Watch Part 2: ruclips.net/video/VsUEavhSpEg/видео.html NOTE: I did mention it in the video but in case you missed it, Tara bought 12 jars and she picked 5. NOTE 2: This is our new kitchen in the same house. We shared all the details over the last 2 months on our Instagram. Follow us there for more behind the scenes. NOTE 3: I often wrongfully assume that the audience, meaning you, knows as much as I do. I have been cooking for over 30 years and like to think I know something about this subject. I hate making absolute statements. But if there is one hill I will die on it's dried basil and Italian seasoning. They will ruin your food. Every. Single. Time. If you don't believe me, find just one chef that disagrees with this. FRESH basil is nothing like dried. Ditto for parsley. They are both wonderful when fresh. There is an occasional instance where dried parsley can work (mixed into breadcrumbs for chicken cutlets) but dried basil and Italian seasoning will never work.
I saw a few other brands, not rated that I have my own opinions on. I’d be interested to see what you think. Also, FYI, it’s not pictured, but Barilla also makes a respectable jarred sauce that will do fine in a pinch.
Very enjoyable comparison video. The only (unwarranted) personal critique I would say is it would have been more interesting for the audience to know which sauces were in the running prior to tasting, and what each sauce was while you were giving the initial ratings describing the sauce. (Either by Mom showing the audience before each taste while you were both out of the room or with a simple copy overlay in the video.) The reveal would still be interesting in the end to see your reaction to your choices. Also, line them up in order of least fav to fav as you go for the end reveal. (And last hot take... Michael's of Brooklyn Sauce is even better than Rao's or Victoria. I'll show myself out now. ;) )
An interesting side category would have been “could you fix this sauce to make it a 10?” Sometimes in a rush I’ll start with a canned sauce and then add to it to improve on it.
Yeah, I find a lot of US jarred sauce too sweet because Americans prefer it. But they have to be balanced with garlic and/or onion, depending on what you're trying to turn it into.
I recommend Hunt's canned tomato sauce. It doesnt have chunks or spices added to it unless you buy a can specifically labeled that way, so you can dress it up however you like. It's not too sweet and it gets really intense and tangy (idk if that's the right word) the longer you cook and reduce it
well, if the mixture is a bit off then that's one thing. but when you're added massively way too much of an ingredient (sugar) to a recipe, one of the only ways you can fix it is just diluting it down. and quite frankly, i'm in the camp of "you should NEVER add sugar to a marinara sauce", so i question how much good you could do other then just starting over from scratch
I appreciate that you let your son explain himself and learn how to interpret and relate what he's tasting. It's a great skill to learn and will benefit him throughout his life.
I don't like seeing it. It's like forcing to try and demand that he have the taste buds of an adult. Children have completely different taste points and you see James just trying to please his father instead of being a kid. When dad isn't satisfied with an answer, he pushes him in a direction and you see James feel like his ratings didn't match his dad enough and has to adjust it to please his dad. Their scores shouldn't be the same at the age differences. So it's sad to see the kid not just be able to be a kid and answer as a kid and honestly. Dad even talks at the end about how when he was a kid and enjoy sweet sauces because he was a kid, but here's a kid not seeming to be able to be honest, but instead feeling he has to agree with his dad. There's no disagreeing allowed in this family.
Watched the whole thing. As a father myself, it's really special to include your kid and let him speak his mind the way you do. Great job editing, there were no content dead zones 👍 I've been making my own sauce for the last 8 years and will never go back to jarred. It's either complete trash or way too overpriced for mediocrity.
It's like an SNL skit. His son only agrees with what his Dad says, changes his answers. Nice to include the kiddo in here but it kind of invalidates the process.
I actually didn't like the way dad overrode the kid's opinions. Kind of invalidated his opinions. Not cool. Not seen or heard of this guy before, it just landed in my feed.
This dad’s doing a lot of good things here, I wouldn’t want to overshadow that with minor criticism. But when the dad disagrees with the son a couple times, dad explains to his son why his explanation is more correct, and that’s when you see the son change his opinion. And the son does the classic “I want my dad’s validation” thing where he takes dad’s opinion to an exaggerated level. Son describes his whole experience with all the spices, dad says “don’t you think it’s too sweet as well?”, son says “yeah it’s like they accidentally dumped the whole bag of sugar in it.” He does it later in the video too. It’s not a huge deal, dad probably just doesn’t realize how much his opinion influences his son. Dad also gives little hints to whether or not he likes each sauce before the son gives his ratings and that almost certainly influences the son’s rating as well. And all of this happening at home is fine, most people grow up this way and it’s relatively normal. But when you put this online and it’s this noticeable it just makes some people more aware and maybe even uncomfortable. In future videos with the kid, I’d like to actually hear the kid’s uninfluenced opinions. His palate is representative of a demographic that’s different from his father’s. His opinions aren’t wrong, there’s no reason to lead him toward any answers or hint about the correct answer. I think that would’ve made for a much better video, and the only reason to include someone in a video is if their input is sincere. I think dad should let the kid shine next time. But even this time dad’s just doing dad things. This isn’t a huge issue, it’s just something some people will notice when you show thousands of people.
