Canned Tomatoes. What do you use?

[Zhizara]

I use several canned tomato types: Regular diced, mini diced, diced chili ready, Ro-tel type, and sauce. I keep these on hand all the time.

 

[kadesma]

San Marzano for my pasta sauce I keep a tube of tomato paste in the fridg. Ro tel mild for dips and beans but I love Italian tomaotes for everything else marinara especially.otherwise its is to tart..
kades

 

[Aunt Bea]

I also keep a variety of tomato products on hand.

The most used products in my kitchen are the coarse ground puree and the tomato paste.

I use a few cans of stewed tomatoes as stewed tomatoes but, I always add some ground cloves and butter to them.

I used to keep a few 8 ounce cans of sauce on hand but, the quality seemed to go down as the price went up so now I open a large can of crushed tomatoes and freeze them in one cup containers.

As far as brands go I like Wegman's store brand and Red Pack if it is on sale. Red Pack also has coupons online.

 

[Addie]

I keep a couple of small seasoned diced tomatoes on hand for a quick pasta and tomatoes when pasta and just butter is not emough. I also have a large can of Pine Cone whole American tomatoes for Italian mac and cheese. I have just one can of Pastene Kitchen Ready tomatoes for any Italian dishes. My daughter usually ends up with the can before I even think of using it. Then I have to replace it next time shopping. Happens about every month. I also have several small cans of tomato paste. Like PF, I too love to eat it right from the can. When I only need a spoonful or two, I freeze the rest, if I can keep from eating it.

 

[pacanis]

I take it San Marzano tomatoes only come whole?

 

[Andy M.]

I take it San Marzano tomatoes only come whole?

I believe that's the case. The cream of the cop are the SM tomatoes grown and canned in the SM region of Italy. There are all sorts of official seals certifying the canned product as real SM. Pastene, san marzano tomatoes, imported from italy Scroll down the page for certification details.

 

[pacanis]

I heard they were top of the line and of course have seen many threads referencing them. I didn't know they only came one way, whole.

I can see only buying whole tomatoes and then turning them into the end product for your particular use. It makes a lot of sense.
But it's so dang easy to just open the can and dump. No processing or blending. Of course, maybe I'd use my FP more than twice a year then, lol.

 

[Addie]

True San Marzano tomatoes are not a type of tomato, but an area in Italy where Roma type tomatoes are grown. The reason they are preferrable is because they are grown in volcanic soil. They have a very hearty flavor of tomato.

In this country there is a "brand" called San Marzano and they are Roma type tomatoes grown right here in the United States. Nothing special about the flavor. In fact, the flavor leaves a lot to be desired. The name is used just to confuse the buyer into thinking they are getting the imported Roma type tomato from the San Marzano area. You have to look at the label really careful. True San Marzano tomatoes in this country will have the label of "imported from San Marzano" on the can. Not all imported Roma type tomatoes imported from Italy are from the San Marzano area. Are you totally confused now?

 

[Steve Kroll]

Sounds like you need a stick blender, Pac. All you have to do is open the can of whole tomatoes, dump, and give it a quick whiz with the stick. Voila! You have sauce.

 

[pacanis]

I do have a stick blender, Steve. But when whole tomatoes are the same price as crushed (for the brands I buy), I see no point. I like to cook and prep and all, but not to that extent. Not yet anyway...
Of course if I ever tried the SM it would be a diffferent story.

 

[Alix]

I have cans of crushed, cans of diced and a few cans of plain sauce and always some paste on hand. I also have canned tomato soup, salsa in the fridge and some of my own tomato puree/paste in the freezer still.

I'm a Unico girl in terms of brand. I'll buy others in a pinch, but that is my favorite, has been since I can remember. I've never seen SM tomatoes here, but I will admit, I've not been looking very hard.

 

[Andy M.]

my basic reason for buying SM tomatoes is the natural sweetness. May canned tomatoes are so acidic I have to doctor the sauce with baking soda to neutralize some of the acid. SM tomatoes eliminate that effort.

Don't talk to me about sugar in pasta sauce.

 

[jabbur]

I keep the large cans of crushed (whichever brand is cheapest the day I buy) for my chili, Hunt's spaghetti sauce that I add seasonings and meat to for pasta dishes, petite diced and fire roasted diced (I think it's Hunt's brand) and a couple of paste. The fire roasted gets used in salsa and dips when I want a good tomato flavor that will stand up to the added ingredients. I never get whole tomatoes in the can. I'm like you pac that I don't want to mess with it a lot! I think I have a can of diced that has green peppers and onion that I'll throw into the next pot of chili but usually buy the plain and doctor it up myself. Don't buy Ro-Tel but do buy the small cans of green chilies to add to dishes. I think I've only bought Ro-Tel once when I was trying a new recipe that called for it. Decided to use it the first time then decided I could do just as well without buying the specialty ingredient.

 

[no mayonnaise]

Escalon 6-in-1, the best

 

[sparrowgrass]

Pacanis, I use a jar of unsweetened salsa in my chili. I don't like too many tomatoes in chili, especially not chunks of tomato.

 

[CraigC]

I prefer San Marzano for Italian. Other than that we buy what is on sale, usually Hunts or Del Monte, which one or the other are bogo most of the time. We always keep stewed, petite dice, diced and while in the pantry and just like chipotle in adobo, you will never find our pantry without Rotels.

 

[pacanis]

Pacanis, I use a jar of unsweetened salsa in my chili. I don't like too many tomatoes in chili, especially not chunks of tomato.

Substituting salsa for tomatoes, I like the sounds of that chili.

 

[Zagut]

I tend to like crushed for the ease in making sauces with them.

But Diced and Whole are fine too.

The food mill is my friend.

I keep tomato paste on hand all the time.

I usually get what's on sale and what has the least additives included on the label.

So far Cento crushed tomatoes win in that catogory.

Pizza and Spaghetti sauce are my main uses.

 

[taxlady]

I don't buy canned tomatoes any more because they are sufficiently acid that just about all the cans (even with organic tomatoes) are lined with BPA containing material. I buy pasata in bottles/jars.

Before I worried about BPA, I liked to buy mostly crushed tomatoes, for ease of use and some whole tomatoes for versatility.

 

[GotGarlic]

I keep Hunt's diced tomatoes and tomato paste on hand, as well as prepared pasta sauces, usually Barilla or Classico, that I doctor up. When I make my annual lasagna lol I get Cento San Marzano whole tomatoes and tomato sauce. Sometimes I have Rotel, sometimes I just add red pepper flakes, hot sauce or hot peppers frozen from the garden.

I don't can tomatoes, but I blanch and freeze them, either in pieces or as salsa. Sometimes I roast them before freezing.