Part 4/6:
Following the water extraction, Yi prepares the storage jars for the tomato paste. This involves washing and sterilizing glass jars and their lids meticulously to avoid any contamination. Yi shares an effective method for sterilization: boiling the jars in salted water. Importantly, she clarifies that the lids, made of plastic, should not be boiled but soaked in hot water to keep them intact.
Steaming the Tomatoes to Dry
With the jars prepared, the next phase is to return the concentrated tomato mixture to the pot for further steaming. Yi explains that it's necessary to steam the tomatoes until they achieve a dry consistency, stirring periodically to avoid burning. This process takes about 40 minutes to an hour and is vital to ensure that the paste will last without spoilage.