Canned Tomatoes

ElizabethB

ElizabethB

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I do not have many canned gods in my pantry, I do keep tomato products - stewed whole tomatoes and tomato paste. I have never considered the difference in canned tomatoes. Shame on me. I had a conversation with Baby Sister about tomato sauces. She told me the only tomatoes that she used was Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes. I tried it. :hyper: Absolutely the best canned tomatoes. I am a convert. Cento Tomato Paste in a tube is also a new addition to my pantry. I hate the waste of the cans. I put the excess in a container in the fridge and watch it grow.
So I am slow but delighted. The difference in taste is unbelievable.
 
I use both canned and fresh. We have access to only mediocre of both unfortunately. Canned tomato puree (paste) is a necessity for me.
 
Yes - it does make a difference to buy the best. Although - it depends how I'm using them. Sometimes if I'm putting them in a curry I don't want a powerful tomato flavour to clash with the spices so I use a cheaper brand.

I've just spotted this new range of specialist tinned tomatoes at Ocado (on-line supermarket) which look very interesting and rather expensive - even at cut price!

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Yes, I use tomato paste in a tube (a godsend) as well as anchovy paste in a tube, and my most common canned tomato variant is crushed, then whole, then diced.
 
Canned tomatoes are something we always have in the pantry. We buy very little canned foods, tomatoes being the most often purchased. There are many canned plum tomatoes claiming to be San Marzano, but you have to look for DOP on the label to be sure of the real thing. I've used them before and honestly can't tell the difference.
 
morning glory said:
Yes - it does make a difference to buy the best. Although - it depends how I'm using them. Sometimes if I'm putting them in a curry I don't want a powerful tomato flavour to clash with the spices so I use a cheaper brand.

I've just spotted this new range of specialist tinned tomatoes at Ocado (on-line supermarket) which look very interesting and rather expensive - even at cut price!

View attachment 34839 View attachment 34840


View attachment 34838
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Ocado has lots of high quality products :smug:
 
ElizabethB said:
I do not have many canned gods in my pantry, I do keep tomato products - stewed whole tomatoes and tomato paste. I have never considered the difference in canned tomatoes. Shame on me. I had a conversation with Baby Sister about tomato sauces. She told me the only tomatoes that she used was Cento San Marzano peeled tomatoes. I tried it. :hyper: Absolutely the best canned tomatoes. I am a convert. Cento Tomato Paste in a tube is also a new addition to my pantry. I hate the waste of the cans. I put the excess in a container in the fridge and watch it grow.
So I am slow but delighted. The difference in taste is unbelievable.
Click to expand...

Same here. I use San Marzano D.O.P (Denominazione di Origine Protetta or “Protected Designation of Origin”) whole plum canned tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes in North Texas are pretty tasteless. Cento is the most common brand around here. I also use the Cento tomato paste in the tube.

Other companies sell "San Marzano Style" tomatoes. Usually from California, they are not bad, but not the real thing. You have to look for the D.O.P.

Red Gold canned tomatoes are pretty good, too. I use their diced tomatoes.

CD
 
I can't say I've ever noticed that much of a taste difference between different brands of tinned tomatoes - I usually buy Valfrutta chopped tomatoes from Costco. They're Italian, but no idea what variety of tomato they use. For smooth dishes or sauces where I only want a little bit of tomato I've started using glass jars of passata instead of tinned tomatoes - the jars are more convenient because you don't need to use the whole jar at once: you can put the lid back on and they'll last for ages in the fridge.
 
MrsDangermouse said:
I can't say I've ever noticed that much of a taste difference between different brands of tinned tomatoes - I usually buy Valfrutta chopped tomatoes from Costco.
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I reckon the expensive brands are generally sweeter - and if you ever try tinned cherry tomatoes you can definitely taste a difference. I'm looking forward to trying the tinned yellow tomatoes pictured above. They probably won't taste much different from red but it will be fun to make a yellow tomato sauce.
 
I used to think it was sacrilege, but canned tomatoes can be better than fresh ones for use in sauces. I've made sauces with fresh tomatoes, and I've found that it really depends on how ripe the tomatoes are, as well as the quality of the tomatoes. Roma tomatoes at the supermarket are virtually tasteless, even when ripe, and I find that they contribute only color and texture, but very little flavor, to a recipe.

San Marzano tomatoes in cans are the best, and I do like Cento brand. You know that they're going to be perfectly ripe and flavorful every time, and they're also ready to use: no need to peel each one individually!
 
I use tinned all the time, except when we're picking from the garden. I then use fresh or from the freezer for Italian sauces. But in winter I use these tomatoes, flavoured basil etc or plain for curries or tex mex. the paste you see is one I've settled on for flavour. We usually get 3 cans tomatoes for $2. Cheap as chips.

Russ


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The Late Night Gourmet said:
I used to think it was sacrilege, but canned tomatoes can be better than fresh ones for use in sauces. I've made sauces with fresh tomatoes, and I've found that it really depends on how ripe the tomatoes are, as well as the quality of the tomatoes. Roma tomatoes at the supermarket are virtually tasteless, even when ripe, and I find that they contribute only color and texture, but very little flavor, to a recipe.

San Marzano tomatoes in cans are the best, and I do like Cento brand. You know that they're going to be perfectly ripe and flavorful every time, and they're also ready to use: no need to peel each one individually!
Click to expand...

I mainly use canned tomatoes just for that!! Making sauces for most types of pasta & other things.
 
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