ready.

Tomato purée: concentrate

This is where names get confusing. Wikipedia's tomato paste entry describes tomato paste as tomatoes cooked down for a long time, strained of seeds and skins, and cooked again into a dense concentrate. Depending on the shop, the same thick stuff in a little tube or tin may be labelled tomato purée, tomato paste or double concentrate, and the same entry describes US tomato purée as thinner than paste. Wikipedia's passata entry notes that definitions vary from country to country, so check the texture, not just the word.

Use the concentrate by the spoonful, never by the cup:

• Fried in oil at the start of a sauce until it darkens to brick red; why recipes fry tomato paste first explains the point.
• Stirred into soups, stews and lentils for depth.
• Mixed into a marinade or dressing for vegetables.

Once opened, a tube keeps much longer than a tin. For a tin, spoon the leftover into a jar, smooth the top, cover with a film of oil and keep it in the fridge, or freeze spoonfuls.

Which to grab

• Ten-minute pasta sauce: passata.
• Rustic sauce with texture: chopped or hand-crushed whole tomatoes.
• Long-cooked stew: chopped tomatoes plus a spoonful of concentrate.
• Pizza base: passata, seasoned and uncooked.
• A flat sauce that needs depth: a spoonful of concentrate, fried first.

You can also swap. Chopped tomatoes blended smooth are close to passata. Passata simmered down thickens towards a richer sauce. Concentrate loosened with water stands in for passata in a pinch, though it tastes more cooked.