My homemade sauce I got from an Italian guy. 1 Diced onion, fresh minced garlic (6 Cloves), Two diced carrots, two diced stalks of celery. Sauté all of that in 2T of olive oil (smells wonderful), until carrots are soft. Add tomato Puree, or Whole tomatoes in tomato Puree. Add fresh basil, oregano, salt, to your liking, and 2T more of olive oil and blend it with an immersion blender, set on medium, and reduce heat and simmer for 2 hrs. Stir occasionally. I only use San Marzano tomatoes. The carrot and celery help with adding some sweetness and making it less acidic.
😱Sacrilege! NEVER use an immersion blender on your sauce! You are frothing and mixing in air into your tomatoes. Blending in air will adulterate the delicate flavors. In seconds, a beautiful deep red sauce will turn ugly orange. In other words, you just destroyed your sauce by whipping air into it. Use a manual "HAND powered" food mill, ricer, potato masher, or even just press the tomatoes thru a mesh strainer. Stay away from that boat motor submersion blender! No more pink, or worse, Orange sauce for you.
Please do make more of these ! I love this format because it helps me, a viewer who trusts your leveled food opinion, make an easier choice when I go shopping. Videos like these help me take the gamble out of the process of selecting a brand.
@Kody Sullivan you can't really go by that because everybody's tastes are different. For instance he liked the Victoria's better than the Rao's and I prefer the Rao's over the Victoria's.
Victoria's is my personal favorite straight out of the jar sauce. If I am feeling lazy and just want something quick, I know I can use Victoria's sauce and add nothing to it and be completely satisfied. And it's super easy enough to dress it up with a little more garlic for my wife who is a garlic lover or make it a little spicy it is with some chilis. We love it.
I tried Victoria when Walmart got it long time ago, and was blown away. It was like 3.59 a jar. Long before they knew what they had. can't find it anywhere now and its $8-10 a jar now. I guess the free ride is over. I knew it was a great sauce looking at it thru the glass bottle. Been looking for it ever since but didn't realize it went to gourmet pricing....oh well.
I’m Italian and I never EVER would have considered using jarred sauce. Yes it would have been deemed “sacrilegious” by my family if I did. 😊 Times have changed though, and being a senior has definitely made me do the unthinkable and use jarred sauce from time to time in dishes like bake ziti, stuffed shells and lasagna. The only one I’ve used so far is Rao’s and every time I do I look up to heaven and silently apologize to my mom, nonna and aunts ☺️. I loved your comparison so now I will give Victoria a try. Thanks.
I am Italian-American also. I felt the exact same way you do. I would starve to death before I buy a jarred sauce. Now that I'm on my own without access to a kitchen, I'm also contemplating the unthinkable. If others want to buy jarred sauce, that's fine with me. To each their own.
I'm curious, how would you cut the acidic taste out of it? I only make sauce once a year or so, it's a day project because I make meatballs too, and its only myself I'm cooking for. I eat it for 3 days, then freeze the rest which lasts me about a year thanks to my FoodSaver. In the 90s I had an Italian bf who taught me how to make sauce, I think he learned from his mom; I think its realllly good.
@@macycharminfry up a few tablespoons of grated carrot with your onions and garlic before adding in the tomato. Also you can use Italian wide leaf basil fresh. Do not use dried basil all the manufacturers use cabbage basil because it produces 3 x as much dried product . Cabbage basil is actually worse fresh.
I was bummed when they didn’t include Classico in the mix. I use this when I’m short on time as it’s decent, to me anyway. I did check the ingredients on their roasted garlic marinara sauce. No sugar or dry basil so there’s that. Great channel guys. You inspired me to get more into cooking.
