Lou Malnatis is no longer selling their famous canned tomatoes

[pythonic]

Totally sux.  The quality of my deep dish just went from a 9 to a 7.

[vcb]

Totally sux.  The quality of my deep dish just went from a 9 to a 7.

Does that mean the can in my pantry is a collector's item? 

It's not the end of the world.
I like the Muir Glen Crushed w/ Basil for my deep dish. It's more consistent and the tomatoes taste sweeter to me than the Lou's tomatoes which were very "random" in their "random cut".
 

[Chicago Bob]

Are the Muir Glen "diced" a good product.....strained an crushed, stick blended  ?  Thanks!

[vcb]

Are the Muir Glen "diced" a good product.....strained an crushed, stick blended  ?  Thanks!

I don't have a lot of experience with the other styles of Muir Glen, but I seem to remember the diced tomatoes being good.

I like the "Crushed with Basil" because you can pretty much use them straight out of the can and they taste great without having to add anything.

Use what tastes good to you.
Because you're not cooking the tomatoes ahead of time, make sure they taste pretty close to the way you want them before you put them on your pizza. Add sugar or salt if you need to, drain excess water if you need to.

For additional info, you can try searching the forum for "tomatoes for deep dish".

[Chicago Bob]

Thanks Ed.....here in Central North Carolina , for some odd reason Muir Glen offers only their diced an their paste. I often hear others say the crushed are really great and thought I ought to try a comparison against my Classicos.... if I could get the diced to act like the crushed.

[dmcavanagh]

Just my opinion, but I'll take Classico over Muir Glen any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Not even in the same league IMO.

[vcb]

Just my opinion, but I'll take Classico over Muir Glen any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Not even in the same league IMO.

I don't think I've ever had Classico brand, but after a quick search I have learned that they are made by H.J. Heinz (the ketchup people) and can be found at most Walmart stores.

The Classico website doesn't even mention the canned tomatoes in their main product list;
they focus more on the jars of sauces they produce.
http://www.classico.com/products.aspx

no wait... found 'em: http://tomatoes.classico.com/products 

Next time I'm in a Walmart or other shop that carries it, I'll let you know what I think of them.
I'm always happy to find another "go to" brand for deep dish tomatoes. (even happier if they tomatoes are affordable)
If they taste good to you, that's what matters.

[vcb]

I was just notified that this topic got moved to the "Sauce Ingredients" section.
I understand why, but don't you think that, since Lou Malnati's tomatoes are primarily used for Deep Dish,
this thread might stay in the Deep Dish section? Or at least add a link in one of the "Tomatoes for Deep Dish" threads to this one? 

[Pete-zza]

Ed,

I understand your concern but the way the forum's indexing system was revamped some time ago, the pizza making boards are intended to apply only to recipes and methods for making pizza, not subsidiary ingredients. The same situation exists with 00 flour and San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella cheese, which are also closely allied with the Neapolitan style. Those ingredients go into the child boards, not the Neapolitan pizza making board.

If you or someone else wants to post a link to this thread on the Chicago Pizza Making board, that is fine. As a Moderator, I don't do that sort of thing because I move too many things around and do not have enough time to devote to that chore.

Peter

[dmcavanagh]

Classico's are pretty much the same as Escalon products, both are under the parent company Heinz. The tomatoes are California grown and are available as whole, crushed, ground and puree. I find the ground to be almost exactly the same taste as 6 in 1's, minus the peels. The crushed version are a little bit looser (more liquidy) than the ground but are still very good. Puree is a bit to thin for pizza, and I have yet to try the whole tomatoes.

[Tscarborough]

Classico is great.  I hate Wally-world with a passion, but I do buy these from them.

[Garvey]

I was told by my regional sales rep for 6-in-1 that Classico were the same product as 6-in-1.  They are fantastic, and I hate making DD without them.  Same goes for my Aurelio's clone sauce.

[loowaters]

This may sound crazy but I've been finding from time to time at WalMart their Great Value brand "Pear Tomato Strips".  This is really similar to the Malnati's tomatoes, and they're pretty good.  They don't seem to be available at all stores as only one of the two local stores near me carries them and the one that I hit up in La Quinta, CA visiting my dad didn't have them.  I hate going to WalMart...that is all.

Loowaters

[Chicago Bob]

Really glad to see you back Loowaters.....

[loowaters]

Thanks ChiBob.  I still check in to see what's happening pretty regularly but I don't have much to contribute as my tinkering has been reduced drastically.  When some odd positive result pops up due to a change in prep or other typically unforeseen or unpredictable circumstance I'll jump in to explain it.  I thought the Great Value tomato strip info was useful for some. 

Loo

[Chicago Bob]

Thanks Loo, very useful info here.... and I am on the hunt to give them a go. The Wally's near me are extra strange and hard to see any consistency at the tomato shelf....but I'll find 'em.

[xrayguy]

I have been using the Muir Glen Organic Ground Tomatoes with what I think are good results. I've never had a true Malnati's pizza, and have never had the famed 6 in 1s either, although I think there is an Italian grocery in Dallas, Jimmy's Food Store, that does carry them.

[Chicago Bob]

xray,
If you can score some 6n1 at Jimmy's you really need to try them. A lot of folks here have been using the Muir Glens with good results but I think you'll like the 6n1's. Might even be a 'lil lower in cost too.  Let us know if you give them a go...