Pro Chefs Taste Test Every Supermarket Marinara Sauce | Epicurious
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2023
- Chefs Silvia Barban, Hillary Sterling, and Glenn Rolnick have a combined 90 years of experience making Italian food at a professional level. Today on Epicurious we’ve asked them to give us their no holds barred, unfiltered reviews of some prominent marinara sauce brands found on supermarket shelves. Which marinara sauce packs the most bang for your budget and which should you avoid at all costs?
Director - Paz Mendez Hodes
Director of Photography - Ben Dewey,
Director, Culinary Production - Kelly Janke
Producer - Sarah Burton
Culinary Producer - Kat Boytsova
Line Producer - Jennifer McGinity
Associate Producer - Shelby Boamah
Camera Operator - Caleb Weiss,
Camera Operator / Gaffer - Dave Castellano
Assistant Camera, Roberto Hererra
Audio - Rachel Suffian
Set Designer - Jordan Unverzagt
Production Assistant - Brianna Figueroa
Production Manager - Janine Dispensa
Production Coordinator - Elizabeth Hymes
Casting Producer - Vanessa Brown
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Should have been blind taste test..
yup
What's the point of a blind taste in this video?
@@mashrafi_27 Because their reactions are influenced by the perceived quality of the product based on branding, packaging and past experiences. Blind taste tests often reveal suprising results, while in this video, the higher prices pretty consistently translate to a better verdict.
@@DangerSquigglesthey hated the expensive one though?
Yup
Definitely should’ve been a blind independent taste test. Knowing the brand and talking together influenced their opinions.
Definitely.
professional chefs don't need to
yes they do..@@nafvol5053
@@nafvol5053 It wouldn't matter to me if I knew the brands, since I've not tried most of them.
100% correct. even if they didn't do it intentionally, subconscious bias can have a big influence
I love hearing the same 4-second music clips played 50 times.
This made me laugh. Glad I'm not alone
😂
Ha ha It didn't bother me til I read this then I was like Yeah!
THANK YOU. This overused music cue was so distracting that any content was lost on me. I couldn't finish the video ... like bad pasta sauce.
@13:58 "The tomatoes have a very... tomatoey flavor." Spoken like a true pro.
Should have done a blind taste test with no labels. Should put chefs in separate room so Sterling isn't influencing everyone. And certainly tasting 55 different sauces in the same day must have affected their palette as they went on.
CORN BOTS BIG MAD LOL
Yep! Here’s your sign😂
Their own sauces should have been included in a blind taste test. It would have been fun to see them criticize one another, and where they would end up in the rankings.
Plus then it gives a constant so we know where they're at. Like they say they make Italian food but they're taste testing Americanized versions of sauces? I'll agree most of these aren't great, but price point matters as well. The things they cook I'm sure are a lot more expensive.
Mutti is awful.. I was so disappointed.. I love all Mutti tomato products but the sauce tastes like it’s burnt!! Too much oregano! No oregano should be in marinara!!
I don't get the love for Mutti either. Yuck.@@debrastock352
The jar sauce is only a starting point. You must doctor it up with tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms and meat of course. Also seasonings.
Then do your own youtube.
In Denmark we have a series of "The best of the cheapest", where a chef blind tastes all the cheap ones, with a few expensive ones mixed in, to find the best of the cheapest. Could be a great idea for this.
Read top comment
that would be great to watch
How do i find this series?
Haha, det var sjovt nok præcis hvad tænkte på. En blind test, hvor de hver især skriver en karakter fra 1-10 skjult på et stykke papir ville være bedre.
Yeah we don’t like great ideas hence the video.
This video made me happy that they chose Rao's Sauce, We use Rao's sauce whenever I don't make a pot of homemade sauce. I am looking forward to trying the other two sauces now as well. I feel like these chefs were totally on point. Thank you for sharing this with us.
" I could have two spoons..." the highest compliment! I really enjoyed this video!
They don’t give out spoons at restaurants these days, only 2 forks and a knife. If, you’re even lucky to get silverware :p. Napkins are optional :D.
Without a blind taste-test, this can easily be classified as a commercial for more expensive pasta sauces.
I disagree. They are more expensive because they source better and fresher ingredients. The cheaper sauces are using pastes, purees, dried herbs, acid & sugar to add/mask flavor. The more expensive ones use better tomatoes so they don’t have to do all that. Costs more but sooo much tastier.
