Tomato vs. Tomato

[Mazz]

Well, I remain inspired and have been making a 14" Chicago Style Pizza, virtually every Friday night. 

I thought it might be helpful to give my take on the various brands of tomatoes I've used in the past.  Order has nothing to do with my preference, (except I saved the best for last).  All cans were 28 oz.

Progresso Crushed and Peeled - This was the first brand that I used many years ago.  Not bad, but a bit bland.  Chock full of seeds.  More of a puree consistency.  Required lengthy drain time (about 30 minutes).  Been a long time (several years) since I've even them in the stores around here, so I don't know if it's an active product.

HyVee Crushed Tomatoes - Local grocer brand.  Extremely salty, little or no flavor.  More watery than other brands.  Puree consitency, not too many, if any, noticeable tomato bits.  Required an extremely lengthy drain time (more than 30 minutes).  Highly acidic based on the reflux factor.

Dei Fratelli Crushed Tomatoes - Picked up at local WalMart.  Contains added Citric Acid.  Other than the added Citric Acid, these tomatoes were very, very good.  Flavorful, and not salty.  Semi-puree consitency with smaller tomato bits.  Required a normal drain time (about 20 minutes).

Great Value Crushed Tomatoes (WalMart Brand) - These were on a par with the Dei Fratelli tomatoes, for two of the three cans I tried.  The last can must have come from either a different production batch or a different supplier.  They were bland, unflavorful, and a real disappointment.  Required normal drain time.

6 In 1 Crushed Tomatoes - Ordered direct.  These have no added Citric Acid, are not salty to the taste, and are full of flavor.  Have noticed some skins, but that may be normal and does not bother me.  I don't know if these are peeled or unpeeled, but I suspect unpeeled.  Of all the brands I've tried, these had the best consistency with noticeable small chunks of tomato.  Required normal drain time.

[billstevenson]

Of all of the "grocery store" tomatoes I've tried (pretty much all of them), I find Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil to be my favorite.  The basil is almost undetectable, but the tomatoes have a wonderful flavor.  They contain citric acid, but it doesn't seem to adversely affect the flavor.  They make a mighty fine sauce right out of the can, and even better with some garlic and oregano added.  I don't feel the need to drain them at all for deep dish. In fact, it seems to be thicker than what I remember at Lou's. 

I recently experimented by combining a 28oz can of Muir Glen's Whole tomatoes, draining most of the liquid in the can.  I hand tore the whole tomatoes into small chunks while retaining the liquid that was released.  Then I mixed in a 28oz can of MG crushed, 3-4 crushed garlic cloves, and probably a close to a tablespoon of oregano.  The mixture almost seemed soupy, but once cooked it turned out great, much closer to Lou's than the crushed tomatoes on their own... and the flavor was amazing.

I've had really good luck finding MG at my local grocery stores (Pacific Northwest) at Kroger and also at Whole Foods.  I suspect that they should be pretty easily found throughout the country.  I haven't tried 6-1 but would love to hear how they compare... just can't bring myself to mail order tomatoes........yet.