Where can I get a case of Italian canned tomatoes on the cheap?

[gisaster25]

It has dawned on me that mass market Canadian-made canned tomatoes are killing my should-have-been-delicious pasta sauces. I'm now hell-bent on getting my hands on a case or two of quality canned Italian tomatoes (whole or diced, doesn't matter). Where can I score such things on the cheap?

[gisaster25]

Lady York Foods hit the mark today. I picked up a case (12 x 796 ml cans) of Emma Italian Peeled Tomatoes for $11.88 (on sale till mid-September). Great store - I'll definitely be going back. I also picked up semolina flour so I can try my hand at making pasta. Thanks for your tips, folks.

-----
Lady York Foods
2939 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON , CA

[itryalot]

FYI - The Costco ones are called La San Marzano as a brand. I am pretty sure they are not imported though.

[sbug206]

You are wrong. I have a can in front of me and it's from the San Marzano region. They're simply missing the expensive San Marzano certification.

[itryalot]

Thanks for clarifying. Don't you find that that brand has a higher ratio of paste vs other brands (DOP)?

[sbug206]

Even if so, it's only $4 for a giant restaurant sized can.

[jayt90]

The can says imported from Italy.
I still have several of those large cans. They are slightly deceptive, but taste like San Marzano DOP. They are canned in the town of San Marzano, by a company called La San Marzano, but without the DOP they can come from other parts of Italy. No matter, they are plump, juicy, sweet, and non-seedy, just not as long and pointy as the real thing.

[h2o]

Lady York Foods
http://www.ladyyorkfoods.com/home.php

-----
Lady York Foods
2939 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON , CA

[gisaster25]

Thanks for your replies, guys. I'm not a Costco member so that's out, but I'll definitely check out No Frills and this wonderful-sounding Lady York Foods. Lady York's current flyer features Aurora canned tomato products. Does anyone know if Aurora uses imported tomatoes or Canadian... or is it delicious enough that this distinction doesn't matter? I recognize the label but don't think I've tried their products.

-----
Lady York Foods
2939 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON , CA

[Kagemusha]

Check the label. Several NoFrills around Mississauga just started carrying imported Italian brands, usually just under $2/can. Haven't tried them but they might be substantially better than the $1.49 Unico premium San Marzanos that aren't half bad.

[jayt90]

Highland Farms is selling one of their regular Italian brands at $.99 this week I think it was Bel Paese, usually $1.80.

-----
Highland Farms
850 Ellesmere Rd, Toronto, ON M1P, CA

[childofthestorm]

Costco has amazing giant cans of San Marzanos for like $3.99, they are HUGE. It's what I use for my sauce.

[South Carolina Girl]

I've seen the smaller cans of these at No Frills for about 85 cents

[Yongeman]

childofthestorm is talking about the brand called, 'La San Marzano' brand, in a 106 oz (3kg) tin. Is this the brand you saw at No Frills, SCG? They are quite good. I've also started to buy the 'Danielle' brand in a 6-pack at Costco. They're $6.99 for a case, I think. They aren't called 'San Marzano', but they have been excellent, if you only want to open a smaller amount for, say, topping a pizza. They are nicely ripe and squish easily to top a margherita pizza.

[childofthestorm]

Oh thanks for the review, I was wondering about those - I cracked one of the 106 oz cans to top a pizza and now my tiny freezer is jammed with the leftovers....