San Marzanos Aren't The Only Italian Tomatoes Worth Using, According To A Chef

Chances are, when making Italian food, you — and practically everyone's grandmother — are reaching for San Marzano tomatoes. According to Jasper J. Mirabile Jr., the owner and chef at Jasper's Restaurant and host of Live! From Jasper's Kitchen, it's about time we start utilizing other Italian tomatoes in our kitchens. "Everybody talks about San Marzano tomatoes, and of course we love those tomatoes, but there can't be that many actual San Marzano tomatoes grown in some arena to feed the world and all the commercial ones you see in the jars and cans around the countries," Chef Mirabile explains.

And the chef isn't wrong. The San Marzano label has become one of the most widely counterfeited food certifications in the United States. In fact, it's very likely that the can of San Marzano tomatoes in your pantry is fake.

So, instead of always reaching for San Marzano tomatoes or one of the fake cans, Chef Mirabile recommends two of his favorite varieties to try instead. He states, "I love Dattarini, they are much less acidic and very sweet and go great and seafood sauces. I also use Ciliegino, a beautiful Sicilian cherry tomato that's very sweet and cooked very quickly."

If you still prefer using San Marzano tomatoes, the chef has an important tip for you, especially when you're about to make pasta sauce. He wants you to always reach for whole tomatoes, whether fresh or canned. He elaborates, "I think when making pasta sauce, the most important element is the type of tomato that you're using, never crushed, only whole tomatoes, and only crush by hand. You never want to purée the tomatoes with a food processor or buy crushed tomatoes."

Finally, while Chef Mirabile wants you to try using different tomatoes when making delicious Italian dishes at home, there's one type of tomato that he feels fares poorly in Italian cuisine. He tells us, "A lot of people think fresh Roma tomatoes are the best to cook with, but I have to disagree, because they're not always ripe when we get them. A lot of chefs tend to use them right away and there's a lot of seeds and the skin is usually very tough."

So, this week, avoid buying fresh Roma tomatoes if you're making pasta sauce, skip San Marzano tomatoes, and grab some Dattarini or Ciliegino instead. And, be sure to check out our list of 18 must-try Italian-American recipes.