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[Stryder50]

LOL, the first, fourth and fifth choices are all canned within a few miles of each other. Hunt's--Oakdale, CA (ConAgra), Contadina--Riverbank, CA and Del Monte--Modesto, CA, I worked there for a season 50 years ago. I don't know about Cento or Red Gold but they could come from the same canneries as they can many lesser known brands. I think the tasters were fooling themselves.

Cento comes from Italy, uses San Marino (sp ?) tomatoes. Costs a bit more per can, but worth it.
BTW, we preserve(jar) a lot of our own garden grown, but not always enough it seems.

 

[Concerned American]

Cento comes from Italy, uses San Marino (sp ?) tomatoes.

Cento couldn't use San Marzano, the article states he left those out of the test.
I also left out any brands that used San Marzano tomatoes, just to be fair (because if you’ve had these types of tomatoes, you know how good they are!).
As for the citric acid, I don't believe any of the brands add citric acid. Tomatoes are naturally acidic. My wife also is very sensitive to acid--she gets it from citrus, some wines and tomatoes. I do want to find some San Marzano tomatoes though. All I've ever had are Romas--that is what the three CA brands use. Romas have no flavor IMHO, but I haven't had a really good table tomato in many years either.

 

[Stryder50]

Cento couldn't use San Marzano, the article states he left those out of the test.
I also left out any brands that used San Marzano tomatoes, just to be fair (because if you’ve had these types of tomatoes, you know how good they are!).
As for the citric acid, I don't believe any of the brands add citric acid. Tomatoes are naturally acidic. My wife also is very sensitive to acid--she gets it from citrus, some wines and tomatoes. I do want to find some San Marzano tomatoes though. All I've ever had are Romas--that is what the three CA brands use. Romas have no flavor IMHO, but I haven't had a really good table tomato in many years either.

I was going off memory from the most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen.
The article (May & June 2024 issue) on "The Best Whole Canned Tomatoes".
Okay - two issues here, so in order;

1st: Seems I can't get into the Cook's Illustrated website to copy-paste that recent article. Might have to wait several months to a couple years before they release it to general public access. So I'll summarize below. I will recommend going to your preferred newstand/magazine rack and you should be able to find and purchase this recent issue for your own validation. (Also worth considering getting a subscription.)

The article shows about nine brand/cans of whole, peeled tomatoes and text reveals that for most of them they are using "San Marzano - style" tomatoes. An USA grown variant.

However the article text shows the ingredients from the label of the Cento, imported from Italy, brand/can and this was the one they rated as top. The ingredients were: San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes, San Marzano puree, sea salt, basil leaf.

A bit more expensive at about $0.16/oz. vs. others at about $0.09/oz. But worth the extra for taste and texture. (Assuming you can find at a local store.)

FWIW, we have San Marzano seeds and grew some last year and have starts going now for this year's planting.

2nd: Citric acid is a frequent ingredient in many foods and my wife has researched this and in most cases it is made using wheat, which is one of several foods/combinations she has sensitivities to. Not the same as an allergy, but not pleasant since it causes migranes and other distress. Point being she has a few such issues, some are actual whole foods, like wheat, potatoes, coconut, etc. and also products made from them. Such as maltodextrin, dextrose, and citiric acid, etc. Believe me, we've been checking this stuff out for years now and when in doubt, we avoid any foods with these, and others, on the ingredients labels.

If interested, here's another article from their website on various types of canned tomatoes.

Cooking with Canned Tomatoes​

The Best Canned Tomatoes for Cooking | Cook's Illustrated

Canned tomatoes—whole, diced, crushed, and others—are pantry staples that offer a wide range of cooking options for the home chef.

www.americastestkitchen.com

 

[Concerned American]

we've been checking this stuff out for years now and when in doubt, we avoid any foods with these, and others, on the ingredients labels.

I can only speak to Contadina, Hunts and Del Monte. Your linked comparison article made the statement that said he did not compare brands that used the SM variety. Is it possible that they have tomatoes that are not SM? I worked in food production for 45 years in the central valley of CA. I have been in all three of those plants either as an employee or as a contractor installing equipment. I have canned those products and I know the ingredients--I added them. Again, I am not acquainted with the other two brands.

 

[Stryder50]

I can only speak to Contadina, Hunts and Del Monte. Your linked comparison article made the statement that said he did not compare brands that used the SM variety. Is it possible that they have tomatoes that are not SM? I worked in food production for 45 years in the central valley of CA. I have been in all three of those plants either as an employee or as a contractor installing equipment. I have canned those products and I know the ingredients--I added them. Again, I am not acquainted with the other two brands.

Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen won't let me in to copy/paste or link to their article. So, try this one and note the San Marzano in at least 2 of the 3.

I Tried Every Brand of Canned Tomatoes I Could Find — These Are the 3 I’ll Be Buying Again​

I Tried Every Brand of Canned Tomatoes I Could Find — These Are the 3 I’ll Be Buying Again

There are actually some huge differences between brands. Don't get a mediocre one!

www.thekitchn.com

 

[Stryder50]

Interesting and short article on one of the more astounding fruits, salad ingredients in recent decades.
The avocado.
...
Americans put away 250m pounds of avocados this year, up from 100m ten years ago, and 43.8m ten years before that.
...

The radical transformation of the avocado

How much does it cost to make a fruit popular? Hundreds of millions of dollars.

thehustle.co

 

[surada]

I have the solution. We need HereWeGoAgain and his wife to make cooking videos. For real. Because he makes amazing things.

I think buttercup makes cooking videos, too.

This is very cool about how they cooked In 1830s.