UPDATE a Ragu Traditional versus Prego - Page 3

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

I haven used the marinara in Rao's. I have so much of the arrabbiata sauce I am set. It is expensive, and when I make sauce I use 3 jars plus add ins. So I bought case which reduces the cost by 2.00@ per jar.

italy produces the best tomatoes in the world, imo. You cant beat Cento or other Italian brands. Their tomatoes are all heirloom. Most of Europe doesnt allow gmo or altering food. So i would think any italian tomato sauce is good, or at least made with italian tomatoes as a base.

Mindy D · ‎05-23-2010

@hennypenny wrote:
One needs to be so careful now when buying foods.
Big corporations buy out wonderful small companies and make huge changes.
Most of the pork companies we know are now owned by the Chinese. The Chinese are buying up many of our food companies.
We try to buy from local farms, but it is not always possible.

This giant Chinese tomato processing company has clients worldwide. These companies, even in the U.S. and Italy, are buying the tomato base in giant drums, importing this into their home country and using this Chinese base in their products under their well known labels. The names of the companies were not revealed and these companies are not shouting their sources out from the roof tops. The Chinese base can contain other ingredients besides tomatoes. The base can be stored and reconstituted by the companies using it in their products.

proudlyfromNJ · ‎05-01-2010

@stevieb wrote:
As for Rao's, who knows, maybe I got the 'new' sauce. I bought three jars of it based on the rave reviews, but won't be buying more when they're gone. I did try the tomtao basil too and while I did prefer it to the marinara, neither of them was outstanding in my view. I guess we all have different taste buds. I do, though, like some of their soups.

@stevieb They have changed the recipe from awhile ago. It used to have I think just about three ingredients. It has more now. I still like it better than the others.

hennypenny · ‎03-10-2010

@Mindy D , it really terrifies me.

You think you are buying quality products grown and processed here and then find that they are not.

I wish there were more controls on how and where food products are made.

Or at least give us the information so we can make informed decisions.

chiclets · ‎07-01-2012

As Frank Sinatra said, and I believe it was mentioned in The Godfather, the secret to a good tomato sauce is to add sugar. It negates the acidity.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@shoekitty wrote:
@qbetzforreal wrote:
I make my own sauce. It's easy- canned crushed tomatoes (no salt) garlic, onion, basil, olive oil and seasonings.

I find jarred sauces with the exception of Rao's to be too sweet and high in sodium.
Shoekitty said There is no comparison to RAO'S, best ever! Love the arriabatta, the spicy one. I failed to spell it correctly I think. I bought a case a while back. Big investment lol The homemade taste of it. Americas kitchen voted it best. I had to try, and hooked ever since. I make a quick chicken caccitore with it, just add onion and olives

I love RAO'S sauce. I found it by accident on sale at Sam's Club a few years ago, tried it and went back and bought a ton, as they were discontinuing carrying it.

I can't bring myself to pay the grocery store prices for it, even on sale, and sadly my stash ran out long ago.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

Ugh, and as I read further down the thread, I see there is a change in RAO's sauces now? Oh boy, why can't they just leave things alone?

FranandZoe · ‎03-09-2010

I prefer Prego.

But when I couldn't find it a few months ago I bought Newma's Own Marinara. I thought it was terrible. Very sour taste.

MorningLover · ‎10-04-2015

chiclets wrote:
As Frank Sinatra said, and I believe it was mentioned in The Godfather, the secret to a good tomato sauce is to add sugar. It negates the acidity.

Instead of sugar, I add carrots. Carrots contain a lot of natural sugar, which counteracts the acid in the tomato sauce as it cooks.. We only eat homemade sauce at my house.

Lucky Charm · ‎03-09-2010

@Mindy D wrote:
@Lucky Charm wrote:
Had no idea that things were taken over like this. What the heck?

Jersey is known for their tomatoes. I can find organic ones at certain farmer's markets.

Otherwise I use Cento's Organic San Marzano canned tomatoes. They truly are a product of Italy.

@Lucky Charm @Yes, Cento's certified San Marzano Tomatoes are a product of Italy but the whole tomatoes contain citric acid so I can't use them. I can use Centos Crushed Tomatoes which are a product of the US and do not contain any citric acid. That is what I'll be back to using unless I'm using fresh tomatoes. I hope they haven't changed this product. Believe it or not some Italian companies are importing the Chinese tomato base and then putting their Italian label on products.

@Mindy D

I just pulled out a can of my Cento San Marzano Organic (peeled tomatoes). It's the whole tomato, but there is *juice/puree*, also.

(Am hoping the Chinese junk isn't in the puree!)

Any ways, citric acid isn't listed in the ingredients. Is that where you are seeing it with these different brands? Because it's defininely not listed on my can. I probably sound like a dummy, if citric acid isn't usually a listed ingredient!

One thing noted on the can is *Find My Field*, you can trace your can and where in the Sarnese Nocerino region it came from.

I know some will only use the D O P San Marzano tomatoes, and Centos does have them, but they don't come in organic. I'd much rather have the organic. For anything.

Ingredients:

Organic San Marzano Whole Peeled Tomatoes

Organic San Marzano Puree

Salt

Organic Basil Leaf