Ah, the trash can: a receptacle for refuse, a container for scraps of all sorts. Unless your trash can is overtly smelly, you might not think about it too often. But imagine if your trash can conjured up positive, non-putrid thoughts—ones of odor control, a smooth-opening lid, and an exterior that wasn’t an eyesore. 

That’s what we wanted and set out to find when we tested nine kitchen trash cans. We landed on four top picks. Not only did they work really well, but we’d happily display any of them in our kitchens.

The Winners, at a Glance

This pedal-operated stainless steel trash can has a lid that opens and closes silently. The lid can also be locked, allowing it to stay open for however long you need it to. In our tests, it was very effective at containing odors—only when we were right next to it could we detect a faint whiff of the air freshener. We liked that its interior bin can be removed for deeper cleaning. While it does call for simplehuman’s J liners, we found it worked fine with store-bought bags.

Like the simplehuman, this trash can has a removable interior bin. This also makes it easier to add and remove trash bags. Its lid sprung upwards, but it features a soft-close mechanism we liked. While its odor control wasn’t as good as our overall winner, it still did well.

This lightweight trash can has a foot pedal and a lid that locks closed (if you’ve ever had a rambunctious pup get into your trash can, you know how helpful this can be). We found the lid consistently opened and closed smoothly—and we did so dozens of times throughout testing.

If you want a trash can you can wave a hand over and have it open, the iTouchless will serve you well. It has an automatic mode and a manual one—and it’s battery-operated. We liked its interior ring that kept trash bags in place and while it didn’t do as well in our odor retention test, it offers nice features for its price. 

The Tests

• Bag Fit Test: We placed a standard, 13-gallon trash bag into each trash can, evaluating its fit. We tugged around the perimeter of the trash bag to see if it would stay in place.
• Durability Test: To see if the trash cans would easily dent, we gently kicked each model five times near its base. We then ran a vacuum into each trash can, as if we were cleaning and accidentally hit it. 
• Lid Test: We opened and closed each trash can’s lid 25 times. 
• Odor Control Test: We placed a potent air freshener into each trash can and left it on its own in a closed, small room for 24 hours—checking for smelliness midway through and at the end of this time period. 

What We Learned

Metal Trash Cans Were Better with Smells (But Only If They Had Tight Lids)

Stainless steel is denser and less porous than plastic, so it makes sense the metal models topped our odor retention test. (Note: Our favorite compost bin is also made of stainless steel.) When we walked into the room our simplehuman winner was in after 24 hours with an air freshener inside of it, we couldn’t detect a smell. The AmazonBasics (which was made of alloy steel) did well in this test too, though we noticed more of a scent behind the trash can, thanks to a slight gap at the lid’s hinge. In comparison, the simplehuman plastic and Rubbermaid models emitted noticeable odors. However, they were far better than the Umbra Venti Swing-Top Kitchen Trash Can, which featured a gap around its swing-top mechanism that mercilessly released smells. 

Hinged vs. Swing-Top Trash Cans 

Given the above findings, it should come as no surprise that we favored hinged lids that shut over ones with swing tops. (The latter had cover openings that see-sawed back and forth.) While we are talking trash here, swing-top models have another concern: sanitization. With hinged—and, of course, touchless—lids you can open them without concern over messy hands and having to touch the lid, getting it gunky. Swing-top lids have to be touched with every use. 

Pedals Shouldn’t Need Much Pressure

We preferred trash cans with pedals that needed just slight pressure to operate—and lids that opened at a consistent speed. For example, the Glad Stainless Steel Step Trash Can’s lid sometimes jolted open and other times did so smoothly—all without us changing the pressure we applied on the pedal. 

Which Trash Cans Were the Most Durable?

Happily, all of the trash cans we tested were able to withstand our kicking and vacuum-ramming durability tests with nary a dent. Through this test, we found we preferred wider trash cans for the simple reason that they were less likely to tip over. When we knocked our vacuum into the Umbra—with its round, smaller base—it wobbled dramatically.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Kitchen Trash Can

The best trash cans retained odors well, with tight-fitting lids that trapped smells. We preferred hinged lids that we weren’t required to touch to open and responsive pedals. Trash cans should be stable, too, and not be able to be knocked over easily. 

Our Favorite Trash Cans

What we liked: This trash can did the best in our odor control test—and had a pedal that opened its lid smoothly and slowly every time. The lid can be locked upright too, and it never slammed upwards and back into the wall behind it. The simplehuman features an interior bin that can be removed for sanitization and makes it easier to add and remove trash bags. While it does take the brand’s custom J liners, a standard, storebought trash bag fit just fine in our tests. This trash can comes with a whopping 10-year warranty—and, in our experience, simplehuman has great customer service. 