I'm Canadian Italian and usually make my own sauce. When I 'm short of time I like to use Classico Basil Sauce and my Sicilian born husband who loves his pasta has never complained. I've tried organic and many other store bought sauces, Classico is my go to 👍
Classico, I think, would be middle-of-the-road, along with the Newman's. I used to use it all the time; now I have a collection of their mason jars that I fill with my own sauce. 😋
I loved the video overall, especially how well you included your family. I was most interested to see your take on Classico. You should make a part 2 with the other 7 sauces
I mentioned in the video that Tara did buy a total of 12 jars of sauce and only 5 were used for this experiment. I still have the Classico as well as the others and from the feedback so far it looks like we will be doing a round 2 and will be sure to include that one as a few others have made a similar comment.
I watched another Tuber about frozen pizzas and they did not mention Totino's, Red Baron or Tombstone. I was surprised as they are best sellers like Classico is to sauce.
My husband and I just found this channel and we LOVE it! The vibes are so chill and it's clear you guys care. about not as elitist as a lot of other food content on YT.
RAO's is pretty solid, and I've been able to score it at some stores at a better price sometimes ($6-7 a jar) but pro tip: Costco has been selling a twin-pack of RAO's in a 32oz jar, and the price on that jar is like 5.79. It's basic Marinara, but like what I did tonight, I made a bolognese out of it. Frankly, with the price of tomatoes/canned tomatoes going up, I kinda feel it equals out or is less to use a jar sauce. (assuming you buy quality canned tomatoes like San Marzano)
RAO’s is my absolute favorite jarred sauce but the sticker price is always a hurdle… but I just learned that Aldi carries the exact same RAO sauce under their own label for about $4. It’s called Specially Selected Marinara and it is identical.
I would appreciate a round two with the other sauces, a tutorial on how to improve the taste of the poorer quality products and a lesson plus cost breakdown of making your own sauce.
problem is you _can't_ remove sugar or nasty spices... youd just have to try to build on them... i cant imagine that being an improved product. & making your own is _ALWAYS_ cheaper by a mile. & if you grow your own tomatoes? pennies on the dollar.
Making marinara is easy & cheap, ~max $2 even if canned tomatoes aren't on sale. Briefly saute chopped garlic cloves in olive oil (don't let them burn!), add chopped onions or green peppers if you like, add 28-29 oz can crushed tomatoes (or plum tomatoes in puree: mash in the pot), basil, oregano, pepper, maybe a little red pepper/cayenne/hot sauce &/or fennel. Simmer awhile to blend the flavors & thicken. Done.
You should definitely make more of these videos, I’d love to see you cover all 12 that your wife purchased! We are a Raos household if we need to use jarred sauce for something
I resisted Rao for a long time because of the cost but when it went on sale one time I got it and I was hooked! That makes me curious to try Victoria, but unfortunately, I had to give up pasta and now only treat myself if dining out.
Also useful for collecting turbidity samples when you're inspecting erosion control at construction sites. Also a nice informal tumbler for your iced tea. And they are mason jars so you can reuse them for canning.
Right! I wonder where they would have ranked Classico..? (BTW I have a little protocol to "doctor it up" and it totally does the trick when pressed for time.)
High regards for including your family. Lucky son to have a Father that is patient, kind, respectful and recognizes his son for his part in the presentation.
I first found Raos at Costco. GREAT price for a 2-pack and a very good sauce for a non-Italian like me. Great video, enjoyed your son being included and his very perceptive comments.
VERY interesting. James is definitely getting his pallet trained on authentic Italian sauces. What a treat for you Jim to have grown up with real authentic Italian cooking from your mom and grandmother. The passion you exhibit in your cooking clearly exudes what's been passed on to you! I'm sure your mom and grandma would be proud 😊
I was hoping Victoria's would be number one, also. I grew up on Aunt Millie's and Ragu. As an adult, I couldn't tolerate them anymore and started to make my own marinara...until I decided to try Victoria's White Linen Marinara when I saw it at Costco's (so you know the price is comparatively good). Since then, I've stopped making my own sauce and only buy Victoria's White Linen at Costco's; absolutely delicious.
Same experience, I always made my own sauce because jarred sauces like Ragu were so gross. Then I discovered Victoria’s at Costco…never made my own sauce again!
I’m 100% Italian, had similar upbringing. Always make my own, but I will purchase and add to extend if I’m short and family drops in. This was fun, please do more! Good job guys!
I actually cheered to find out that y’all like Victoria as well. It is our favorite, but only affordable at Costco. I feel like they use a way better quality tomato than other brands. I have a certain amount of food fear that Costco is going to drop the brand at some point, and it is way expensive everywhere else. Please do more of these. Mozzarella brands, other cheeses, EVOL, even canned tomatoes. I’d watch every one because I trust you and your family’s taste!
