Are San Marzano tomatoes worth it?

In a simple sauce with few ingredients, yes — they are lower in acid and break down beautifully. In a long-simmered meat gravy, a good whole peeled plum tomato is indistinguishable.

Can I use crushed tomatoes instead?

Yes, but they are already broken down and often contain puree, so the sauce will be thicker and less fresh-tasting. Reduce the cooking time.

How do I know a can is really San Marzano?

Look for the D.O.P. seal and a consortium number printed on the can. Without those, the name on the label means nothing.

Substitute for San Marzano Tomatoes

Short answer

Use any whole peeled plum tomato packed in juice, not puree — that is the real variable. Crush them by hand, and if they taste sharp, add a pinch of sugar or a grated carrot to the pot. Avoid diced tomatoes, which stay firm because of added calcium.

What to buy instead

Whole peeled plum tomatoes in juice — any brand. Read the can: juice, not puree, and ideally no citric acid.

Bianco DiNapoli, Cento Certified, or a store brand of whole peeled plums all make excellent sauce.

Skip diced tomatoes for sauce. The calcium chloride that keeps the cubes tidy also keeps them from breaking down.

Fresh tomatoes only in late summer, and only plum varieties — otherwise you are simmering water.

Closing the gap

Sharpness: a pinch of sugar, or better, half a grated carrot simmered in from the start.

Thin sauce: simmer 10 minutes longer uncovered rather than adding paste, which tastes like paste.

Flat flavor: a parmesan rind in the pot for 20 minutes does more than any brand upgrade.

Common questions

Are San Marzano tomatoes worth it?: In a simple sauce with few ingredients, yes — they are lower in acid and break down beautifully. In a long-simmered meat gravy, a good whole peeled plum tomato is indistinguishable.
Can I use crushed tomatoes instead?: Yes, but they are already broken down and often contain puree, so the sauce will be thicker and less fresh-tasting. Reduce the cooking time.
How do I know a can is really San Marzano?: Look for the D.O.P. seal and a consortium number printed on the can. Without those, the name on the label means nothing.

Make it

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Keep going — a recipe to try, a film to watch, and an answer to the question you were about to search.

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Next watch

Game of Sausages

The North is cold, the Iron Throne is contested, and winter is coming — but Larry walked through the gates of Westeros with a cast-iron pan. When you play the game of sausages, you win or you're hungry.

Quick answer

How do you make a sausage and peppers sandwich?

Split a seeded Italian hero, toast the cut sides in the sausage pan, lay the whole sausage in first, then pile the peppers and onions on top so the juices soak down instead of through. Provolone under the sausage melts into a seal that keeps the bread intact.

The gear Larry uses →Where to eat sausage & peppers →What to drink with it →This week on the blog: Labor Day Cookout: The Sausage Lineup That Never Fails →