6-in-1 Tomatoes

[Foccaciaman]

 :)There are those strange coincidences again Pierre, I just got my first cans of 6 in 1 today also.......

Looks like we will both find out together the big mystery.

[Steve]

Yahooooo!!!  

The 6-in-1 Brand Tomatoes have arrived!! A million thanks to Steve   and his wife  . Looks like they took awhile clearing Customs.

Glad to hear that you finally got them!!

 

[Randy]

Steve that was a very nice thing to do.
 
Randy

[Les]

Yes!

I've tried every brand of canned tomato that the stores around me carry. Tried all of the domestic brands and imported brands. Even ordered several genuine San Marzano tomatoes (certified genuine, etc.) and none compare with the 6 in 1.  

Steve, I wonder if you've tried the Parmalat brand, which comes in a waxboard carton.  I haven't had time to order the 6-in-1 tomatoes yet, but wanted to make pizza this weekend.  Last night I used their "strained" tomatoes because you said you used the 6-in-1 without cooking, an idea that appealed to me.  The Parmalat was thick, no citric acid added, and so far the best I've ever tasted.  My wife commented how sweet and tomatoey the sauce seemed; all I'd added was fresh oregano and salt.

Tonight I'm trying a variation of Margherita style I like, which is to put a thin layer of sauce on the dough, from edge to edge, and then go ahead using chopped tomatoes and fresh mozzerella, etc.  I will use Parmalat's chopped tomatoes along with the strained, and see how it turns out.  If they are as good as the strained, I'll be thrilled.

However, I asked if you tried them because if you have and still think 6-in-1 is better, I'll order them.  Also, I was thinking the Paramalat brand might be an option for Pierre.

Additional Note:  I just bought and tasted the Parmalat chopped tomatoes.   The don't seem better than the Muir Glen organic tomatoes I normally use.  

[Steve]

Try the 6-in-1  tomatoes... you won't be disappointed!

They're cheap... buy them online directly from Escalon (www.escalon.net)... shipping is unbelievably cheap.  

[Pierre]

Les, I've tried almost every Brand that I was able to find here in Hamburg except the Parmalat packages. Steve sent me a can of 6 in 1 All Purpose ground tomatoes and they far surpassed everything I have tried here so far.

I will buy a package of Parmalat tomatoes and try them. Parmalat is one of Italians largest Conglomerates,  I'll let you know what I think about the taste.

Trust Steve on this one though and give the 6 in 1 Brand a try.

Pierre

Oh and Les..... Welcome to the Forum thanks for thinking about me....

[Arthur]

I just tried my first can of 6 in 1 tonight.  It really is the most freshest sauce I have tasted although I must say that it's not New York style (on its own).  Probably more Chicago style.  I personally like the redpack better for New York style although even that is not really that close...I'll keep searching  

I've been eating crushed tomatoes from Pomi - parmalat for years as pasta sauce.  Outstanding.  Not for pizza though - IMHO.

[Steve]

Yes, the 6-in-1 are not NY style straight from the can... as you pointed out, they are more Chicago deep dish style. NY style sauce is very thin. And, too, I like RedPack whole peeled tomatoes that have been pureed in my blender for NY style sauce.

[Pizzaholic]

I have a World Market in my town that carries the Pomi boxed tomatoes. I thought that they were pretty good on a pie after doctoring them up with stuff for the pizza. Just goes to show that I need to try 6in1
Pizzaholic

[Les]

I've been eating crushed tomatoes from Pomi - parmalat for years as pasta sauce.  Outstanding.  Not for pizza though - IMHO.

I am definitely going to try the 6-in-1.  But since I didn't have any I worked with the Parmalat "strained" tomatoes making two different pizzas Friday and Saturday (I'm not sure if "strained," which is very smooth, is the same as the crushed).

Friday night I wanted to try the strained without cooking or any adjustments other than adding fresh oregano and salt.  Right out of the box, the Parmalat was the freshest, brightest-red commercial product I've ever had.  On the pizza it was good, but definitely not New York sauce . . . too sweet.

For the pizza Saturday night I bought a box of Parmalat chopped tomatoes, and I decided later they too were better than any other brand I've had (like all of you, I've tried just about everything except Escalon varieties . . . when I do try it, I'm going to order their "Christina's" organic version of 6-in-one too for a taste comparison since they are the same price http://www.escalon.net/christinas.asp).

Anyway, for Saturday's pizza I decided to work on the sauce.  I started by draining off about 1/2 cup of tomato juice/puree from the chopped Parmalats, adding about 1/4 cup loosely-packed fresh oregano, salt, pepper, 1/3 cup Chardonney wine, and 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar (I read at another pizza site that balsamic vinegar "intensifies" tomato flavor).  I cooked that covered slowly until half the liquid was gone, added it to the uncooked strained  Parmalat tomatoes, plus I added (borrowing from a recipe I saw here) 1/3 cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese, a 6 oz. can of organic tomato paste (Muir Glen), and salt to taste.  Mmmmmmm, it turned out so good even if not exactly traditional New York; preserving the freshness of the strained tomatoes combined with the cooked aspect, paste, and the "bite" of the Romano worked well.

[Steve]

Sounds good, I'll have to give that a try!  

[Pierre]

got hold of the pomito-parmalat purreed tomatoes, and a package of pizza sauce that they also sell here.

On Saturday, we will be heading for Austria to visit Frauke's brother and the rest of her family. And I need a break from Jobsearching. Got to get some off time.....

more on that later....

Pierre

[cory]

Man, I used my 6-in1's last night.  What a great flavor!!!  Not enough sauce on the pie for my wife, but we were both eating the stuff raw out of the blender with some garlic and spices added.  Delicious!!

