Canned Tomatoes

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https://www.cooksillustrated.com/taste_tests/231-canned-whole-tomatoes
CI's taste tests says that both San Marzano tomatoes and the D.O.P. certification itself are basically memes, and higher sugar content and lower Ph (more acidity) are what actually matters.
Do you agree? I'm inclined to believe them, if only because it makes me feel better after I found them in my grocery store today as I was browsing the aisle selling for more than double the price per ounce of the generic store-brand.

They also had this to say in their crushed variety roundup update from late last year:
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/371-tasting-crushed-tomatoes
>All canned tomatoes are heated to remove microorganisms and make them shelf-stable, but manufacturers can heat them either to between 160 & 185F (called a “cold break”) or to 200+F (a “hot break”). Cold-break processing hastens enzymatic activity that causes pectin in the tomato cells to break down, thus creating a thinner product—but one with fresher flavor.

>Hot-break processing deactivates the enzyme, so more pectin is retained and the tomato product is thicker, but it also destroys volatile aroma compounds, so the tomatoes taste more “cooked.” The choice comes down to manufacturer priorities: thickness or fresh flavor.

>Most manufacturers wouldn’t tell us if they use hot- or cold-break processing, but we were able to guess when we strained each product and saw the color of the drained liquid. Six of the cans yielded deep red liquid, suggesting that they’d been processed at higher temperatures (heating the fruit releases color pigments and results in darker red fruit and juice). The other two cans yielded bright gold liquid, suggesting that they were processed at lower temperatures.

>Our tasting offered further proof: Tomatoes in gold-colored juice tasted brighter and scored high marks for flavor, while those in deeper red juice tasted more cooked.

>>8531809

Tomato paste is garbage. It belongs in nothing. Canned whole tomatoes are the only acceptable choice when it comes to canned tomato products.

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>>8531816
Thanks for the reply.

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=38591.0
The folks on the Pizza forum seem to favor a brand based out of New Jersey called Sclafani. I'd have to order a case of them:
https://www.amazon.com/Sclafani-Whole-Peeled-Tomatoes-Ounce/dp/B00F9TCIPW/
Those guys know their pizza where tomato flavor is paramount so I would tend to favor their opinion. Anybody have experience with this variety or any other boutique brands?

>>8531815
That chart is shit, it doesn't even have any info on the sodium content. Obviously the Contadina would be at the ideal level but where do the rest rank?

>>8531809
I keep mostly whole peeled on hand because they're the most versatile, but sometimes it's nice to have them already prepared the way I want them. Diced is nice because I can just dump out the can rather than having to manually dice them up.

Paste is good for getting concentrated tomato flavor in a dish that you don't want to add a bunch of actual tomato to. Also it can be good for thickening some things a bit.

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The best that I have found. The ingredient list is short.

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>>8531830
The rest of their rankings are behind a paywall that I don't have subscription access to. Here, however is their tomato ingredient picks capped from the eBook of their 2017-edition of the compiled ATK cookbook.

>>8531849
Muir Glen was their #1 pick in both whole and completely pureed forms.

One more bump.

>>8531809
>...Because good, freshly ripened tomatoes are only available for a few months out of the year.
Neighbor grows in his basement year round, never have to buy canned tomatoes.

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i can my own by the bushel when they go for $.20/lb

>>8531828
I like the way the can looks but i didnt really find them to be anything special

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>>8531809
I like these.
Yeah, use paste quite frequently.