@@mykki.d - If it’s not blind, it’s not accurate. I’ve seen plenty of taste-test fool the experts when they couldn’t see the label. That’s not to say that cheap is better or on par with the more expensive sauces but, there are plenty of expensive sauces that are over priced.
@@chrisjenkins9978 i disagree, they use to have a series called price point, and almost without fail, the expert could guess which were more expensive. with food, for the most part you really do get what you pay for.
@@mykki.d It avoids confirmation bias, I think you're missing the point.
@@chrismyco7950 - At a certain level, you can find products that are priced fairly but, there are plenty of products that aren’t worth the price. I once drank a bottle of expensive whiskey that was given to me by an acquaintance who didn’t drink whiskey. The taste was average but, the bottle was fancy. Since I didn’t purchase it, I was a little curious about how much it cost. While doing a beer-run at the corner liquor store, during a party, I saw the same bottle displayed behind the counter. It was $1000.00 bottle of whiskey. I thought to myself, what a ripoff. 😅
Did they really need 1 jar per person lol
Such a waste lmao
Glad I'm not the only one who thought that
Was looking for this comment. Like cmon why waste so much
Sweetie do you think they throw this away afterwards? Conde Nast is not wasting a cent on these, they will get reused or fed to employees lmao.
I wondered about that, too. But I’m guessing they needed to get the first whiff of a just opened jar to analyze and evaluate the aroma profiles. It’s the only explanation I can think of, and it kind of makes sense.
I like Ragu' sauces ; then, I add McCormick Grinder Peppercorn trio, Walmart garlic powder, Walmart Onion Powder, Walmart mushroom stems and pieces, and sometimes a small amount of Sriracha and a small amount of Walmart-brand mayonnaise, turmeric, and paprika. Years ago, used Prego, then went to Ragu' when the Prego prices went up. Also add black olives at times.
I love how chefs are also chemists. Remarkable!
I love Raos!
😄😄😄
I doubt they are. More like just using buzz words.
Raos is consistently my favorite jarred sauce so I'm not surprised it was rated so high. I'll have to try Mutti.
I loved this, but the music was grating after a while (and I'm reaaaaally patient lol)
Have you tried their pasta ,soups or frozen meals? They're all awesome.
Raos is awesome. A little pricey but worth it as it uses the least ingredients compared to other sauces.
I agree on the music. Too much! The verdict, ok. But the rest of the time? Nope.
😂 you just saved me 17 mins. I’m in the grocery store
Try Victoria's sauce. I love Raos, I ate it for years, and I still do buy it when it's on sale, but Victoria's is better in my opinion. It's usually around the same price point unfortunately, but worth it.
Fun to watch and I liked the range of tomato sauces tasted. However, I’m taking the results with a grain of truffle sea salt. A blind taste test with their tomato sauces included would have been interesting.
yea as great as it was to hear their perspectives I wonder if brand and ingredient list affects their decisions. Kind of like judges of cook shows that watch how the food is being made like they all of a sudden can taste every small detail that it took to make the meal. Blind taste test is always better to get a pure unaltered judgement imo
Even a bad homemade sauce is better than jarred sauce
Agreed.
@@dantethunderstone2118 Totally. I actually use Mutti chopped tomatoes when making my own sauce, so it was interesting to see their pasta sauce coming out on top. I'll cook the chopped tomatoes down a bit to remove some of the water so you don't get that separation, but I don't add much else to it. Some seasoning, olive oil and garlic, maybe some fresh basil, but never dried herbs.
Thank you for this review! First I’m not a chef but I do love to make homemade sauce but sometimes I need to just get something cooked and get the kids fed. I’ve tried a lot of these but I’m definitely trying the top three now!
We made this, it was fantastic. Thank you for sharing. ^_^ My Mom used to say it tasted different than what she remembered eating growing up, but always chalked it up to her tastebuds changing. Will have to show her this video!
I love this format! But I do think the music is a little bit too intense and breaks up the flow of watching the video
It seems a bit like supercell 's game.
Agreed. There was no need for music in this video.
The music made this video completely unbearable
They want to be theatrical like Iron Chef.