What we didn’t like: We have no complaints. 

Key Specs

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Dimensions: 15.8 x 12.5 x 25.7 inches
• Stated capacity: 10 gallons
• Weight: 14.52 pounds
  

What we liked: With a removable interior liner (like the simplehuman), a soft-close lid mechanism, and a responsive foot pedal, we were impressed by the Amazon Basics offering. Its lid did spring open more, but it was consistent in doing so. It had an inner lip that kept trash bags in place and didn’t dent in our durability tests.  

What we didn’t like: While this trash can did well in our odor retention test, we noticed more of a smell at the back of the can. There was a gap between the trash can and its lid’s hinge we attributed this to.

 Key Specs

• Materials: Alloy steel
• Dimensions: 14.7 x 16.7 x 25.9 inches 
• Stated capacity: 13.2 gallons
• Weight: 13.21 pounds 
  

What we liked: If you want a plastic trash can that’s half the price of our winner, the simplehuman did well in our tests. It has a nicely touchy foot pedal, a lock, and a lid that opens and closes smoothly every time. Because it’s made from plastic but has a wide base, there’s little worry about it denting or tipping over. Like its stainless steel sibling, it takes custom liners but fit a store-bought bag fine in our tests. 

What we didn’t like: It lacks a removable liner and has more nooks and crannies that gunk could build up in.

Key Specs

• Materials: Plastic
• Dimensions: 18.7 x 14.4 x 26.2 inches
• Stated capacity: 50 liters (13 gallons)
• Weight: 7 pounds

What we liked: This trash can has a battery-powered sensor you can wave a hand over and the lid will open. That said, it can also be toggled to manual mode. We were impressed that the lid opened seamlessly every time and found its inner ring kept trash bags in place impressively well.

What we didn’t like: It did passably in the odor retention test—likely due to the two gaps on either side of the lid that exist for you to open it in manual mode. Tall folks might have to hunch over to wave and activate the sensor. 

Key Specs

• Materials: Stainless steel
• Dimensions: 16 x 11.4 x 25.3 inches
• Stated capacity: 13 gallons
• Weight: 7.5 pounds

The Competition 

• Glad Stainless Steel Step Trash Can: This trash can’s lid opened erratically—slamming upward one time and opening slowly another. 
• Kohler 13 Gallon Hands-Free Kitchen Step Trash Can: This trash can did well in all of our tests, but it just didn’t outperform the simplehuman and it was more expensive. That said, if it’s on sale, we say go for it. 
• Rubbermaid Classic 13-Gallon Premium Step-On Trash Can: This model’s lid overextended when open, whacking into the wall behind it. 
• Simplehuman 15.3 Gallon Voice + Motion Rectangular Sensor Trash Can, 2nd Generation: We liked this trash can, but it appears to be discontinued. 
• Umbra Venti Swing-Top Kitchen Trash Can, 16.5 Gallon: This swing-top model did the worst in our odor control test. It was also unstable.

FAQs

How many gallons is a kitchen trash can? 

Most of the trash cans we tested were between 10 and 13 gallons, which is a good size. It would serve a household of two to four well and likely need to be emptied every one to two days. 

Is a stainless steel trash can worth it?

Yes, we do think a stainless steel trash can is worth it—and our top pick from simplehuman is made from this material. Not only does it look sleek, but it did the best in our odor control test. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate editorial director of Serious Eats. 
• She’s been with the site since 2021 and previously worked for America’s Test Kitchen and Food52. She’s been testing gear professionally for more than six years and has written reviews of dinnerware sets, espresso machines, and more. 
• To find the best trash cans, we tested nine of them and evaluated their odor retention, lid design, trash bag fit, durability and more.
  

As a London-based Moroccan chef, I consider myself well-versed in both European and Moroccan cuisines, and as much as I love the more traditional approaches to each, I have a lot of fun blending those approaches. It's exactly what I’ve done in the beef stew recipe here, which is multi-layered and heady without being too heavy. This interpretation of beef stew combines Western stewing techniques with some of my favorite flavors of Moroccan cuisine: tender chunks of beef stewed with fresh collard greens, chickpeas, and fragrant ras el hanout. It's not a dish that's purely Moroccan or European, but a mixture of both.

