Why were my sundried tomatos so gross?

Question

I tried making rigatoni with red peppers and sundried tomatos and the tomatos were gross? I sauteed the pepper and sundried tomatoes in olive oil. The pepper was great. The tomato's tasted like pencil shavings.

Answer 1

Did you re-hydrate the sun-dried tomatoes?  They have to soak in really hot water or wine.  Just boil the liquid and pour it over the sun-dried tomatoes and let them soak for about 15 min.

Answer 2

There's always the possibility that the sundried tomatoes you used were not fresh. They could taste awful and make you sick if they're not fresh.

Re-hydrating them before cooking can help them work well in cooked food.

Answer 3

sun-dried tomatoes come two ways: dry packed in a bag, those need to be rehydrated.  2. Packed in olive oil.  The ones packed in olive oil are the ones you thought you were using but it seems you used the dried out ones.  

They're like leather before you rehydrate them.

Answer 4

Because Sundried tomatoes are gross any way you try to prepare them.

Answer 5

You just forgot to rehydrate them. No problem...It's not too late. Pick them all out of your dish and put them in a narrow glass. Pour boiling water on them until they're covered, plus a tiny bit more. Leave for 15 minutes, then re-add them to your dish. Add the water they soaked in too.

Answer 6

I dont know if its just me, but i love to just munch on dried tomatoes as a snack.. Im not talking about the kind packed in olive oil.. i like the loose pack dried ones.. like other dried fruit.. they actually have a smoky yet sweet taste to me.. Maybe its the particular brand I get.. but i love em..

I also chop them up real fine when cooking and "dont" rehydrate mine cause I like the bit of "bite" or crunch they offer in the dish im preparing.. I guess to each their own.. thats how i like mine...