6 Best Canned Tomatoes, According to Chefs

The middle of summer is peak season for many fresh fruits and veggies—perhaps most notably the tomato. Indeed, the juicy, antioxidant-packed fruit is what makes so many summertime salads and mayo-slathered sandwiches so tasty.

But like all good things, the prime time for perfectly ripe tomatoes is rather fleeting. "I love when fresh tomatoes are in season, but that season only lasts about four months around these parts," says Sara Bradley, chef and proprietor of Freight House in Paducah, Ky.

For flavorful 'maters all year round, home cooks and professional chefs alike must instead rely on canned tomatoes, a time-tested pantry staple that comes in handy for all sorts of recipes.

Bradley, for one, frequently employs canned tomatoes at her restaurant to create dishes featuring classic southern and midwestern flavors with the occasional modernist twist. She also uses them when mixing up classic Bloody Mary cocktails. "Canned tomatoes are the best for making your own mix," says Bradley, who notably finished as the runner-up in the 2023 edition of TV's Top Chef: World All Stars. "You just toss them in the blender with your desired flavors and seasonings, and you've upped your brunch game exponentially!"

She adds, "My go-to meal at home, when I really don't want to work too hard, is tomato soup and grilled cheese. My children love it!! I always have a couple cans of tomatoes sitting in the pantry and can flavor the soup with anything else I have lying around."

For some sage advice on the best canned tomatoes to buy, Eat This, Not That! reached out to a cadre of talented chefs to see what they use in their restaurants and home cupboards to extend tomato season across the calendar. Here's the skinny on their favorite brands, what form to buy them in, and where canned tomatoes work best in recipes.

Alta Cucina

Although she prefers to source from the regional bounty of produce that surrounds her restaurant, chef Bradley does appreciate a good preserved tomato when the time is right. Her choice of brand reflects her thoughtful attitude toward sourcing. "Alta Cucina tomatoes are my go-to for canned tomatoes," she says. "They're California-grown, so I skip the long-distance shipping of San Marzanos. It is better for the environment. Alta Cucina uses just tomatoes, basil, salt, and citric acid – simple, tender, and flavorful. I appreciate the high tomato-to-juice ratio and the fresh basil sprig. No added sugar, just natural sweetness."

She offers good advice about why she prefers them whole, "Whole canned tomatoes are always my go-to! They offer great versatility depending on your dish. For sauces, I crack each tomato open and remove the seeds. This allows the tomatoes to break down beautifully into the sauce, but avoids any bitterness or discoloration that seeds can cause. Seeds just don't soften like the flesh and can leave an unpleasant texture in the final product."

She continues, "On the other hand, if I'm using them in a braise, I toss them and their juices in whole. This keeps the braising liquid from getting too thick or muddy. Whole tomatoes release their flavor without breaking down completely, which allows the other ingredients in the braise to shine through."

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Mutti

As a Michelin-trained chef from Rome, Andrea Congiusta naturally has some opinions about tomatoes. "Use fresh tomatoes when they are in season, and canned tomatoes for the rest of the months," advises Congiusta, who helms the kitchens of Pasta Beach and Mr. R. Fusion Street Food in Newport, R.I.. "In Italy, canned tomatoes and homemade tomato jars were originally created to preserve tomatoes for the entire year."

His favorite brand of canned tomatoes, which can be found in many grocery stores, is Mutti: "I used to cook with it even when I was in Italy; it's very common in everyday home cooking there. It has a great natural taste profile and is reasonably priced."6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

When it comes to whether Congiusta prefers his canned tomatoes whole or broken down, the chef is pretty ecumenical but has an unusual favorite form. He shares his secret, "I like all their products, but my favorite is the passata, or 'tomato purée.' It's easy to use, and the rich, velvety texture adds everything you need to your pasta or pizza."

Another fan of Mutti-brand tomatoes is Blake Nolen, executive chef at SuperClub SouthEnd in Charlotte, N.C. "I love using Mutti San Marzano tomatoes because of the phenomenal quality and flavor. I have a love for Italian tomatoes, the acidity, sweetness, and minerality are all perfect for what I like to cook," he shares.

