Assitance with canned tomatoes

[zymurgymaster]

While this is my first post I have been making cooking, baking, brewing and pizza making for over 20 years.  Only until I found this site have I really started to fine tune what I have gleaned over the years.  Much thanks goes out to JV for his direction to high temp oven prep and that wonderful excel spreadsheet.  With that said I am starting to fine-tune my toppings and my first is the tomatoes. 

I have found access to a supplier of various canned tomatoes.  Unfortunately they are in #10 cans and I need to purchase 6 of them.  I have tried all of the local canned products that are sold in Stop and Shop, Big Y, Shaws and the local ?Gourmet? shops.  I am willing to try the other products listed by the forum. I have attached a list of what I have found to date and would appreciate your feedback on the attached list.  Any input would help me with my choice, as I will be purchasing 2 different cases, which for the two of us is a huge amount.

PS  I also have 30 lbs of 50/50 Grande that will be here Monday.  I have already people lined up to take 20 lbs of it.

BRAND   DESCRIPTION   PACK   SIZE
6 in 1   Tomato Ground A/P 6 In 1   6   #10
AltaCucn   Tomato Whl Pld in Jce w/Basil   6   #10
AngelaMi   Tomato Crushed   6   #10
Assoluti   Tomato Italian Hvy Puree Impor   6   #10
BllaRosa   Tomato Strips   6   #10
Cristofo   Tomato Whl Pld Pear Jce wBasil   6   #10
Furman   Tomato Diced Petite   6   102 oz
Hunts   Tomato Diced in Puree   6   #10
Hunts   Tomato Stewed   6   #10
HuntWess   Tomato Sauce   6   #10
LaRegina   Tomato Plum Italian   6   #10
Luigi   Tomato Ground All In 1   6   #10
OldCalif   Tomato Crushed Concentrate   6   100 oz
OldCalif   Tomato Paste   6   106 oz
OldCalif   Tomato Chopped   6   102 oz
P.L.   Tomato Crushed   6   #10
Piancone   Tomato Pears in Juice w/Basil   6   #10
Piancone   Tomato Pears Hvy Puree Imp Itl   6   #10
Redpak   Tomato and Zucchini   6   #10
Roma   Tomato Sun Dried Halves   1   5 lb
Roma   Tomato Il Famoso Pmdr Grnd Pld   6   #10
Roma   Tomato Crushed Concentrated   6   #10
SanBenit   Tomato Diced in Juice   6   #10
Saporito   Tomato Filet di Pomodro Saprto   6   #10
Stanisla   Tomato Puree Grd Unpld 7-11   6   #10
Stanisla   Tomato Diced in Jce Full Red   6   #10
Stanisla   Tomato Paste 26% Full Red   6   #10
Stanisla   Tomato Salsa Ready Bienvendo   6   #10
Stanisla   Tomato Strps Pld Prem 74-40   6   #10
Stanisla   Tomato Strps Robsto 80-40   6   #10
Stanisla   Tomato Crushed Conc Full Red   6   #10
Stanisla   Tomato Puree 1.07 Full Red   6   #10
SuzyBell   Tomato Puree X Heavy   6   #10
TomMagic   Tomato Ground Peeled Magic   6   #10
Valoroso   Tomato Whl Pld Puree Valoroso   6   #10

[scott r]

I would get the top two on your list.

The 6 in 1's are really an amazing product that can get you a sauce to die for.  They are basically a ground tomato in a puree that are smooth, but still have some nice texture to them.

The alta cucina's are a very fresh tasting whole tomato that you can process any way you like to come up with your sauce.   If you keep them on the chunky side you end end up with something similar to a Bertucci's sauce.  From your list of grocery stores it sounds like you might be in Bertucci's land.

Are you near Boston?  If so I can point you to a few places that will sell you single cans of many of these products.

[zymurgymaster]

Appreciate the feedback.

I am in Bertucci land, but about 90 miles West in Connecticut.  But I am in no hurry to order them up if I can get single cans.  Just may have to make a trip to Boston. 

Did someone say road trip.

[scott r]

If you go to the escalon website the shipping is really not that bad for the 6 in 1's.   That might be a nice easy way to start you quest.

Good luck!

[zymurgymaster]

Scott,

Thanks for your reply. 

What I did fail to mention in my inital post is that the distribution of these products is only 15 miles from where I live. 

[David]

Scott,
         This one's for you !     http://www.acqua2o.it/pomopela/index.htm

I expect you to have done another shootout with these brands by the next time we meet

[scott r]

great site david.  I had no idea there were that many brands!

I'll get started today

zymurgymaster, you might want to check out these tomatoes as well,  LaRegina   Tomato Plum Italian.  They will get you a different type of sauce that will be more like what you find at Pepe's.  You are lucky, it looks as if that place near your house has the best of the best!

[zymurgymaster]

LaRegina is on the list or shall is say in the drawing.  I will most likely go for one ground/crushed and one whole or go for broke and and get 4 cases for pure research.!!!

[scott r]

research is yummy

[zymurgymaster]

As it looks at this point I will have plenty of tomato products to play with besides what I will use for pizza's.  Although we are only two, we tend to cook more than we can consume so the vacuum packer will be getting a workout with all of the gravy, lazagna and everything else we will be making.   Gotta love it.

Scott,

Do you have a source for San Genaro canned tomatoes

[scott r]

http://www.gustiamo.com/cgi-bin/front_end/prodotto?id=37


According to Marco they are the best of the best of the best.

Don't faint when you read the price!

[zymurgymaster]

That price is out of this world.  Maybe one day if I have nothing else to spend my money on I'll order some up.

Who am I kidding!  I'll get some down the road I'm sure.

Thanks for the link.

[zymurgymaster]

Picked up the tomato and cheese today.  I used my last two doughs up last night.  Oh well time to make some more, roll the sleeves up and do a lot of testing and eating.