Don Pepino tomato products

[dkipta]

Can anyone tell me their opinion on Don Pepino Sauces?  I'd like to try some but don't know how they rate as compared to Stanaslause and Escalion.

[Hi Gluten]

Hi dkpta,

Once in a pinch, I bought a #10 can of their pizza sauce from Sam's Club. It was ok. Not as good as making your own. But definitely better than a supermarket sauce. If you belong to Sam's Club, it's pretty cheap. I think I paid $4-5 for it.

Good for a kid's party, but not for an artisan pizza.

[Aaron]

I have had it before,not a bad sauce but definetly sweeter than stanislaus full red.
It was available in sams or costco in the U.S,cost about $4 for a big can.
Aaron

[Hi Gluten]

I just went to Sam's today. They had the sauce for $3.53 for the #10 can. So, I bought one again. I'll make some dough tonight and make a few pies over the weekend. I'll give you a more detailed evaluation next week.

[Park.Pizza]

I just went through a can of Don Pepino's.  After I made a few pies for the superbowl, my family and friends where mooching some off me. It is on the sweet side, but not to strong.

It tasted great with mozz, turkey pepperoni, and black olives. The saltiness of the pepperoni and olives balanced well with the sweet sauce.

By the way, get your own can.

Also, I was watching a mafia movie the other day and I learned some Italian.  Ready?... Here goes.. "Get in the trunk".

 

[Hi Gluten]

Finally got the can open. For $3.50 for a #10 can, you can't go wrong. On the label it states "Made From Fresh Ripe Tomatoes" and "No Concentrate or Citric Acid".  The ingredients: tomatoes,corn oil,salt,spices and powdered garlic. It is quite viscous (thick) and some may want to water it down.


I think it's the absence of citric acid gives it a quality that I like. I made some personal pan pizzas with Stella mozz, which was from Sam's Club as well.
It made a decent everyday pie. I won't compare it to an artisan pie, because that's a whole different level. But, I will say I have no objections to it. I think I would add some fresh garlic and other herbs/spices to jazz it up a bit. The price as mentioned before is great for 6 1/2 lbs. of sauce. I would definitely use this before using a jar sauce. I enjoy making all my sauces fresh, but for a quickie shortcut, this is certainly acceptable.

Two other items of interest...

The sauce leaves those NY Style orange grease puddles from the corn oil in the sauce. It reminds me of my childhood in NY.

It has a retro 50's style label. Pure nostalgia.

The remainder of the sauce was divided and put into the freezer. Ready for when needed.

[Aaron]

Just an fyi the tomatoes are grown in New Jersey,so that might describe its difference in colour.Good sauce for the price and easy to find if you are a member of sams club.
Aaron

[PizzaBrewer]

Don Pepino pizza sauce was my first favorite sauce.  I still like it, it's way better than the other prepared pizza sauces (Contadina, Ragu, etc.)

FYI, Sclafani is another brand from the same company.  The Sclafani Crushed Tomatoes is the same tomato base as the Don Pepino, only without the spices and corn oil.  Just crushed tomatoes and salt.  Tasted side by side with the DP sauce, you really taste the strong dried herb flavor in the DP.  So I prefer now to use the Sclafani and spice it up myself.

---Guy

http://www.donpepino.com/HTML/product.html

[scott r]

The Sclafani imported italian tomatoes are also excellent.  It can be a refreshing change from the typical California tomato taste. 

[lilbuddypizza]

D.P. is great IMHO.
I could use it on a pie straight outta the can, with a little oregano. YUM!!

[Mahoney]

So I prefer now to use the Sclafani and spice it up myself.

Do you cook your tomatoes at all, or just puree and put it right on your pizza?  Do you think the Don Pepino pizza sauce is cooked at all?

Thanks,
Bob

[PizzaBrewer]

Do you cook your tomatoes at all, or just puree and put it right on your pizza?  Do you think the Don Pepino pizza sauce is cooked at all?

I no longer cook any of my sauces, particularly a prepared sauce like Don Pepino.  They get plenty of cooking during the packing process.

I used to cook sauce from canned whole tomatoes.  I'd cook them with salt, garlic, onion, oregano, basil, olive oil, a little sugar, etc., and always wondered why the sauce turned out so lousy.  Then from reading this forum I realized it didn't need cooking and that the simpler the better.

My "state-of-the-art" sauce now is quickly pureed Alta Cucina tomatoes (a Stanislaus product).  I'll sprinkle some dried herbs over the sauce before adding cheese, I alternate between basil and oregano.  (see this thread on herbs:  http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,2609.0.html).  Then a drizzle of good quality olive oil (Coluccio) after the cheese goes on.  Overall I find the Stanislaus products to be better than the Don Pepino/Sclafani line.  But the DP/Sclafani crushed does have a nice flavor and a unique texture.

I'm still tinkering with the whole concept of herbs/olive oil/etc.  But I've found that more stuff in the sauce is not a good thing.  Side-by-side with the Sclafani crushed, the Don Pepino has a very strong dried herb flavor.

Don't get me wrong, I still do like the Don Pepino sauce.  It's got some addictive quality, I actually prefer to eat it straight out of the can vs. using it on pizza.   

---Guy

P.S. Here's an earlier thread on Don Pepino.  It's from before I tried the Stanislaus products:

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,992.msg9998.html#msg9998

[Mahoney]

My "state-of-the-art" sauce now is quickly pureed Alta Cucina tomatoes (a Stanislaus product). 

Thanks Guy - Much appreciated.

I see you live in NE Pennsylvania.  Where did you find a supplier that carries Stanislaus products?

Thanks again,
Bob