Tinned Tomatoes : A tip !

Why do certain tomato based sauces taste so much better than others ?

As with most dishes a combination of cooking ability and good ingredients make a big difference.

Ideally if you are preparing say a simple tomato sauce for pasta based on garlic , olive oil , tomatoes , sea salt, black pepper and fresh basil and you can get some fresh ripe San Marzano plum tomatoes it's very difficult to fail.

However the best tomatoes are seasonal (May to September) and the rest of the year most of us that do not live in Mediterranean climes have to make do with tins or jars of tomatoes.

Unfortunately on the whole supermarkets in the UK apart from rarely stocking any edible fresh tomatoes also have poor quality tinned ones either from well known brands or own label. These tend to be both pasteurised and acidic .

If you live in the UK and get get your hands on Annalisa or San Remo brands you will not be disappointed. They also have excellent tinned cherry tomatoes and are available from good Italian Delis.