I'm with you on Victoria. In eastern CT it's usually around $7-9 but on sale around $4-5 every month or 2 in some grocery stores and when in stock at Ocean State Job Lot.
Been using Victoria over 10 years. It's expensive but the rest of the ingredients are cheap so I don't worry about it. It's $5.99 reg price at my Wegmans. I wouldn't pay $8.50 like they listed.
@@eronan03 And both are much more affordable at Costco. My family is a Rao's family these days and where we are I think it's like $10 or $11 for a pack of two jars at Costco.
Can you do more blind tests? this was fun! I'd also love to see a "here's how to fix this sauce" video if you had ideas to fix any of the mediocre options :D
The best jar sauce I’ve had is Prino. It’s sold at Aldis. I stumbled upon it by accident when I didn’t want to go in to the big store. it tastes closest to homemade to me. I make a really good sauce. But when I don’t feel like cutting everything up garlic, basil and I’m tired I’ll use this and keep it in the house for a quick dinner. They also have manicotti. You simply spoon the sauce over the top. Served with salad that’s already bagged and you have a yummy evening meal with little effort. You can heat some of the frozen breads like Texas Toast or garlic sticks. It is a good easy meal with little effort.
Whenever Victoria is on sale I buy a bunch, hands down the best jarred sauce. I accodentally cheered loudly when you revealed that as the best one and I woke up my dog😂
My wife started buying Victoria sauce a few years ago and we agree its the best jarred sauce on the market. We also stock up when it goes on sale because it is expensive.
It's so cool you're teaching the kid to find the words to describe food. I was never taught that and didn't learn how describe flavours accurately until much later in life. Thanks for being a good example
Well, the old adage "you get what you pay for" rings true with these comparisons. I really enjoy watching people do taste tests on food that is easy to find. Please do more of these.
I personally love Newman's Own "Sockarooni"... Victoria's is great too. I try to make my own most of the time, but those are the only two sauces I buy premade. Fun video btw. Cheers!
Love watching this video. Love to see families doing fun things together and treating each other so well. You can tell that the relationship between father and son is a close friendship but Dad is definitely an authority figure in the relationship. LOVE FAMILY!
This was really fun to watch for so many reasons. I love the suspense, I kept trying to guess which jars were which before the reveal depending on what you guys said. James' expression was so funny! Please do this again!
Forgot the results so watching again and thinking of following your instructions for making a simple homemade. We don’t have any of good brands here. I love these videos. You guys really get down to it. Thanks to all of you!
I've had the Rao's and found it to be better than most every jarred sauce I could remember. So I'm really interested to try the Victoria brand. Definitely will look for it in the store next time. Thanks. I really liked the video. Maybe a tad long, but really fun! Thanks!
@@judipierry549 I'm pretty sure they are pronouncing it correctly. As far as I know, it is pronounced ray-ohs. The recipe is from Rao's restaurant, an iconic Italian joint in New York.
I am a hobby cook, who lived in 13 countries and follow some serious cooking channels, but seeing you three, you just got a new sub! Great interaction, honesty, and feeling, which is important in the experience of enjoying what’s in your mouth
Yes, Victoria changed my spaghetti game! Ever since I "spurged" on it years ago, I never turned back. Totally worth it. I buy mine at Costco. Family loves it, too!!
fwiw, victoria makes two different sauces: the one in this video and "white linen" (which costco carries). (and yeah, the white linen one is fantastic)
@@namvet1968 no idea what the difference is since we've only tasted the costco/WL version (which is freaking awesome). just saying that there are TWO DIFFERENT victoria sauces ... and that this video features the one costco doesn't carry.
5:30 Victoria and Rao’s are my 2 favorite canned pasta sauces! I love the Arrabiata with both sauces. They are far and beyond way better than all other canned sauces
I just recently tried Rao's because of all the hype & found it good. The Silver Plate was my go to for a quick sauce, but I always add more fresh garlic to any sauce I make. Still prefer making sauce from scratch because I have the time. I learned from my Italian mother in law how to make all things Italian. She was an amazing cook and her verdes & beans have been a staple in my Polish household for over 40 years. Bless you, Mary!
Very fun! When I was in college, most of my friends were from Italian-American homes. They were always lamenting not being able to have their mama's (or papa's) homemade pasta sauce...whenever I craved a taste of home, I just had to go to the store and buy a jar of Prego. These days, I cook for Dad and me. He has congestive heart failure, and I'm too lazy to make my own sauce, so it's Silver Palate's low sodium sauce for us. It's actually pretty tasty.
