In addition, each brand may differ significantly. Some varieties of canned crushed tomatoes are more ' crushed ' than others. Some come with a thicker puree than others. Ive found most puree's to be similar in texture, as they are pureed, but the salt content differs as well. So I think as a base, it should work ok, but will have to play with the salt/ spice ratios to get the flavor your looking for, and may have to deviate from the written recipe you are following. But for me, thats the fun part of cooking. For those who are strictly ' recipe followers' with no talent for deviating from a recipe, may run into problems.