Why This Moroccan Stew is Not a Tagine

To be clear, this recipe is a stew and not a tagine. Both a tagine and a stew are slow-cooked braises, and there can be a lot of overlap with the terms. For someone less familiar with Moroccan food, they might assume that a recipe for beef seared and simmered with Moroccan spices like ras el hanout should be labeled a tagine. But for Moroccans, this recipe would never be considered a tagine, and not just because it isn’t prepared in the unique cone-shaped pot known as a tagine (it's very common for Moroccans to prepare tagines without using the classic clay tagines at home). This stew wouldn't be considered a tagine because tagines made in Morocco follow rules that aren’t used in this recipe, a few of which I’m listing here: 

• A tagine starts with an onion-and-garlic base that’s sautéed in olive oil and/or butter.
• For meat-based tagines, larger bone-in cuts of meat are used.
• Meat in a tagine is never browned. 
• Ras el hanout is only used for a particular type of tagine called mrouzia (lamb with raisins, almonds, and honey), and would not be paired with beef in a tagine.
• Tomato paste is only used in tomato-based tagines.
• A tagine that contains vegetables, like collard greens used here, would typically be cooked the m'qualli way (with ground turmeric and ground ginger) and never with ras el hanout.

Of course, "rules" are made to be broken, and one might argue that some recipes that defy one or more of the above could still be considered a tagine. In the case of this recipe, though, I'm breaking so many rules and adopting so many others from Western cooking that I wouldn't call this recipe a tagine, and I'm pretty sure most others who are knowledgeable about Moroccan cuisine would agree.

Steps for a Flavorful Moroccan-Style Beef Stew

So why break from Moroccan tagine traditions, and apply Moroccan flavors to a stew? It’s simply because I love this combination of flavors. To me, this recipe is a classic stew to which I’ve added ras el hanout for an aromatic Moroccan flair, and its success comes down to a few flavor-building and texture-enhancing techniques:

• Brown the meat: In a Moroccan tagine, the meat would not be browned, but for my stew I brown the beef chunks on all sides over high heat to form a caramelized crust before braising. The reason why tagines don’t brown the meat likely stems from functionality: Tagines are traditionally clay pots set over lower heat to ensure the pot isn’t damaged. The tool itself limited browning and made it a less important element of that style of cooking.
  
  There’s also the fact that you get more tenderness when you don't brown (because browning dehydrates the surface of the meat), and there's so much flavor-building happening elsewhere in most moroccan tagines (spices, preserved lemon, etc.) that the deep roasted flavors of the Maillard reaction could be deprioritized over tenderness and a more clean, clear flavor profile. But in this stew, I love how the broth is enriched with a deep, savory flavor from browning the meat, and how that flavor pairs with the fragrant spices of ras el hanout.
  
  
• Create a flavorful aromatic base: This stew’s aromatic base is where the majority of its flavor comes from. The ras el hanout spice blend, tomato paste, and garlic are added to sautéed onions to briefly infuse into the rendered beef fat. Blooming the spices in fat before adding the liquid allows the full complexity of the ras el hanout to come through, spreading its fat-soluble floral, earthy, and warming flavor molecules throughout. I also add just a teaspoon of honey to balance the intense flavor from the beef and spices, and simmer a cilantro bundle with the stew to enhance its Moroccan flavor profile. 
  
  
• Simmer slowly: This is a key cooking step for any meat stew. A slow, gentle simmer ensures that the beef chuck’s tough connective tissue has a chance to break down and soften until fork-tender. I chose to simmer on the stovetop, avoiding the need to lift a big, heavy pot of hot liquid in and out of the oven (though you could braise it in a moderately-low oven, if desired). Just make sure to periodically check on the pot, and adjust the burner setting to maintain a simmer, while avoiding scorching the bottom.
  
  
• Add bright flavor and heartiness with fresh vegetables and beans: The final additions liven up the stew and make it more filling: fresh collard greens and canned chickpeas. They’re added after the meat has simmered for hours, and cooked just long enough to wilt and tenderize the greens while retaining some freshness. I love how these final vegetable additions balance the richness of the stew while keeping it hearty.

Ras el Hanout: The Key to This Stew's Flavor

At the heart of this deeply aromatic stew is ras el hanout, a signature Moroccan spice blend. The name ras el hanout translates to "head of the shop" in Arabic and refers to the best spices a spice merchant has to offer. Although there is no single recipe for ras el hanout—as each spice vendor has their own variation—it typically includes a mix of ground cinnamon, coriander, cumin, ginger, and sometimes even rose petals or saffron. This aromatic and complex blend gives this stew welcome depth and warmth.