When it comes to which particular variety he prefers, Nolen takes a hands-on approach. "I generally prefer using whole tomatoes because I can crush them by hand which is how I like to have them."

Nolen likes to spice up his home cooking with Mutti. "The first dish that comes to my mind when I am using canned tomatoes is my chili. Wherever I am cooking, I always love to use a quality product and let it shine, and Mutti tomatoes are the perfect fit for this dish."

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Contadina

New Orleans chef Isaac Toups is another past Top Chef contestant, voted the fan favorite of Season 13. At Toups Meatery in New Orleans, he takes advantage of the rich flavor of processed tomatoes to add punch to his Cajun cuisine that is deeply rooted in his South Louisiana upbringing and experience working in Emeril Lagasse's New Orleans kitchens.

He gushes, "I absolutely love tomato paste. It's by far my favorite canned tomato product. It's one of my pantry staples both at the Meatery and at the house. Nothing beats a ripe tomato, but the season is short, and who doesn't love tomato flavor year round? Sometimes even in season if I want to braise meats I still go for paste. It's rich, compact, and ready to go. Add a spoonful to sauce at the last minute or at the beginning of a stew. Contadina Roma Tomatoes Paste is my favorite brand. It's all tomato. I don't go for the pastes that are seasoned with anything extra, and the low-salt versions are more versatile. All hail the mighty tomato paste!"

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Muir Glen

Matthew Bell is the culinary director of Big Bad Breakfast, the southern restaurant chain founded by acclaimed Oxford, Miss.-based chef John Currence. Managing multiple kitchens in different states, Bell appreciates the consistency of canned tomatoes. "Muir Glen is definitely my go-to brand. It's the brand I most remember at my house growing up so I think it just stuck with me," he shares. "Fire Roasted Diced is my typical purchase but I will always keep whole peeled on hand."

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Cento

Chef John Hasentufel is chef de cuisine of Osteria Stella in Knoxville, Tenn., and his style of Italian cuisine requires authentic tomatoes that he just can't source from East Tennessee farmers. "Whenever I walk through the grocery store looking for canned tomatoes, I try not to get distracted with flashy advertising or anything besides simply the best tomatoes I can get," says Hasentufel. "There are lots of options available, but as far as tomatoes, I choose the Cento brand."

He explains, "When visiting Italy I witnessed the large fields of tomatoes grown in the areas surrounding Mount Vesuvius. Lots of brands these days have taken seeds from tomatoes grown there and made very tasty replicas here in America, such as Bianco Di Napoli tomatoes. But with my style of cooking, I want to be as true to Italian cuisine as I can. Cento still imports a vast line of products that I consider to be authentic and as 'real' as I can get."

When it comes to whole tomatoes versus processed, Hasentufel makes a well-reasoned choice. "I will always recommend whole peeled, as with anything in the restaurant industry, the less food is processed/handled, the better. We go through about 5-10 gallons of tomatoes per week. We use most of them by making a simple sauce consisting of garlic, oregano, and salt, which is why we try to use the best tomatoes from the beginning, as each ingredient is important. We simmer that just enough to get the flavors cohesive. From that point, it may get used in a variety of dishes as simple as our Polpettes with Pomodoro Sauce to Pasta Amatriciana to Calamari Ripieni filling. It's a long list, so the fact the skins are removed beforehand, and the sheer volume is why we use canned tomatoes versus fresh tomatoes."

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Flora

Lots of Spanish cuisine depends on tomato-based sofrito as a base of flavor to build upon, and at Atlanta's Iberian Pig, chef Josué Peña has been known to open a can or two in his cooking career. "I don't necessarily have one particular favorite. I learned early on to always go for DOP [Denominazione di Origine Protetta] San Marzanos," the chef says. "Flora brand is one that I have seen consistently around Atlanta, but I like to try different varieties."

Peña loves to use whole canned tomatoes in sauces. "I figure I can manipulate the item as I see fit for the recipe, but for spaghetti pomodoro, always! But they're also great for stews, sofrito, and for viscosity in sauces."