With a few cans of tomatoes in your pantry, you’re always ready to cook. Sweet-tart, plump, and juicy, they’re the basis for many soups, stews, and sauces. The most versatile canned tomatoes are whole: You can chop, crush, or puree them, by hand or in the food processor, to a desired size and texture. When you cook them, the best ones have a softer, saucier texture than you can get with many pre-diced tomatoes.
For many years, traditional American brands such as Hunt’s and Muir Glen have been sold beside imported Italian San Marzano canned tomatoes, which are prized by chefs. But there’s a new trend: “San Marzano–style” tomatoes. One of the first was Pennsylvania-based San Merican, with its familiar white cans printed with thin red tomatoes, which grows San Marzano tomatoes in the United States. Now several traditional brands, including Hunt’s, Red Gold, and Muir