While once difficult to find outside North Africa, ras el hanout is now more widely available at spice shops and some large-scale grocery stores throughout the US, bringing its special mix of fragrant and earthy notes to home kitchens everywhere, though it's also easy to make your own. 

This stew’s exciting combination of hearty beef, warm spices, and bright fresh vegetables make it a great meal for any time of year, but I especially enjoy it during the shoulder season leading into spring. I recommend serving it for family gatherings and special occasions with bread, couscous or even rice.

Pat beef dry with paper towels and season all over with salt. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of beef and cook, turning occasionally (wait until beef releases easily from the bottom of the pot with a gentle lift), until well browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to a large plate. Repeat with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil and remaining beef.

In now-empty Dutch oven or pot, reduce heat to medium and add remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and ras el hanout and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Return seared meat to pot and add stock or broth, 1 teaspoon salt, and honey and stir to combine.

Add cilantro bundle, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer, until beef is fork-tender, 2 to 2 3/4 hours; stir every 30 minutes or so to prevent sauce from sticking to bottom of pot.

Stir in collard greens and chickpeas. There should be enough liquid to partially cover the ingredients; if necessary, add a little more stock or water. Cover pot and simmer until collard greens are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Off heat, discard cilantro bundle and season to taste with salt, if needed. Using a ladle or wide spoon, skim any excess fat from top of stew. Sprinkle individual portions with chopped cilantro, if desired, and serve with bread or cooked couscous or rice.

Special Equipment

Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot

Notes

Ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice blend, can be made from scratch or purchased from most grocery stores with a good spice section (even major mass-market spice companies like McCormick make it).

Make-Ahead and Storage

The stew can be cooled down and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

If you made it through the winter with your worn-out cookware set and barely-chugging-along clunker of a food processor, maybe it’s time to set your sights on a few upgrades. Whether you’re just starting to look for the best air fryer (we got you) or already have your heart set on an espresso machine, we have good news: Amazon just announced its Spring Sale dates. Seven days of major discounts will start on Tuesday, March 25, and run through Monday, March 31. 

Mark your calendars because you won’t want to miss all the great kitchen deals headed our way. In fact, some sales have already started, and it wouldn’t be fair if we kept that from you, so here are the best 20 deals, with up to 43% off the slickest OXO nonstick pan, our favorite Le Creuset Dutch oven, an affordable burr coffee grinder, and more.

FAQs

When is the Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025?

This year, Amazon’s spring sale event will last for seven days, starting on Tuesday, March 25, and running through Monday, March 31.

What is the Amazon Big Spring Sale?

The inaugural Amazon Big Spring Sale took place in March of 2024. Think of it as a springtime Prime Day that lasts for seven days, when you can stock up on kitchen essentials at a steal.

Do you have to be a Prime member to shop the Amazon Big Spring Sale?

You don’t! Anyone can access Big Spring Sale deals, but Prime members get free shipping and additional member-only discounts. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial here. 

Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

We mean it when we say any opportunity to grab a Le Creuset Dutch oven on sale is worth hopping on. It’s been a front-runner in our tests year after year, thanks to its impeccable heating ability, which always results in tender braises and crusty bread loaves. Its enamel coating also stands up to the test of time and is a go-to in many of our editors’ homes.

OXO Brew 9-Cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker

The OXO coffee maker produces consistently aromatic, flavorful cups of coffee and requires little work from the user. It’s great for those groggy mornings when you just need a caffeine kick before anything else. It’s a speedy machine with a thermal carafe that keeps coffee fresh for up to an hour.

Yeti Rambler 42-Ounce Tumbler With Handle and Straw Lid

Several of our editors speak lovingly of their Yeti Rambler tumblers. These insulated travel mugs keep drinks cool for hours and conveniently fit into any car cupholder. During our tests, the press-on lid kept liquid from leaking too much, even if it wasn’t completely leakproof.

Yeti Roadie 48 Wheeled Cooler

With beach days and camping trips on the horizon, you’ll need a hard cooler to keep snacks and drinks cool. This wheeled Yeti cooler boasts an impressive 72 hours of cold retention. Its smooth telescoping handle has a 6.5-inch grip. No more lugging a heavy cooler around—the rugged wheels can traverse uneven terrain without any trouble.

Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine

Named the best espresso machine for beginners, this Breville Barista Express has a built-in grinder and steam wand. We were impressed with its ability to produce full-bodied espresso and appreciated how well it could steam milk to silky smoothness.

OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

If you’re still grinding coffee with a spice grinder, this is our plea for you to get an upgrade. The OXO burr grinder is the best affordable model and will instantly bring more consistency and quality to your coffee routine. It also has a large, clearly marked dial for quickly changing the grind settings.

OXO Enhanced 10-Inch Nonstick Ceramic Skillet

Cheesy omelets and delicate crepes are made with ease in this OXO nonstick skillet. Food seems to slide right off the pan, which has a comfortable handle and a durable coating that resists scratches. Bonus points: The ceramic coating is an excellent, non-toxic, nonstick option.

Breville the Super Q Blender

We didn’t think it was possible to call a blender “quiet,” yet here we are. The Breville Super Q isn’t exactly whisper-quiet, but it makes significantly less noise than other countertop blenders we tested. It also has five presets: soup, ice crush,  frozen dessert, smoothie, and green smoothie. We also appreciate its very efficient auto-clean function.

KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer

The KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer is the best model for most avid home bakers. It can whip heavy cream or egg whites, knead dough, and mix cake batter. It also lasts for ages, having been a go-to baking essential in many of our editors’ kitchens.

Toshiba Countertop Microwave Oven

If your microwave is just a bit too grimy for a deep clean, it’s a good time to grab this Toshiba microwave, our top pick for a countertop microwave oven. During our tests, there were no detectable hot (or cold) spots in the foods it reheated, and we liked its spacious interior. Thanks to its smart sensor that guarantees uniform heating, it’s been our frontrunner for years.

Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker 3.0

The onboard display on this immersion cooker cinched its place as one of our favorites. It also cooks accurately and quickly, heating room-temperature water to boiling in just 23.5 minutes. Despite its powerful heating ability, it’s exceptionally quiet.

Hamilton Beach 4-in-1 Electric Immersion Hand Blender

Our favorite budget hand blender was a sleeper hit during our tests. It out-blended pricier models and even crushed ice without struggling. From whipped cream to mayonnaise, this humble machine can do it all, and it’s on sale for just $35.

Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven with Lid

Lodge cookware has consistently done well in our tests, and this Dutch oven from the brand is no exception. (Personally speaking, I’ve had this fantastic piece of cookware for over a decade, and I love it.) It braises, stews, and bakes just as well as the competition. Plus, it’s on sale for $80.

Zwilling 4-Piece Steak Knife Set

For a budget-friendly steak knife set, this 4-piece one from Zwilling can slice through meat and vegetables without catching. The weighty handles are also comfortable to hold and maneuver around food.

OXO Good Grips Thermocouple Thermometer

Accurate, fast, and easy to read, this OXO Good Grips thermometer quickly rose to the top of our tested thermometers. The white digits against its black-lit screen are visible in bright kitchens and dark ovens alike.

Zeppoli Classic Dish Towels, 15-Pack

We recorded a 141% absorbency rate with these kitchen towels. On sale for just over $1 apiece, Zeppoli towels are durable and versatile, able to dry dishes or wrap around hot handles. They can be tossed into the washer and will come out ready for the next round of sopping up messy spills.

Krups Precision Electric Spice Grinder

This spice grinder handled heaps of black peppercorns and fennel seeds like a champ. It produces fine powders at lightning speed, even breaking down cinnamon sticks in just 30 seconds. Grab it to enhance the aromatics in your cooking—just don’t use it for coffee.

Zwilling J.A. Henckels 4-Stage Pull-Through Knife Sharpener

For an approachable way to keep blades sharp, this manual knife sharpener gets the job done. We still recommend whetstones or electric models over manual ones, but if you must, this $25 offering from Zwilling can achieve a sharp edge quickly.

Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker and Warmer

If you cook rice every day, it’s worth grabbing this Zojirushi rice cooker that has 10 functions:  white rice, brown rice, sushi rice, mixed rice, sweet rice, porridge, and more. It even has a setting for making cake. It lasts virtually forever and plays a pleasant tune when it’s done cooking.

Kuhn Rikon Vase Grinder

This pepper mill is a simple twist grinder that’s comfortable to hold. It didn’t hurt our wrists when we used it, and it achieved consistent grinds. Plus, it’s on sale for $18.

Why We’re the Experts

• An Uong is a writer for Serious Eats.
• An has been testing gear for Serious Eats for over two years and has written about kitchen gear sales for a year.
• She loves a good deal and highly recommends you grab a Zojirushi rice cooker while it’s discounted.

