Sun dried tomatoes
I purchased sun dried tomatoes, all natural/no oil, in a bulk food store that is not in my area a year ago. They are packaged in ziplock bags with no Best Before date. One package is still unopened, stored in my pantry. There is no sign of spoilage or mould. Are they safe to eat? Should they be boiled?
Best Answer
If they are not moldy, nor have any other signs of spoilage, they should be fine to eat. In fact, if they are not moldy after a year, I'd guess that they dried hard; foods which are almost completely dehydrated will last almost indefinitely as long as they don't get wet or insects.
That's not to say that they'll taste good; dried foods do lose flavor over time, and you may find those tomatoes have lost most of their tomato flavor; check before you depend on them for a recipe.
You don't need boiled water to rehydrate them, warm/hot tap water will work.
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What is special about sun-dried tomatoes?
They're a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, lycopene, niacin, fiber, riboflavin, and antioxidants. Like fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes are used in so many recipes, adding a gluten-free additive to give a meal taste and texture.What is the difference between tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes?
Sun-dried tomatoes have an intense sweet-tart flavor that's much more potent than fresh tomatoes, so a little goes a long way. They also have a chewier texture, so hydrating the regular ones before using them is important if you're not planning to cook them in any liquid, like for a salad.Are sun-dried tomatoes good for your health?
Nutrition. Sun dried tomatoes are an excellent source of lycopene, which may help reduce the risk of some health conditions like certain cancers and age-related macular degeneration. Sun dried tomatoes are also a good source of: Vitamin C.Can you buy sun-dried tomatoes at a grocery store?
You'll usually find sun-dried tomatoes in the produce area. Look around the fresh tomatoes\u2014they may be next to them or in a display nearby. What is this? The next place to check is the canned vegetable aisle.Italian homemade sun dried tomatoes
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Answer 2
I agree with @FuzzyChef that they are probably safe to eat, I would point out that if they were bad boiling them would not be a way to make them safe from all foodborne pathogens.
As for whether to rehydrate them or not it depends on the recipe and how you want to eat them. Some recipes expect them to be dried when used and have extra moisture to compensate. You also may want to keep them mostly dry, it's the concentrated tomato punch that makes them tasty.
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