The montages of chefs eating spoonfuls of marinara sauce out of jars while an epic orchestral sting plays over it for the 90th time was unintentionally very funny.
0:21 Bertolli
2:20 Ragu
3:59 Rao's
5:34 Trader Joe's
6:58 Carbone
8:49 Prego
10:10 365 Whole Foods Market
11:49 Newman's Own
13:25 Mutti
14:49 Classico
15:51 Judges' picks for top 3
16:15 Number 3
16:26 Number 2
16:39 Number 1
THANKS
Why did you put this?
@@CheapsKate77
Casual information, entertainment, probably.
Its an index...... @@CheapsKate77
@@CheapsKate77helps people navigate the video to find exactly what they are looking for instead of sitting through everything
My go to jar sauces are Ragu and Classico whichever is cheaper when I'm at the market. Otherwise it is canned tomato (crushed or diced) with garlic, onion and basil.
Fantastic comprehensive comparisons. Thank you for this!
After 35 years of cracking open jars of pasta sauce, this summer I discovered the simple deliciousness of making homemade sauce with tomatoes grown in my garden. Mind blowing!
Marinara sauce has to be the easiest to make.Make it with fresh ingredients and to your taste.
Absolutely! Fresh plum tomatoes make the best sauce!
I agree...it is the best!
happy to hear this,its so easy,I just did a video today about pantry staples I keep, I get a 28oz can for $1 there is no way im paying lidia or raos or michale of brookyn $9. I do confess I keep some ragu for emergancy pizza and stuff lol.
@@lisaspikes4291 never tried plum tomatoes but I make mine with canned San Marzano tomatoes. Soffrito and red wine and herbs. I can't go back to canned sauce after I learned to make my own.
The dramatic music makes it sounds like those sauce are getting life sentence verdicts 😂
It ruins the video
You are funny.😅
A whole orchestra for sauces?
They kinda are. lol
@@RookieBlunders Every cooking program has epic movie score music and it's just hilariously stupid and unfitting
Thank you, because I've been looking for the best sauce for me and I've been experimenting with different ones and they were mostly too bland. But the best I've found was the Newmans own. I will try the Mutti next. Hopefully my search can finally be over.
Who’s watching this late at night and ready to go downstairs and make some pasta!
I did.
Would have loved a follow up video: 3 Italian chefs teach the viewers their own take on Marinara Sauce.
theres already one with chef lish
@@Epicuriousofficial Scaaaammmmmm
They’re not exactly Italian chefs, are they? I think that only one of them is really Italian.
Ha ha or critic each other's in a blind taste test with $3-7 dollars
And then watch as they put in more than 3 ingredients for "flavour" LOL
Used to buy Newman's but the first time I tried Raos I was blown away. So much flavor, it's been my preferred store sauce since. I'll keep an eye open for Mutti. My mother was German, but she made the best sauce I've tasted.
i heard the Campbells is buying Rao's.. hope they don't ruin it
@@Wendy-ov5hu Oh no!
Newman's went downhill after Paul died and his company fired his daughters.
I see Muttin at Kroger once during there tests of Italy 10$ a jar no thanks
Yes definitely try Mutti. It is the best I’ve ever had
Thank you, Epicurious, for doing this taste test. I am a consumer who buys pasta sauce and usually I stick with what I'm familiar with. I will not name the sauces that I usually purchase but they were in your group and they did NOT wind up in the top three! LOL I have seen Rao's in the stores and almost bought it once. I don't remember why I changed my mind. I have never tried heard of Mutti or Newman's Own pasta sauces. (I use Newman's Caesar dressing for my salads!) Thanks for the educational lesson in here as well. When you know better, you do better! 👍🍝
I have loved Bertolli for years and thought it was a giant leap above Ragu and Prego. When hearing about the fennel in Newman's Own, I was excited to try it, since fennel is used in pepperoni. Unfortunately, the only kind of Newman's Own I could find is the "new and improved recipe" ...without fennel.😔🤨
Enjoyed this! The one thing that I found distracting was how it used the same orchestral sound effect 3x per sauce. Maybe varying up the sounds a little would make it easier to get into :)
Yeah that sort of thing maybe works in a full episode of reality TV where the musical stings are stretched further apart. Not so much when it's every five seconds.