Wow! Haven't thought of the Silver Palate in 20 years! Or more! Are they still around? They had the store on Columbus when I was growing up--(that can't still be open??)--I remember them starting the line of jarred sauces. Glad to hear they still sell them! (Or were they bought out by a large food corp?)
@@skontheroad I honestly have no idea. I wasn't even aware of their existence until Dad developed congestive heart failure and I, as his primary cook, had to start watching what he ate. I checked the website and it doesn't look like there's a Silver Palate store left, per se, but their products are in different grocery stores across the country. Not all the stores sell the same items though.
Amazing that you took these less advertised sauces. I'd like a taste test of Prego, Ragu, Classico, Bertolli, rule the shelf.and too, the store brands.
I love Rao’s marinara. To date, it is the best commercial marinara I have had. I bought Victoria brand today at Costco and look forward to finding out how it measures up to Rao’s for me.
A little perspective here . I was a professional wine taster for 42 years . One thing that I learned about tasting blind is that the order of tasting can greatly affect your relative perception . For instance a wine following a very good wine will usually score lower than it would otherwise and a wine following a bad wine will usually score higher than it normally would . The reason is that we are doing a comparative tasting ,so we are naturally comparing whatever we are tasting to the one that immediately preceded it . I have actually tried this experiment out with experienced tasters and found it to be true . So it's interesting that your highest rated sauce immediately followed your lowest rated one ,just as my theory would suggest . Also your second lowest rated sauce immediately followed your highest rated one
Bingo. I always tell people if they are entering a cooking contest, add more salt, sugar, and butter to anything they serve. It won't taste great but makes everything else taste bland.
My favorite 'prepared' sauce is DelMonte Traditional in the can. Excellent and budget friendly. I do like to make my own with Cento crushed tomatoes, Cento tomato paste, salt, garlic, onion, oregano, basil, rosemary, fennel seed, ground anise and a bit of pepper. I also add high quality olive oil on occasion and a tad bit of sugar depending on the taste of the tomatoes. Once in a great while I'll add some freshly grated pecorino romano cheese as well. I use this sauce in lasagna as well.
a few years ago my in-laws got me Cool Hand Luke on bluray for xmas, and my college aged brother in law looked at the cover and said "woah the salsa guy's acting now?!" and he was totally serious. love the fam interaction here btw; great vid 👌
I loved this comparison, even though some I hadn’t heard of. I was most interested in how you were going to rate Rao’s sauce, because I recently was introduced to it, and I think it’s pretty darn good, so glad to see it was one of your top two. I’m definitely going to be getting and trying the Victoria’s sauce, because I just love a good pasta dish!
My Sicilian mother and grandmother off the boat used dried basil. You couldn't get fresh basil year around. I still use it today and i have people ask for my sauce as gifts. I dont use Italian seasoning just basil and parsley. My sauce is a very meaty one and probably why it can stand up to the basil. I will give Victoria a try... for a quick dinner. Happy to pay 8 bucks for quality sauce.
Really enjoyed this video - please do more!! Love the Jim and James dynamics hah! Also, really appreciate hearing your thoughts as to how you evaluate and judge jarred sauces. I really struggle to ever buy jarred sauces just because it feels "wrong" when I know I can make my own (for cheaper and better!!), but this was useful on those occasions when I really want pasta and don't quite have the time to make tomato sauce. Also appreciated seeing you guys go through the ingredient labels - flashbacks to when I'm in the grocery store trying to parse which jarred sauce is "least bad"!! Generally the one with the least sugar is one I go with, though now I'm going to be much more wary of dried spices as well...
Omgoodness I so loved this video! Your son has an amazing palette, as do most children who are brought up eating good food. My grandson is the same way. I buy Rao’s when I don’t make homemade because I really can taste the difference in it and other commercial sauces, however, now I have to try to find Victoria’s! Thank you so much. I follow your channel and love it for so many reasons. I would love to see more of this type of content from time to time.
