So, finally, I reveal my San Marzano tomato brand. Or at least one of them.And my dirty little secret is revealed as well; I shop by labels and pretty colors. Everyone knows that wines with nice looking labels taste better! I have simply extended that rule to canned goods.
In reality these tomatoes are not San Marzano, in spite of the pretty label. They are grown domestically, and through some technicality, or simple cheating, they are labeled as the famous San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. But they are good quality tomatoes, so why not use them. When I make something that requires the best tomato flavor I shop more carefully and buy the real deal, but for simple tomato sauces and everyday cooking, this stuff is fine.
PS. Sorry about the horrendous formatting. I am a geek, but my geekness does not extend to HTML.[fixed!]
I too use this brand because it is recommended by Sahadi.
The Middle-Eastern store in Brooklyn? Good place, and their hummus is spectacular.
i try to remind people (and myself) to simply taste the food that they’re buying before they cook it. especially for items like canned tomatoes. if you like the taste, it doesn’t really matter if it had a DOP label on it or it’s from Italy or Mexico. It’s all about the taste. I love that Muir Glen organic stuff. I did a comparative taste test of about 3 canned tomato brands last year (and didn’t blog about it although i should have) and Muir Glen was the favorite by a wide margin.as far as that slimy basil leaf, i never did see the point in that. if i want basil flavor in my dish, i’ll add some fresh basil. that thing is just disgusting.
i think i’ve used tomatoes from jerry’s, but didn’t give it much thought at the time. i’ll have to try them again and think about it.maybe it’s time for another blind tasting, seeing as how tastes change over time.
That’s quite true, but my wife gets irritated at me when I taste the chicken before I cook it.Seriously, if you start with ingredients that taste good, it is difficult to screw up. I think the basil leaf is an affectation, because it really is pretty disgusting. I have used the Muir Glen brand, and while it seemed okay, i wasn’t thrilled. Have you tried Jerry’s house brand yet? They’re from Italy, but not San Marzano. Liguria, or something like that. I’ll bet they are pretty good.
I wonder then where those San Marzano tomatoes are from. Maybe Calif? In Naples the use only S.M. I think, as does the pizzeria A Mano in Ridgewood. I think Cook’s Illustrated did a taste test and found Progresso canned tomatoes to be good. Simply put I love tomatoes.
The can says just that they are from the USA. But I would guess California because of the sweetness. That tastes like a longer growing season than Florida. But as long as they’re good…