What Are The Best Canned Tomatoes?
Look at many fine restaurant menus, and they'll highlight the restaurant's use of San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy. Those have a reputation as the best canned tomatoes around.
But chef Jason Stratton of Spinasse, named one of the country's best new chefs, had some issues with San Marzanos: It seemed there were always a handful in the can that were underripe or overly acidic. (Fakes? Quality control?) So when he was approached by Muir Glen about promoting its limited "Reserve" line this year, he was more than game. After all, he used Muir Glen tomatoes in his own home to cook. And, while he buys fresh produce from local farmers, he uses canned tomatoes for dishes like Spinasse's ragu.
Is he going to advertise "Muir Glen" on his menus, I asked, the same way we see chefs touting their locally-sustainably-name-branded products? Well, no. But he never listed the San Marzanos either.
I like the Muir Glen tomatoes myself, and I've used them at home since Cook's Illustrated brought them on my radar screen several years back with a glowing taste test. At an industry event last night, Stratton talked a bit about his experience seeing the tomato harvest in California (the specialty line is hand-picked and canned within eight hours) and served up some dishes he'd created with them. It's not really a fair taste test. Stratton could use just about any tomato, I think, and make a killer dish. He served the ragu over a Spinasse signature, the thin tajarin pasta his crew cuts by hand. (Not everyone has the skill to make great tajarin, Stratton said - it's like making pastry; some people have a natural talent for it, others can learn to be competent but not fabulous.)
Here's a video of Stratton and a link to his ragu recipe. Try it out with the tomatoes of your choice.
Are you loyal to a particular brand of canned tomatoes? Or do you perhaps can your own? I was surprised to see how high emotions run over the question.
-- Rebekah Denn
Asics Shoes on January 19, 2011 at 07:01 PM
For years we've been told that when choosing canned tomatoes, it's best to go for the San Marzano variety.
StellaCadente* on January 19, 2011 at 07:14 PM
As for the issue of fakes, S. Marzano is a breed of tomato. I grow them at home, that doesn't mean they are fakes. D.O.P. S. Marzano tomatoes are from an area outside of Naples. They are the only authenticated D.O.P. S. Marzano tomatoes. The brand linked to in the artcile is not claiming to be D.O.P., therefore is not a fake. As for acidity, often times this is cured by adding a small quantity of sugar to the tomatoes.
StellaCadente* on January 19, 2011 at 07:17 PM
More on S. Marzano's: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marzano_tomato
retro bathing suits on January 19, 2011 at 09:53 PM
They taste like real vegetables. Nothing cheap or manufacturer. Flavor a bit one note, but I do not think that this is a deal breaker.
David Masaoka on January 20, 2011 at 02:11 AM
canned tomatoes are a staple for me but does anyone know anything about how bad the bpa is in the can lining?
Sarah on January 20, 2011 at 06:13 AM
The best canned crushed tomatoes I have bought were the large can at Sam's. The brand is Angela Mia or something close to that. I never need that much at one time, so I put the rest up in can and freeze jars for later. Delicious canned tomatoes, though.
Rob Crawford on January 20, 2011 at 06:14 AM
"canned tomatoes are a staple for me but does anyone know anything about how bad the bpa is in the can lining?"
Hint: Don't eat the can lining.
edirv on January 20, 2011 at 06:31 AM
Trader Joe's has probably the best quality, but they come with basil so kind of gets in the way if not cooking italian.
Andy on January 20, 2011 at 07:18 AM
I always using to make salsa using fresh tomatoes until I discovered that it tastes 1000 times better using canned tomatoes.
Sarah Rolph on January 20, 2011 at 07:23 AM
BPA isn't bad, it's good. It keeps you from getting botulism. The scientific evidence shows that it's perfectly safe as presently used in cans or water bottles. Toxicity is always a function of dosage--that simple but important fact often gets lost in the shuffle, resulting in scares like this one.
memomachine on January 20, 2011 at 07:49 AM
Hmmm.
Living in New Jersey the summertime is always a great time for fresh tomatoes. But let's face the facts. We're using canned tomatoes because the stuff in the supermarkets are watery red-colored pieces of c**p.
Frankly I hardly bother myself even to slice one up for a sandwich.