My wife and I have been eating Newman's Own for years. I don't remember how we decided on that. We've also tried Rao's. After watching this, I decided to get the Victoria sauce. WOW! 100 times better than Newman's Own. Victoria's was so clean and light, if that makes sense, with a great taste. This will be the only marinara sauce we buy from now on! Thank you for the wonderful informative videos.
don't think that's legal in the US. I've had a ketchup that uses white wine vinegar though. and that's what I use to cook with, since I can't trust alcohol in my home (can't trust housemates to be near it)
@@yeetghostrat They do sell "Vodka Pasta Sauce." I just googled for it and Prego sells it, RAO's sells it, Classico, etc. Apparently it doesn't take much ... the vodka enhances the flavors, and makes the sauce more creamy and smooth.
How has no one mentioned your fabulous new kitchen?! I’m totally here for the family and the recipes, but that kitchen of yours makes me happy for you guys!! Y’all especially need a super functional kitchen. Enjoy!!
Loved this show, I agree about the Victoria and Raos sauces, they are both pretty decent, they are expensive though but i often find them on sale. Hope you do more of these tasting shows!
I was not a fan of Rao's. It's in my local Food Lion and i thought it looked high end. Wasn't impressed, at least with their vodka sauce. Maybe I'll try their marinara as well.
@@charlesgunzelman3323 I tried the marina sauce several times, I thought it tasted pretty good, even before I doctored it up a bit with some sautéed garlic and fresh herbs in tomato paste which made it taste even better, close to homemade.
Just found your channel and I must say..it is so refreshing to see a Father working with and showing his son how to cook! Great job Dad...and son, you are the Best for enjoying these vid's with your Dad! You'll make someone a wonderful partner some day!! 😀
My next time at the store I am getting ajar of Victoria sauce. I did try Rao but the spicy marinara which was good also. I only tried that because it was spicy. Thank you again Jim . 😊
I love this video - would be happy to see more of these if you have the time to interchange them with the recipe videos for sure! I like having James give his reasoning for ratings. He is learning about ingredients and parsing them to suss them out when he is tasting things. That is fantastic. He doesn't just say I don't like it - he knows why and is adept at expressing it. I imagine when he gets older he is going to be out of this world because his personality and vocabulary will have kicked in even moreso. Great young man! I happen to like my own sauce best, but I like Rao's; I am not big on plain marinara sauces. I like their arrabiata and fra diavolo sauces; I tend to mix sauces if I am using jarred sauces - sweeter and then add a spicy one or I lean toward a vodka one as my fave. I like meat sauces rather than marinara as well. I cannot stand salty anything so salty sauces would turn me off and I would want to add sugar to it. I like sweeter rather than salty but just a touch. Lastly, I absolutely hate the phrase "no sugar added" as it is completely disingenuous. No sugar added means it just doesn't have extra sugars added to the sugar already found in it. I am very conscious of sodium and carbs and sugar to carb ratio. Sorry for this book comment! LOL Thanks for the video!
Loved this one!! Would love another episode with other jarred sauces that are easily accessible from chain grocery stores, like Prego, etc. I assume you guys won’t like them but still would love to hear about it!
Rao's has been my go to quick sauce since America's Test Kitchen rated it #1 years ago, I will now give Victoria's a try next time I need a jarred sauce. Thanks so much for doing this!
Great video. I'm so glad you guys made the comparison between some popular jar sauces. I've been telling my family for years these very same complaints about off the shelf sauce. It is mostly over spiced junk. Real Italians don't put tons of dried spices in their sauce. I came to the same conclusions about Victoria a few years ago, so I'm glad about the validation. You know which one I like even better than Victoria--Mezzetta Marinara. Give it a try.
@@25centsworth yes Mezzetta has many different ones. My favorite is the Whole Garlic and Sweet Basil. That one is made with the Italian plum tomatoes so be sure to select one from that variety. They also have some made with California tomatoes which are still good but not the same as the real Italian tomatoes. I’m pretty sure you’ll love it.
I completely agree with both of your favorites. I have seen Raos (typically in the "health/vegan sections of stores, but never once have I thought about buying it. To me, Victoria is the closest you will get to homemade.
Not really surprised…from scratch Italian (Sicilian and Neapolitan heritage) cook for over 40 years. When I use jarred sauce it’s Raos or Vitoria whichever I can get cheaper. Thank you for confirming and validating these old Italian taste buds
I used to buy Raos all the time when I first started doing keto because it was the best tasting sauce with the lowest carbs. Now I switch between Victoria and Raos depending on the sales at the time. I also buy ‘Taste of Inspirations’ brand due to the low cost, low carbs and quality of sauce.
This was a great change up, and really informative; turns out you really do get what you pay for. Another good video would be 5 different pastas (bronze and regular cuts, randomize) all cooked with the Victoria marinara for a baseline comparison. Lot of work for Tara, but the results would be helpful. Cheers!
