FOOD NEWS
16 Canned Tomato Brands, Ranked
BY HAYLEY HAMILTON COGILL
16. Contadina
While Contadina's fresh Roma tomatoes are non-GMO and non-BPA, the taste is unnaturally sweet, requiring lots of salt and other seasonings to balance the flavor.
Some of Contadina's products include the peel, which we don't care for. We had to strain the tomatoes to remove the bitter skins, also causing the loss of some of the tomato pulp.
15. Hunt's
Hunt's proudly uses 100% of every tomato in its canned products, and they have lots of offerings, including a line of meal starters. Unfortunately, they are high in salt.
Hunt's Diced tomatoes have an odd bitter metallic taste masking the tomato flavor, and the tomatoes did not break down further when cooking, which is fine for soup but not sauce.
14. Great Value
Great Value tomatoes come in every style imaginable at very affordable prices. The tomatoes are reportedly picked and packaged on the same day for optimal freshness.
However, when we tried them, the tomatoes lacked a desirable depth of rich flavor. The ratio of juice to tomatoes was higher than in other brands and tasted thin and watery.
13. Del Monte
Del Monte provides non-GMO grown tomatoes in non-BPA-lined cans, and its iconic canned stewed tomatoes add a rich depth of slow-cooked flavor to stews and sauces.
On the other hand, various products have high sugar and sodium amounts, with some including high fructose corn syrup, ingredients not found in other brands.
12. Ro-Tel
Ro-tel is an essential ingredient when making homemade queso, as its combination of diced tomatoes and green chili peppers adds heat and tang to the cheesy dip.
Unfortunately, most of Ro-tel's products contain a lot of salt, and since all of them contain chilis and tomatoes, their use is limited to recipes that call for a spicy kick.