Agreed, also the sound mastering made it so that the musical interludes were much louder than the dialogue. My partner came into the room and asked me to turn it down, bc he was hearing the same repeated interlude, but I couldn’t hear the dialogue.
Also, while I’m here, I thought it was funny that they ragged on Ragu for having a smooth blended texture, but then gave Rao praise for their “smooth, consistent texture”
yeah sound mixing has always been a bit of an issue with epicurious 😢 the worst is when they play people's mouth sounds super loud for no reason
Sad trombones when the sauce was bad. Wa-waaaaah
Yes, this and the continual scrolling of huge text was my only complaint about this video.
We aren't idiots - the format is obvious and doesn't need to be reinforced like it's a terrible food network reality tv show.
sorry ragu is my go to, i grew up eating it when my family didnt have the means, and now i have the means i still eat it because it brings me back to my childhood and to me thats priceless! to each its own. food is beautiful!
I'm with you on that. My mom used it and now she's gone so making her sauce brings back memories.
@@rickdaystar477 at the end of the day its all about the small stuff that adds up that counts!
@@alexlim1275 Roger that alex, gotta enjoy the things that comfort you in these times of insanity 👍
Same here. I fry up some meatballs and Italian sausage and then dump in a bottle of Ragu and I think it has the best flavor.
Same. It's my favorite to use as a base. I doubt the cook in this vid even seasoned it. Looks like they heated it up only
I am searching for a store-bought pizza sauce until I can begin making my own for my homemade pan pizza. This was VERY informative. Thankyou! ☺
I always wonder how a person can be surprised that a $7.00 jar of sauce has better ingredients than a $2.00 jar. For a family that's a huge difference. Judging within price tiers would make more sense.
I've tried $6~7 a jar sauce and they do not taste 2~3x better than $2 a jar store brand or Ragu.
They tested a bunch of brands I've never seen, and they didn't even include Hunt's... cheapest sauce out there but not bad IMO. I guess because it comes in a can not a jar? It's still "jar spaghetti sauce".
@@pb68slab18it tastes 2-3x better when you want tomato sauce instead of sugar.
@@pb68slab18 Make your own. In under 30 minutes, you can have a $7 using less than $2 in ingredients. Personally, I can't stand the cheap sauces and don't have the money for the expensive sauces.
@@EmilyGOODEN0UGH Hunts is just water with some ketchup squirted in
Yes and at $7 jar, my parents would have had to feed us by drawing straws 😮
😂
Costco 😮 And kids don't know the difference. High end sauce saves me the time of making my own. My time is worth more than $7 an hour, and I am retired
I agree. however, if you want quality over quantity but not paying a restaurant 15 bucks a plate... this is the inbetween..
You 3 are great consultants. The 3 of you should collaborate again and make your own marinara sauce brand and show everyone how it's done. I'd definitely buy it.
We have been using Rao for a couple of years now, ever since I asked my nephew to go pick up some marinara sauce for me, wow that was a game changer. I just added the Mutti sauce to my list to try.
I live in Italy, I had some Sicilians staying with me they really like their food, they put some olive oil in a frying pan , put chopped onion and tomatoes in the pan, cooked for a few minutes till the tomato were done and put cooked spaghetti in the pan mixed it together put on plates and eat, I like it that way do it the same
The best food is always the simplest
@@fastcoffee9878That’s not remotely true.
@@jamespohl-md2eq you must be a julia child fanboy
@@jamespohl-md2eqcmon....it's not remotely true?
It's often true.
I’m half Italian and that’s how i make my pasta too 👉🏼
My biggest complaint, as with most foods, is how SWEET things are. I don't want _sugar_ in my tomato sauce, or bread, or soup, or countless other things. I won't do ragu or prego because they're just red sugar.
American foods have crazy amounts of sugar in them. It's nuts.
@@jmerridew124
It's insane! Even if you get "low sugar" foods, all they've done is replaced the sugar wth artificial sweeteners, which actually makes the food even sweeter than before, AND it less healthy! Unbelievable.
Ragu makes a no sugar added sauce now. It's a big improvement.