Yes!! I always buy bronze cut / durum wheat when it's available, but my local grocery store only carries a few pasta styles that meet that criteria (spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, and fusilli) so when I need another pasta style, I have to choose from all the other brands.
I think the biggest problem with jarred sauces stems from the tomatoes they use. The tomatoes don't have great flavor so they try to cover that with too much cheap seasoning in an attempt to make it taste like something.
I liked this video and would definitely like to see more like this. I also really like that James seemed eager to read the ingredients! Very cool.and very important!
James was very funny when he said one was just red food coloring and no tomato at all LOL! Love Rao's but I will give Victoria a try. Great video guys - and gal!
Victoria "White Linen" marinara is hands down the best jarred marinara sauce. It has made me lazy as iused to make my own marinara just like you, same ingredients but i always used San Marzano with the onion, olive oil and fresh basil. Then several years ago i happened to try the Victoria which Costco sometimes has (two larger jars for $11 unless on sale for $8). It tastes at least 95% the same as my homemade with that wonderful taste of bright ripe red tomatoes that aren't overcooked. Rao's is good but clearly a step behind. Really it made me lazy.
Believe it or don't, next to my Italian mom's sauce, I love Victoria marinara. But, what really blew my mind was trying BJ's marinara and finding it the equal to Victoria's. Never could I have expected that!! Methinks maybe it's produced by the same manufacturer?
I usually make my own sauce too, but over the years I have tried many jarred sauces and when I found Victoria's at Costco in bulk I was surprised! I tried Rao's but was not impressed at all either with this price. I've seen Victoria for less than Rao in the markets too. When I don't have time to make sauce, I will break into my stored stash of Victoria, it is the best!
@@CBJammer1 agreed. I've tried many jars of Victoria's from Costco and it's nothing like Rao's. Victoria is more watery, has a sour taste to it, and has chunkier tomatoes. Rao's is much better.
I DID have these questions (especially about Raos sauce) & I’m so glad you made this video!! Thank you! Loved the format. I’d never even heard of the Victoria brand until now. Also, James telling you to “chill out” had me laughing so hard.😂
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Watch Part 2: ruclips.net/video/VsUEavhSpEg/видео.html
NOTE: I did mention it in the video but in case you missed it, Tara bought 12 jars and she picked 5.
NOTE 2: This is our new kitchen in the same house. We shared all the details over the last 2 months on our Instagram. Follow us there for more behind the scenes.
NOTE 3: I often wrongfully assume that the audience, meaning you, knows as much as I do. I have been cooking for over 30 years and like to think I know something about this subject. I hate making absolute statements. But if there is one hill I will die on it's dried basil and Italian seasoning. They will ruin your food. Every. Single. Time. If you don't believe me, find just one chef that disagrees with this. FRESH basil is nothing like dried. Ditto for parsley. They are both wonderful when fresh. There is an occasional instance where dried parsley can work (mixed into breadcrumbs for chicken cutlets) but dried basil and Italian seasoning will never work.
Please rate the other 7 jars of sauce.
Yes rate the remainder of them.
I saw a few other brands, not rated that I have my own opinions on. I’d be interested to see what you think. Also, FYI, it’s not pictured, but Barilla also makes a respectable jarred sauce that will do fine in a pinch.
Loved the video! I also would be interested in rating the other sauces, please.
Very enjoyable comparison video. The only (unwarranted) personal critique I would say is it would have been more interesting for the audience to know which sauces were in the running prior to tasting, and what each sauce was while you were giving the initial ratings describing the sauce. (Either by Mom showing the audience before each taste while you were both out of the room or with a simple copy overlay in the video.) The reveal would still be interesting in the end to see your reaction to your choices. Also, line them up in order of least fav to fav as you go for the end reveal.
(And last hot take... Michael's of Brooklyn Sauce is even better than Rao's or Victoria. I'll show myself out now. ;) )
An interesting side category would have been “could you fix this sauce to make it a 10?” Sometimes in a rush I’ll start with a canned sauce and then add to it to improve on it.
Yeah, I find a lot of US jarred sauce too sweet because Americans prefer it.
But they have to be balanced with garlic and/or onion, depending on what you're trying to turn it into.