One of my favorite meals to eat is the comforting tomato-coconut soup that my grandmother used to cook for me whenever I visited her in Maharashtra at her home on India's west coast. In Maharashtra it's known as a type of saar, which means “a soup-like dish” in Marathi. But my grandma always referred to her tomato-coconut dish as "santosh," which in Sanskrit means “contentment.” I’ve always thought this name was well suited: The creamy coconut milk paired with sweet–tart tomatoes and ghee creates a velvety soup that makes me very content indeed. 

As a professional chef, I’ve cooked my grandmother’s tomato-coconut soup many times over the years. The first time was back in 2007 for my first catering gig at my ex-husband’s boss’s Christmas party, where I served it as the first course of the dinner. It was so well received that everyone clapped as we toasted my grandmother, who was 8,700 miles away in India. 

A few years after that, I put the soup on the menu of my first pop-up restaurant. One guest enjoyed it so much that a few months later, she called me to cater her family Christmas dinner and asked for my grandmother’s soup. I cooked her family’s Christmas dinner for years after, and every year they requested this tomato-coconut soup on the menu. 

Streamlining My Grandmother’s Tomato-Coconut Soup Recipe

Cooking the recipe the way my grandmother did—boiling, peeling, and seeding fresh tomatoes and making fresh coconut milk from scratch—was not practical for catering large scale parties in my California kitchen. So over the years I’ve made adjustments to her recipe, namely calling for canned tomatoes and coconut milk in place of fresh, to create this easy, one-pot recipe I’m sharing below. 

With these two changes, the soup is not only easier to make, but it can be made any time of year, even when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season. Having used many brands of canned tomatoes in this soup over the years, I believe that real Italian San Marzano tomatoes work best, thanks to their consistent sweetness and flavor (beware that not all canned tomatoes with the words "San Marzano" on the label are actually the true ones from Italy). Just remember to remove any basil leaves from the can before using the tomatoes. 

As for the type of coconut milk, I have experimented with full-fat and low-fat coconut creams and milks, and I find full-fat coconut milk has the best flavor and viscosity for this dish; coconut cream is too rich and low-fat milk is just too thin. 

Another difference between my grandmother’s version of the soup and mine is the type of onion used. My grandmother always used Indian onions, which are smaller and sweeter than American white, red, and yellow onions. The best replacement is shallots. They are about the same size and have comparable allium flavor to the onions my grandmother would use when making this soup in India.

Once the shallots are softened, chile powder is added with the blended-and-strained tomato mixture, followed by the coconut milk. When adding the coconut milk, be careful not to bring the soup to a boil. This eliminates any risk of the fat in the coconut milk separating and pools of coconut oil forming on the surface.

The final santosh doesn’t taste like a standard American tomato soup. It’s light and silky with a balanced flavor that’s enhanced with subtle heat from the ginger, shallots and chile powder. In Maharashtra, the soup is often eaten mixed into white rice or with bits of chapati or other griddle bread dipped into it, and in my opinion it’s sure to bring contentment in every bite.

Add tomatoes to a blender jar with their juices. Rinse out now-empty tomato can with 1 cup water, swish it around to collect more tomato flavor in the water, then add water to the blender. Blend tomatoes on high speed into a very smooth puree, about 1 minute.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and pour tomato puree through strainer. Add remaining 1/2 cup (120 ml) water to now-empty blender and blend briefly to gather any remaining tomato liquid; pour that liquid through strainer. Using the back of a metal ladle, press tomato puree through strainer;scrape the puree  that collects on bottom of strainer into bowl. Set strained puree aside and discard any remaining pulp left in strainer.

In a 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat ghee or oil over medium heat until just shimmering. Add shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add ginger and cumin and cook, stirring frequently, until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

Stir in strained tomato puree, chile powder, and salt, then cook until it just comes to a boil, 5 to 7 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer, then vigorously shake can of coconut milk to combine fats and liquids before opening. While stirring constantly, slowly pour coconut milk into simmering soup. Raise heat to medium-high heat and return soup to a simmer. Once simmering, immediately remove from heat. Do not let soup boil, as this may cause fat in coconut milk to separate. Taste soup: Season to taste and, if too tart, add sugar to taste.

Serve in a bowl as-is or pour over hot white Basmati rice. Drizzle with melted ghee and sprinkle with cilantro (if using) before serving.

Special Equipment 

Blender, fine-mesh strainer, 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven

Make Ahead and Storage

The soup can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. To serve, warm it over low heat on the stovetop. Do not bring to a boil, as this might cause the soup to separate.