I've noticed that the same thing is going on with certain pizza places like Papa John's, Pizza Hut, and a few others where their sauce tastes so sweet. I don't want sweet savory pizza; if I want a sweet pizza, then I'd make or buy a dessert pizza and not put meat on it.
the artificial sweeteners leave a bitter taste on my tongue for hours. i wont buy anything with natural flavors. it usually fake sugar @@Aeroldoth3
Chef confidently showing us the way he spelled "recommend" is the best part of the vid 6:55 😂
This was great! We need more of this kind of content on youtube.
Except for the intrusive music slams every few seconds, a rare delight to watch. I see a lot of "cooking" shows, but I rarely see people who know food and know how to taste food providing honest opinions. This is a very useful video. As for the music, tone it down; this is utube, not Hollywood!
Who Wants to Be a Marinara?
Yes, music was too much. Especially since it was same each time. Arggh.
Hated the music
Yes. Whoever decided to add that dramatic music between each part of the testing needs to be fired.
I'm confused why everything was marinara sauce EXCEPT Ragu, Prego, and Classico. All of those brands have products labeled "Marinara", but were not the items tasted here.
How dare you question their 90 years of experience 😂
lol no kidding I really don't believe these people are real chefs. What made me highly skeptical is in the beginning the first chef said let's talk about the "added citric acid", but the USDA makes canning companies do this to ensure the food isn't spoiled, NOT for taste. Yeah they're bogus.
@@kalidilerious ...Except none of the other ones have that as a listed ingredient?
@@Tinil0 That's because they got the acid high enough for canning or just used a different acid besides citric. The USDA requires 4.8ph for canning I think.
Trader Joe's, too.
If I am in a hurry and can't make my own, Mutti is always my go-to. However, sitting next to it on the shelf at my local grocery is Rao's, which I have never tried before. Time to give them a chance, I think.
I always use bottled sauce and people always think it's homemade. I'm curious what real cooks think about it. This is the perfect idea for a food show. 😍😍
So which bottle sauce 🤔
Sure, as long as it’s not a lot of watery sauce and has a tomato smell :)
What's most impressive is that they all made it through with unsplattered white shirts.
TV magic
I noticed Rao’s when it first hit the shelves. It was more expensive than everything else. I was never a fan of the bland jarred sauce and it was easy to tell Rao’s had a better flavor than the others. The oil is noticeable in the jar.
If you throw in a few fresh tomatoes with a jar of raos too and mix in... Tastes perfect!!
michaels of brooklyn outdoes it
@@JavierJimenez-kn2ob But I have never seen Michael’s sauce. I am on the west coast.
sprouts carries it for me, I live on the wc too@@patton67
As a Rao’s enjoyer I felt very vindicated
I happen to like Classico. I've been buying it for many years. I add garlic powder, mushrooms and black olives.
Thank you for your input! Greatly appreciated!
I've never tried Mutti's (I'll keep an eye out for it) but I've been using Rao's for years now and I think it's amazing. Yes it's expensive but as soon as you taste it you'll know exactly why.
The only difference is that it's thicker lol prove me wrong
I was a pretty big fan of the raos garlic marinara. You may want to try adding a splash of alessi raspberry wine vinaigrette. I can vouch that it is quite amazing
Don't bother trying Mutti's..... They said it is best because it is most expensive and trendy and they want to seem hip.
@@skillcoileryeah they seemed more genuinely impressed by the Rao's but voted for Mutti
For that price ..lol MAke your own !
They either all like it or all dislike it. Makes it seem like it's more important that they agree with each other rather than giving their own unique thoughts.
Makes me wonder....
If their pros they should have the same opinion in a way but then again
It's all scripted. They don't have unique thoughts.
Or they are all professionals, and mass marketed items are meant to be as palatable as possible to as many people as possible. There is nothing interesting about these red sauces that would be of note.
It's not hard to agree that Rao's is better than Ragu.
🎉 Paul Newman’s! 🎉 I SO AGREE! I was hoping you’d include it! It’s outstanding imho. We got completely hooked on it and now we can’t find it. We are sad. However, Costco carries Raos and thanks to you 3 I may try it. You covered so many, I really appreciate this!
Yea, we like Paul Newman’s too! Now we keep hearing that Cambells bought them out. Not sure when/if the jar I have falls under Canpbel? I like Rao’s and Bertolli too.
Newman's tomato basil sauce is my fave. Like it better than Rao's
I think I trust their experience and lack of subjectivity in tasting these sauces without blindfolds.
