Customer Reviews

San Marzano Cento Organic Italian Peeled Tomatoes, Case of 4 /28 oz

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you want a good quick cooked sauce without excess acidity these are the ones to use. The real San Marzano, beware of imitators!

Long ago I discovered that San Marzano tomatoes were unparalleled for flavor when it comes to making sauces. I tried many brands, and have done many side by side tasting comparisons, and Cento San Marzano tomatoes have consistently won out. These tomatoes have a deep and rich flavor, and a nice acid to sugar balance (though you may need to enhance this when making a sauce). It's pretty obvious when you pull these tomatoes out of the can that they were picked at their ripest, due to their deep red color and soft texture. Many tomatoes advertise themselves as San Marzanos, but since SM is a type of tomato, they could have been grown anywhere. Not these. These are SM tomatoes grown in the San Marzano region of Italy, in volcanic soils perfect for growing tomatoes. I have no affiliation with Cento, I just love a perfect tomato sauce. Use these tomatoes, be sure to not cook the sauce for more than 15 minutes, and you'll see what I mean. Even using fresh, locally grown, in-season tomatoes I haven't been able to get the depth of flavor that I do with the Centos.

My sister and I did a blind taste test with these to see if the price was worth it, and we couldn't tell the difference between these and the two other brands I had on hand. I wouldn't buy them again.