A Tomato Test

A can of tomatoes is our kitchen's best friend right now. It can be used for sauces, stews and soups during our duration inside. Which is the best as far as taste and texture? Let the experts tell you.

Sara Bonisteel a senior editor  and food writer at the Times, asked the same questions and gives us answers in yesterday's  Food section. Anything canned is your kitchen's best friend right now. There was a tasting long before the pandemic happened. Writers from the the papers' NYT Cooking section and its' subsidiary had an extensive taste test. Michael Sullivan , a kitchen writer at Wirecutter chose a dozen canned brands to sample. Keep in mind that even though these can usually be found at groceries and big box stores, now there are more shortages. Mr. Sullivan developed a ranking system that is based on color, flavor, sweetness, acidity, overall appearance and texture. They were first sampled raw from the can and as part of the famed chef Marcella Hazan's famously simple four ingredient sauce. Many cooks have prized the San Marzano kind grown in Italy as the ideal. There was only one kind with this, Most were San Marzano's grown in Italy. The panel included Mr. Sullivan, Ms. Bonisteel,Alexa Weibel, a recipe editor at NYT Cooking, Ligaya Mishan, the Hungry City columnist. Other panelists were from Wirecutter's Marguerite Preston, Marilyn Ong and Winnie Yang.

Which were the best? Surprisingly Target's Market Pantry made the best. Tasters found the taste to be pleasing with Ms. Weibel describing the flavor as "forward, bright and fresh". The two others were Bianco DiNapoli Organic Whole Peeled. It's the most balanced tomato as far as sweetness and acidity.Add basil and it's the best brand for any Italian recipe.Another top brand is San Merican SMT Whole Peeled. According to Ligaya Mishan the tomatoes were pleasantly firm without too much bite.  Then there were the Better Than Average. These were Cento Certified Peeled Tomatoes and Hunt's Whole Plum Tomatoes. The first had a delicate texture and the tasters found that the liquid, more than the solids had a more tomato-y taste. The second had a nice balance of sweetness and acidity. The brands that were voted just average were  Whole Foods 365 Organic Peeled Tomatoes and Rega Rega San Marzano Tomatoes. The least surprised me because one I use a lot and recommend was panned. This was Muir Glen Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes. The tasters found the tomatoes overly acidic and sour but I never had that problem with them. Other least favorites were Organico Bello Whole Peeled Tomatoes, Bella Terra Organic Whole Tomatoes and Contadina Whole Roma Tomatoes With Basil,  the last especially not good to extra panelist Julia Moskin.

These tomatoes represent the best and the least favorites of the panelists. It may be different for others, depending on their tastes. Try them and see. Any can of tomato sauce is worth testing these days.