Prego - when life gives you tomatoes, make lemonade.
lol funny. tbh I haven't had prego since I was really young
Try Prego Farmers Market. It is the best for me, pure tomatoes taste, no suggar.
I remember growing up on Prego and never through it was sweet. Then my family switched to Aldi’s tomato basil sauce and Prego tastes crazy sweet
Yes, Prego is too sweet.
They kept changing their recipes to actually ADD more sugar. Classico has recently joined this disturbing trend, much to their detriment. They used to be better.
Same deal...was raised on Prego and ate nothing else for decades. Then I got hooked on Mid's pasta sauces and tried Prego again...super duper sweet. Like eating tomato-flavored sugar.
Prego meat sauce very balanced and not overly sweet tho agree that others are
All we had was Prego and Ragu, and everything else was too expensive or hoity toity for the family. Chunky Prego was the best of the two, flavor and texture wise, but it was always very sweet.
I now usually buy Bertole as my standby, I like the texture and the balance of sour ans sweet, but I get that it isn't going to be the same as the sauces that cost three times as much.
Rao’s sensitive formula marinara is my favorite. I can’t stand how much seasoning regular marinara sauces have, and that one just hits the spot for my taste buds.
Every since I had Rao's the first time I could NEVER go back to Ragu or Prego or any of the other red sugars. It's a little more expensive, but the simple real ingredients list is what stood out. Glad to see the chefs enjoyed it and I'll have to keep an eye out for Mutti now.
Ragu is the worst.
this is my EXACT experience!! i tried rao's cause my tattoo artist mentioned it. i've had prego and ragu all my life but now i can't stand the idea of it. i like rao's tomato basil sauce lol
Tell me about it. I constantly was cutting the sweet taste with Apple cider vinegar. 😐
Yep. Can't go back to the cheap sauce once you've had Rao's Arrabbiata!
same. Even when it comes to pasta, I pick Rao's over anything else
I fell in love with Rao when I made my first batch of pasta with it. I don't buy anything else for a while. When I tried to save a buck by rebuying the cheaper option, I only then noticed the ketchup-like sweetness on those sauces. A few months later, I found that my dad was obsessed with Rao when I found an empty jar at his house. I haven't tried Mutti, I guess I'll shop around.
My parents started buying mutti canned tomatoes a few years ago and they’re by far the best brand of canned tomatoes I’ve tried. I’m going to have to try the sauce too
San Marzanos are the best canned tomatoes hands down...forever.
You gotta try “Jersey Italian Gravy”!
It will change your life and is way better than Rao’s!
I don’t use any of that add sugar
It always down to personal taste and I could not possibly care less what "pro chefs" think, but episodes like this are still interesting to watch.
Fabulous job!You confirmed what I thought!
I'm consistently impressed with Newman's own products, they are my go to
Ditto!
Me too !
Salad dressings... not so much.
I miss the mushroom marinara Newman's Own used to sell. Nowadays I like Rao's arrabbiata with its nice kick.
Sockarooni
Raos Arrabiata sauce is my go-to. That sauce packs so much flavor and punch. It's better than a lot of restaurant sauces, which is why I use it.
I like Raos too, or Mezzetta Arrabiata sauce, sometimes labeled “spicy marinara”
Roas Arrabiata seasoned with red pepper flakes and spicy Italian sausage
Rao’s used to make an Eggplant Sauce which was my favorite, but for some reason I no longer find it on the shelves. Their Arrabiata sauce is now my second favorite. I recently tried Mutti, and I agree with them, it is probably my favorite sauce now, with Rao’s Arrabiatta a close second.
Arrabiata is delicious, They just nail the perfect amount of heat.
So enjoyable but disappointed Victoria Brand wasn't reviewed. Thank you so much for your video 🇮🇹
Nice to see these chefs validating our favorite sauce - Newman's Own!
I just switched over to Rao's after more than a decade of prego. I'm so so happy I decided to try it. It tastes like a marinara should! And the way it binds to the pasta is just 🤌 I tried their tomato basil and wasnt really a fan. Their classic one is the best. But their roasted garlic flavor is also decent...but when I used it I had also seasoned the meat with a blend of SPG and it was a bit overpowering. But I love garlic, so it really wasn't that bad. Still, their classic sauce is everything it should be. I get excited for spaghetti night now. The Mutti isn't available at my store, otherwise i would try it.
