8 oz Diced canned tomatoes are always a good thing to have on hand. Diced tomatoes are a great addition to pasta sauces, soups, and stews because they not only contribute texture, but also a sweet, vibrant tomato flavor.
Crushed tomatoes normally do not include huge, hard bits of tomato like diced tomatoes do. When we use them, we typically utilize them right from the can; there is no need to pulse them in the food processor or smash them by hand, as is the case when we use canned whole tomatoes.
There is a dizzying array of choices available on the shelves of the supermarket; how can one choose the most suitable one?
To discover out, we went out and got nine different types of diced canned tomatoes and sampled each one. There is a surprising amount of variation for such a straightforward item, including their places of origin, names, and the packaging they come in.
Seven of the items contained tomatoes that were cultivated and processed in the United States, while the other two contained tomatoes that were farmed in Italy and were produced in Italy.
The majority of the items in our selection were labeled as “canned diced tomatoes,” with the exception of one item that was labeled as “petite-diced” and two items that were imported from Italy that were “chopped.”
Products ranging from cans carrying around 14 ounces to cans holding double that amount were included in our selection. We began by tasting each product in its unheated, original form, and then we included it into the preparation of a straightforward tomato sauce using olive oil, garlic, and salt.
It is remarkable how much variety there is in the names of different types of diced tomatoes sold in cans. Although the majority of the items in our selection were labeled as “canned diced tomatoes,” we also carried one item that was labeled as “petite-diced” tomatoes and two items from Italy that were “chopped.”
The Cultivation and Gathering of Tomatoes
Commercially cultivated tomatoes that are designed for canning are often thick-walled paste variety. However, there are thousands of tomato varieties that are grown around the world, and each one has its own unique flavor and texture profile.
About 20 states in the United States are responsible for the majority of the commercial tomato farming, and it is not uncommon for businesses to purchase tomatoes from more than one state. The tomatoes that go into one of our brands come from more than 500 different farms located in northern Italy.
The other Italian brand makes use of tomatoes that are harvested from farms in southern Italy. After the tomatoes have been picked, they are washed, sorted, and peeled before being packaged. After that, they are sliced according to the guidelines provided by the producer, then divided into cans, and finally covered with juice before being heated and sealed.
Tomatoes That Are Vibrant and Flavorful Are Always a Hit With Us
The best canned tomatoes have a flavor that is vibrant and fresh. We strained every product using a strainer with a very fine mesh.
When we evaluated the liquids that were produced by straining all of the tomatoes in our selection, we found that six of them had a light and golden tint, while only three produced a dark-red liquid.
“Fresh,” “sweet,” and “bright” were some of the adjectives that tasters used to characterize the tomatoes with the golden juices. Tasters thought that two goods that had dark-red liquid tasted more “cooked” than the others, and as a result, they rated those products lower on the flavor scale. The third product, which had a dark red liquid, had a flavor that was clean and crisp.
However, the production of canned tomatoes is complicated by a wide variety of elements, such as the location and method of tomato cultivation, as well as the question of whether or not the tomato juice that is added to each can is heated.
Tomato Pieces of a Moderate Size with an Abundance of Salt
The majority of American producers chop their tomatoes with a commercial crosscut dicer, and the resulting pieces might range in size and shape depending on the product. The tomatoes that were branded as “petite diced” were the tiniest ones that we carried. The sizes of the slices of tomato that others had were everywhere from medium (about 1.5 to 2 cm) to enormous.
The brands with smaller or medium-sized chunks of tomato were favored by tasters, while those with larger pieces of tomato were deemed to be “obtrusive.” One of the Italian producers puts the tomatoes through a roller, which causes them to be crushed.
The other method involves the use of a device equipped with blades for chopping the tomatoes. Even though they appeared to be more crushed and irregularly chopped than the tomato pieces that we tried in our tasting of crushed tomatoes, the Italian tomato pieces were larger than the fragments that we found in the items that we tried.
Although the consistency of these two Italian goods was enjoyed by some tasters, others had the expectation that canned diced tomatoes would have bits with a more well-defined and recognizable structure.
The American brands that we tried did not contain any of these additives, however the Italian ones did contain salt (to increase flavor and inhibit bitterness), citric acid (to ensure safety and quality as well as boost tartness), and calcium chloride (to maintain firmness).
The American tomatoes had a range of different textures and flavors, which is most likely attributable to the intrinsic variances in the tomatoes themselves or the specific proportions of supplementary components that were added. In spite of this, all of them were enjoyable. On the other hand, the tomatoes that came from Italy had a milder flavor, a hint of bitterness, and a “softer” texture.
Our panel of tasters, which consisted primarily of Americans, expressed a preference for the diced canned tomatoes that were more chewy, sweeter, and saltier. These kinds of regional preferences are seen across the board in the food industry.
Our most popular brands are made in the United States, although products of both countries have distinct advantages. We have outlined the distinctions between the two so that you can choose which one best suits your tastes and interests in terms of food.
Our Chosen Product Is: San Miguel Diced Tomatoes
Tomatoes from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio are used in the production of San Merican Diced Tomatoes, which are our highest-rated brand of diced canned tomatoes.
These tomatoes are processed in the United States. They had a simple flavor and were described as “sweet and fresh.” In spite of the fact that each serving of these tomatoes included 270 mg of sodium, their flavor was rich and they had a very fresh taste.
The pieces “were the correct size and had a good bite to them,” as the author describes them. These tomatoes “kept their firmness” even after being boiled down into a straightforward sauce.
