My buddy swore cheap canned tomatoes taste the same as San Marzano - he was dead wrong

Ngl I made chili with the store brand ones from Food Lion last week and it came out watery and kinda flat. He kept saying it's all just tomatoes but $2.49 vs $4.99 made a real difference in flavor. Anyone else notice this or am I just being picky?

2 comments

2 Comments

baker.simon8d ago

That's the thing with people who think they can't taste the difference... it's like they've convinced themselves that quality is just a scam or something. I noticed the same pattern at the grocery store with olive oil too, the cheap stuff just doesn't have any body or depth. There's definitely a point where you're paying for the brand name and not getting much more, but canned tomatoes aren't that. San Marzano have that sweet, low acid thing going on that makes sauces actually taste like they simmered for hours. Your buddy probably eats ketchup as pasta sauce and calls it fine dining, haha.

-1

the_sam8d ago

Nah you're falling for the marketing. Most people can't tell the difference in a blind taste test, and the whole San Marzano thing is mostly hype at this point. The cheap stuff works fine if you cook it right, and paying triple for a can just feels like getting played by the food influencer crowd.