Great tasting pie last night.   Besides the 6 in 1s, I put a layer of super-thin deli-sliced prov on top of my light parm/romano/asiago layer and my normal mozz.  FLAVORFUL!

Also, most gluteny pie yet.  I kneaded 15 on 4/rest 5, 5 on 4 more.  It was very chewy, but the crust wasn't crisp, so it was doughy/chewy instead of crispy/chewy, which would have been better.  I finished on the top rack of the oven instead of the broiler which wasn't quite as good.

Cracked my peel, though.  :-(  Oops.

Cory.

[Foccaciaman]

Cory if you liked the provalone, I suggest you mix your mozzarella and provalone together at 60% mozz and 40% provalone. If you have never done this I think you will like it. It is the way the majority of my pies are now. the Extra stringyness (nice word huh?) of the provalone makes the pizzas seem more pizzaria like.

[cory]

Also, I made a slightly-simmered marinara last night with the 6-in-1s.. Delicious!!  Had it over some pasta.  Didn't do much else to it, other than add a bit of red wine and simmer for about 20 minutes on low.  I left myself enough 6-in-1 for 2 pies this weekend. :-)

Cory

[Steve]

Cory... please become a member of the forum... just click the "Register" button at the top of the page. It's free and easy.

And I'm glad to see that we have another 6-in-1 convert!!

[giotto]

I'm a big advocate of organic tomatoes fresh from the California farms.  But it is tough to find good tasting tomatoes even directly from the Northern CA farms.  The 6-in-1 CA tomatoes are consistent and available at our local super markets.  There really is no reason to avoid the peeled version because the peels will show up otherwise.

Unfortunately, tomatoes in super markets are often picked green.  You can see the trucks in CA on highway 5 trucking em along.  A special process is then used to turn them red in place of their natural vines (nothing like cutting the umbilical cord early).  Canned tomatoes are often selected red and are therefore normally a better way to go.  

A little vinegar will always brighten even a good can of tomatoes though.  For NY pizza, a light addition of filtered water is also needed.  

Since I work until I get something to perfection, I don't stop here.  My olive oil always has herbs sitting in it, so I also add a dab of it to the 6-in-1, along with a touch of salt & black pepper.  Then I add a few leaves of my favorite herb (basil) from the garden on top.  

Few farms give a better tomato than 6-in-1.  The round/blackish heirlooms are the winner in overall taste; but there's only one farm that I enjoy; otherwise 6-in-1 peeled tomatoes are a good choice when modified for NY style.

[Pete-zza]

Thanks to the folks on this forum who brought the 6-in-1 tomatoes to my attention, I recently ordered up several cans (the ground, unpeeled tomatoes) to try out.   I took them with me on vacation to Mexico recently along with some DOP San Marzano tomatoes to compare them on pizzas.  To a person, the 6-in-1 tomatoes were considered superior to the San Marzano tomatoes.  As an incorrigible fan of Neapolitan style pizzas, I will likely continue to use the San Marzanos on that style of pizza, but I will otherwise be a user of the 6-in-1s for just about everything else.   My particular use of the 6-in-1 tomatoes was for a New York style pizza with pepperoni.

As for organic tomatoes, to which Giotto makes reference, I had been using the Muir Glen brand (both the tomatoes and the pizza sauce) as a domestic substitute for the San Marzanos, but the 6-in-1 tomatoes are better in my opinion.  I would love to try some of the Stanislaus tomatoes (Full Red), which are processed in Modesto, CA at a facility not that far from Escalon, but I understand that the Stanislaus tomato products are available only to the foodservice industry and not at the retail level to individuals.    

I also tried the Penzeys pizza seasoning in the sauce for the pepperoni pizza.  Its flavor was quite good but, since its principal ingredient is salt, I found the pizza to be a bit saltier than I like.  Peter Reinhart recommends in his most recent book (American Pie) that one cook or boil pepperoni to reduce its fat, but it occurs to me that the salt content might also be reduced, especially with boiling.   I will have to give those approaches a try to see if I can reduce the salt content and allow me to use the Penzeys seasoning with pepperoni pizzas.  

Peter

[Steve]

I would love to try some of the Stanislaus tomatoes (Full Red), which are processed in Modesto, CA at a facility not that far from Escalon, but I understand that the Stanislaus tomato products are available only to the foodservice industry and not at the retail level to individuals.

I have a full case of the Stanislaus 7/11 tomatoes which are nearly identical in taste and texture to the 6-in-1 tomatoes. But, the 6-in-1 tomatoes have the edge, IMHO.

[giotto]

If only I can find 6-in-1 in an organic canned tomato product.  I have been severely disappointed with the Muir Glens and others.  And the Italian canned tomatoes as mentioned by others are not any better.

Unfortunately, when tomatoes are sprayed, it is not just the skin that is impacted, it makes its way into the very soil that feed the tomatoes and their consummers.  

Unfortunately, tasty fresh organic tomatoes need to be carefully selected directly from the farmers.  Just because it comes from a CA farm, doesn't mean that it is good.  And for reasons I mentioned in an earlier session above, non-canned tomatoes at the super market are rarely the answer.  Vine-ripened is costly and not always great.

If I didn't eat pizza so frequently, this would not at all matter.  But I do.  I like to roast farm selected tomatoes, and let my natural seasons take their toll before I peel them.  I am starting to grow my own tomatoes.  But availability is an issue.  I've always found the 6-in-1 to be the best when it comes to time savings and taste in a 'red' canned tomato.  Fortunately, my favorite NY style pizza does not require much sauce; but it's flavor must come out.  And adding fresh tomatoes to the top is no big deal.