Thank you for this video! I'm trying to ramp up my cooking knowledge and skills after a lifetime of cooking budget foods for a family of six -- now just me and my husband. This helped me immensely.
Me too. I wouldn't pay for Rao's because it's like double the cost of Prego, but now I'm definitely going to try it out.
Sometimes it's nice to get better products and maybe just not use as much so it still feeds all of us. We're a family of six too.
This type of show is great for us so we don't waste our money on more expensive products that just aren't worth it.
Unlike a lot of people apparently, I actually enjoy that they were together. It makes it a discussion and probably allowed us to get more into what makes or breaks a sauce. If i just wanted a ranking in sure there's 100 ranking blogs.
Yes. I agree.
They can discuss their individual opinion even with a blind test. Everything you mentioned can be done after a blind test.
@@Rhaspun I never said it couldn't...
This fun fun to watch! Thanks!😋
Discovered Mutti about two years ago. Game changer. Love it and I will only buy their cans of chopped tomatoes when I’m making my own sauce.
Lose the gameshow music trying to create a sense of drama
Thhannkk youu
You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I usually make my own sauce (I'm sure the chefs wouldn't be impressed with it, but it's what I grew up eating). Sometimes, time restraints make me buy jarred sauces. I've tried and been very disappointed by Ragu and Prego, but there are so many out there, that I don't want to waste money trying them all. This video helps me immensely!
Maybe I should try Rao...but for years my preferred has been Prego mushroom pasta sauce. I melt a little butter and saute a bit of minced garlic in the pan before adding the sauce, mix it together, and it's delicious. But I do prefer natural ingredients, so maybe I should give Rao a try. I like natural peanut butter much better, too. I only eat Adam's, because it's the only brand I've found that only has peanuts and salt in the recipe.
Should have been a blind tasting with a score sheet, then the decanting and reading the ingredients and talking
Would have preferred each chef judge separately, them being grouped together will inevitably influence their commentary. Plus I wanted to see if they had a common consensus. Also blind taste test would've also been more interesting.
Would have taken forever to film though
No surprise they picked the 3 most expensive ones. An honorable mention for the best of the "budget" sauces would have been nice.
In my experience, only store brands are worth considering if your budget is under $5, or else they are just pure sugar. For a name brand, Newman's Own seems to fit the budget bill pretty well.
The $8 one was the most expensive, and was reviewed poorly.
Newman's Own is less than $3/jar
Isn't Rao's the most expensive one? @@animesoul167
@@Waccoon In my experience, a food is worth considering until you try it and judge it's taste on it's taste and not on what the ink on the label looks like.
I appreciate this taste test... I've been searching for the perfect sauce forever! Nothing compares to my Auntie Esthers (not related, though 😢) sauce... and her meatballs were something on another level... sadly, I was very young, so I never knew her recipe... and I have no relatives of my own... if anyone has a decent authentic ITALIAN GRAVY recipe, please share with me... Thank you!! ❤
Now I gotta buy the top three and try em for myself to see. I grew up with ragu and can see what they say about the watered down affect because literally it's like eating spaghetti soup sometimes
When on sale I buy tons of RAO pasta and pizza sauce.
Definitely should have been a blind test.
For part 2 include some Michael's of Brooklyn sauce.
I tend to avoid anything labelled "Brooklyn". Promises, promises, Brooklyn.
@@fp5495 Yep...
@@fp5495no clue what that means, but Michael's is actually made and jarred at a restaurant in Brooklyn named Michael's.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I grew up having my beautiful Mom doctoring up traditional Ragu. :)
I first tried Mutti last year when i saw this on sale in with the higher priced sauces section. The color looked bright and what the heck after years of making my own i thought I'd give it a try. Now I buy it 2 or 3 jars at a time. The price is always reasonable and the ingredients are few so nothing is overwhelming the sauce. I even keep at least 2 or 3 jars in my emergency box. I agree with it winning the test 100%. If you see this in your local store, I highly recommend you try it. 😊
Rao's or Victoria is my go to for jarred pasta sauce. And when I add my basil, it is the last thing I add, I don't cook it. I tear the leaves in the sauce after I turn off the heat and let the sauce sit for about 15 minutes.
i like victorias, too, but it's high in sodium.