Beege Welborn on January 20, 2011 at 07:55 AM
Our shelves always have varying sizes of either Muir Glen (diced, crushed, paste and puree, both reg. and Fire Roasted) or Cento (crushed) canned tomatoes on hand. The Muir Glen supply can be a little spotty in our neck of the woods, so we use the Cento as our back-up plan, but you can spoon both out of the can and slurp away happily.
RobinRT on January 20, 2011 at 07:56 AM
We are fortunate enough to have a Wegman's supermarket in town, and, hands down, their label organic canned tomatoes are the best and are half the price of the Muir Glen.
The only time we don't use canned tomatoes is in the summer when we pick them fresh out of our garden. I haven't tried canning our own, but I plan to, though I'm not sure it would be an improvement over our preferred brand.
Brien on January 20, 2011 at 08:01 AM
Cooks Illustrated in 2010 had Muir Glen coming in second. Several years ago in 2005, they only recommended the Muir Glen whole tomatoes with reservations.
Sarah Natividad on January 20, 2011 at 08:02 AM
I don't know how it is in New Jersey, but when I lived in New Hampshire one of the things that really bothered me was that the tomatoes in the grocery store were *pink.* It was like living in a parallel universe where tomatoes were pink instead of red, quarters of butter were long and skinny instead of short and fat, and purses were called "pocketbooks."
Brien on January 20, 2011 at 08:03 AM
In 2010, Cooks Illustrated reviewed the Muir Glen diced tomatoes and ranked them second to Hunts.
tnxplant on January 20, 2011 at 08:17 AM
Grow your own and freeze or can the ones you can't eat fast enough. Tomatoes are not hard to grow, even in containers, and are very forgiving of climate if watered properly. In my experience nothing in a commercial can approaches the home-grown and home-preserved flavor. Try it!
Denny, Alaska on January 20, 2011 at 08:33 AM
S&W Premium Stewed Original Recipe Tomatoes. Fine eatin'; fine. I buy them at the Commissary for something less than $1 per 14.5 oz. can.
mikey on January 20, 2011 at 08:40 AM
How can a tomato be "too acidic"? Tomatoes are supposed to be acidic! BTW, the Cook's Illustrated rating didn't rate Hunts as #1, as one poster stated; the Hunts were near last. #1 were an imported San Marzano variety.
Briney Eye on January 20, 2011 at 08:49 AM
I have one broth-based fish chowder recipe that I came up with that I always use Hunts tomatoes in. I've tried other brands, and Hunts just seem to transform it from "really good" to "positively ambrosial".
XZ on January 20, 2011 at 08:54 AM
I have long used tomato paste instead of canned tomatoes, as tomato paste is a better value. More bang for the buck.
Guy on January 20, 2011 at 09:40 AM
The BPA does not prevent botulism; proper canning technique is what prevents the growth of harmful bacteria. The BPA is an ingredient of the epoxy coating that lines the can and protects the can from corrosion. Every government food safety agency around the world has determined that the very low BPA levels in canned food and beverage are below the level of concern. Having said that, there are some brands that are using BPA-free internal coatings. IIRC, Muir Glen was planning to switch, don't know if they have yet.
Rebekah Denn on January 20, 2011 at 10:24 AM
Thanks for the input! I'll have to give Hunt's a try too.
Stella, on the "fakes" issue, I see what you mean about the D.O.P., but I do think most people assume San Marzanos are from Italy. I'm surprised myself now to see how often they're not.
On the BPA, I actually updated that one here:
http://www.eatallaboutit.com/2011/01/19/when-will-muir-glen-tomatoes-be-bpa-free/
reliapundit on January 20, 2011 at 10:53 AM
cento Italian tomatoes.
David Baker on January 20, 2011 at 11:28 AM
There was a time when Italians wouldn't be caught dead with Hunts tomatoes in their cupboard. Only Progresso, as featured in "The Godfather." Then Progresso sold out to Pillsbury; game over - so over they recently gave up on tomato products all together. Now Progresso specializes in salt... disguised as soup.
Anyway, I've been cooking [canned] Italian sauce ("gravy") for 50 years, and not one of the products mentioned here measures up. Especially San Marzanos'. As for Muir Glen; fair. Hunts; awful. Progresso's "secret" was the Jersey plum tomato, grown in and around Vineland NJ. There was nothing like it.