ISO-good source for sundried tomatoes

[Cathy]

I've been looking for a good brand of sundried tomatoes not in oil. I have purchased Frieda's and they are awful! Any ideas? TIA

[Peggy C.]

Did you see the thread re. drying your own? I did this just the other night, it was very easy and inexpensive. My DH= bought me roma's on sale for just $1 a pound. They turned out delicious!

[Cathy]

I just did a search on 'drying your own' and found a couple threads on this topic. Thank you for steering me in that direction.

[valeriek]

I get mine at TJ's. They are pretty good.

[munchies]

Williams-Sonoma is where I get mine. I imagine you can order these online, but I always go to the store. I think the site is williamssonoma.com

Heather

[Jewel]

I didn't like Trader Joes' sundried tomatoes as much as I thought I would, sorry to say! The bag that I purchased was very bitter tasting, but maybe they weren't as fresh as they could have been. The last batch I was happy with was from the bulk bin at Whole Foods! Nice deep red color, soft but not mushy, and good thick cuts. I've been pleased with them so far! :)

[lorilei]

Cathy -

Can I ask what trouble you had with Frieda's? I've been using these (as well as "Just Tomatoes" brand) for some time... and I've found them both to be excellent. Frieda's takes a slightly longer time to soak -- but once that's out of the way, I've found the flavor to be sweet and wonderful.

I'm curious -- and it might be easier to give you a recommendation if we know what you're looking for in a wrinkley tomato ;)

[Cathy]

Hi Lorilei, The Frieda's that I tried using were very very bitter. I soaked them and they tasted nothing like a tomato. Maybe the batch I got was really old if you have had good luck with them. What I'm looking for is a substitute for using sundried tomatoes in oil. For instance, in a pasta dish, on a pizza etc. Not one specific dish. I saw a recipe just the other day that required using sundried tomatoes not in oil and I thought I need to find a good source for them so I posted a thread. I saw that Jewel had a problem with some tasting bitter too but Valeriek had good luck at TJ. I wonder what causes the bitterness? Thanks for your help.

[lorilei]

You got my curiosity going, Cathy. So, I did some investigation...

I've come up with some clues which might give insight into why we find tomatoes to be bitter... and it might have little (or nothing) to do with the age of the tomatoes. That's good news for someone like me who has a stockpile of dried tomatoes in my pantry -- and I haven't the slightest clue HOW OLD they are!!

After reading through a myriad of recipes, I came upon suggestion after suggestion not to "oversimmer" sundried tomatoes.... Apparently if sundried tomatoes are simmered for too long a period, they will have a tendency to get bitter... this has something to do with their chemical composition (though I'm obviously no expert on this).

I also know that seeds contribute to both the acidity and bitterness of tomatoes, on the whole. Removing seeds in sundried varieties will help.

And Epicurious.com says the following:
To preserve the sweetness and flavor and reduce the bitterness of sun-dried tomatoes and dried mushrooms, reconstitute by soaking in cool or cold water.

Hope this helps!

[Cathy]

Thanks Lorilei, Boy, you like to get to the bottom of things! I may have to give Frieda's another try. I really appreciate your help ;-)