Another Victoria fan here! Their Fradiavolo sauce is our emergency jar when I don't have time to make sauce.
Raos for me
Rao's for me. I love everything in their product line. Their Lasagne is wonderful.
agreed
I'm not paying almost $7 for sauce
I tried one of their frozen dinners and it was awful
Have you tried the pizza?
Rao's Italian Wedding soup in a glass jar was the best I've had...sorry Auntie 🤭
It's just insane the top three sauces at the end get covered by pop-ups of ads for videos to watch next.
I think the reason I buy Ragu, is because of the price.
When you live on limited budget, you're only looking for something cheap that you can pour on my pasta on a Tuesday night. And feed the kids.
I'm not inviting a famous chef to our meal.
Really like this idea but in my opinion I think it was executed incorrectly. You should have had a blind test tasting. Perceived brand recognition influences heavily.
I bought some Mutti a week or so ago and looking forward to trying it. I've been using their canned tomatoes for my own sauces (Amatriciana, Puttanesca) and really like them so even before seeing this I had high hopes.
U won't be disappointed
that's what the Italians told me to get in Italy. I won't ever get anything else
What a great idea to eat the pasta cold at first to see the consistency of ingredients. TFS people !
I wish they would have included Aldi's Simply Nature Organic Marinara. Clean ingredients and wonderful flavor at a fantastic price!
The overly dramatic music cues are annoying. Reminds me of cheap reality tv.
I appreciate this test as I sometimes fall back on commercial sauce when the fam wants pasta, but we don't have time. Hopefully, jars were shaken prior to tasting. Thanks for sharing. -John
Prego is my favorite. Yes thank you, best tomato paste I've ever had. ❤️
I like the thickness of Prego. This is what I use when I make my lasagna. And one thing I can't stand, is a loose watery meat sauce.
I also prefer a thick sauce. I often make my own with crushed tomatoes.
Yes, thank you! I used to make my own sauce but after tasting Prego at a friend's house it's been my go to sauce. ❤
Prego is the only sauce that won't give me heartburn.
I love the new sugar free 'Ragu Simply' made with olive oil. Great taste!! 😋😋
Not a fan of super chunky sauces myself, I much prefer more of a puree. I will often take an small immersion blender to smooth it out.
I completely agree, I prefer smooth. Mutti is my favorite sauce brand and they also have a sauce that's completely smooth, not like the one in the video. It's delicious.
I love the Bertolli Organic line, especially the olive oile, basil, and garlic flavor. It tastes very fresh, has a little bit of chunk, and it's not too sweet.
I agree. They did Bertolli dirty. Plus something they complained about in it, they praised in another. Kinda pretentious
@@robertkcisaw7528 Uhh, that's because too much of one thing without a way to balance the taste can end up ruining a sauce. But it would be interesting for them to try the other flavors put out by brands. Bertolli is OK and it's OK to like it even if some chefs do not (they didn't hate it).
Yaaasss! I intend to stick with Bertolli organic...I'm happy with it ,, not switching.😊
Epicurious: ALWAYS finish your pasta in the sauce!
Also Epicurious: Does taste test with sauce dabbed onto virgin spaghetti.
One thing I do with pasta sauce in the grocery store is turn the jar upside down. It may taste great, but if it won't cling to the glass, I don't expect it will cling to pasta, either.
Mezzetta tomato and basil is my go-to sauce in a jar if I don't feel like making it. It's pretty cost effective and the ingredients are pretty simple.
This is the one!
This is why I blend a pair of sauces together and shake well before opening the jars. The pair i mix are the Aldi's brand Meat sauce and the Tomato, Garlic and Basil sauce.
Prego is an emergency go to in my house and so was hunts garlic and herb flavored tomato sauce in a can. I’m waiting on them to tell me which one to use next.😂😂😂
I use Ragu, Tomato 🍅 Onion 🧅 and Basil 🌿! Just Doctor it up a little!
I've never seen mutti in my store. My go to jar sauce is Rao's. LOVE it! Roasted garlic, BOLOGNESE, marinara are my favorites. I also love just eating it out of the jar cold. I'm definitely going to have to look for mutti, if not in my store then Amazon.
I love Newmans salad dressings they taste less chemically and more fresh than other dressings. I'm excited to try newman's sauce!!