I recommend Hunt's canned tomato sauce. It doesnt have chunks or spices added to it unless you buy a can specifically labeled that way, so you can dress it up however you like. It's not too sweet and it gets really intense and tangy (idk if that's the right word) the longer you cook and reduce it
well, if the mixture is a bit off then that's one thing. but when you're added massively way too much of an ingredient (sugar) to a recipe, one of the only ways you can fix it is just diluting it down. and quite frankly, i'm in the camp of "you should NEVER add sugar to a marinara sauce", so i question how much good you could do other then just starting over from scratch
I was thinking the exact same thing...
Except the fixing is in removing ingredients that should be there.
I appreciate that you let your son explain himself and learn how to interpret and relate what he's tasting. It's a great skill to learn and will benefit him throughout his life.
The fact that you guys make this a family affair, makes this so much fun to watch, and laugh to! Nice job, fam!
This father-son interaction is a jewel. Very inspiring.
Is that your daughter spooning out the sauce? She's kinda cute.
@@markdelacruz1322 That's his adorable wife, Tara.
I love how he teaches his son how to taste and identify particular notes, textures, and flavors. Beautiful.
I love the parental interactions...they are kind and respectful to James.
That’s exactly what I thought! He is good at articulating flavors and ingredients
Yeah this guy is a cool dad for sure
I don't like seeing it. It's like forcing to try and demand that he have the taste buds of an adult. Children have completely different taste points and you see James just trying to please his father instead of being a kid. When dad isn't satisfied with an answer, he pushes him in a direction and you see James feel like his ratings didn't match his dad enough and has to adjust it to please his dad. Their scores shouldn't be the same at the age differences. So it's sad to see the kid not just be able to be a kid and answer as a kid and honestly. Dad even talks at the end about how when he was a kid and enjoy sweet sauces because he was a kid, but here's a kid not seeming to be able to be honest, but instead feeling he has to agree with his dad. There's no disagreeing allowed in this family.
@@jackoff1826 This doesn’t even make any sense, but ok.
Watched the whole thing. As a father myself, it's really special to include your kid and let him speak his mind the way you do. Great job editing, there were no content dead zones 👍
I've been making my own sauce for the last 8 years and will never go back to jarred. It's either complete trash or way too overpriced for mediocrity.
It's like an SNL skit. His son only agrees with what his Dad says, changes his answers. Nice to include the kiddo in here but it kind of invalidates the process.
@@erikkusiak this doesn’t seem true. The kid answers first and when he changed his answer he did it unprompted.
I actually didn't like the way dad overrode the kid's opinions. Kind of invalidated his opinions. Not cool.
Not seen or heard of this guy before, it just landed in my feed.
@@jazzylyn5857 I didn't get that impression at all. One doesn't always have to agree.
This dad’s doing a lot of good things here, I wouldn’t want to overshadow that with minor criticism. But when the dad disagrees with the son a couple times, dad explains to his son why his explanation is more correct, and that’s when you see the son change his opinion.
And the son does the classic “I want my dad’s validation” thing where he takes dad’s opinion to an exaggerated level. Son describes his whole experience with all the spices, dad says “don’t you think it’s too sweet as well?”, son says “yeah it’s like they accidentally dumped the whole bag of sugar in it.”
He does it later in the video too. It’s not a huge deal, dad probably just doesn’t realize how much his opinion influences his son.
Dad also gives little hints to whether or not he likes each sauce before the son gives his ratings and that almost certainly influences the son’s rating as well.
And all of this happening at home is fine, most people grow up this way and it’s relatively normal.
But when you put this online and it’s this noticeable it just makes some people more aware and maybe even uncomfortable.
In future videos with the kid, I’d like to actually hear the kid’s uninfluenced opinions. His palate is representative of a demographic that’s different from his father’s. His opinions aren’t wrong, there’s no reason to lead him toward any answers or hint about the correct answer. I think that would’ve made for a much better video, and the only reason to include someone in a video is if their input is sincere. I think dad should let the kid shine next time.
But even this time dad’s just doing dad things. This isn’t a huge issue, it’s just something some people will notice when you show thousands of people.
This is my favorite taste test format. Adding James’ thoughts to represent honesty of young peoples tastes that is my real-life challenge in cooking 😊
My homemade sauce I got from an Italian guy. 1 Diced onion, fresh minced garlic (6 Cloves), Two diced carrots, two diced stalks of celery. Sauté all of that in 2T of olive oil (smells wonderful), until carrots are soft. Add tomato Puree, or Whole tomatoes in tomato Puree. Add fresh basil, oregano, salt, to your liking, and 2T more of olive oil and blend it with an immersion blender, set on medium, and reduce heat and simmer for 2 hrs. Stir occasionally. I only use San Marzano tomatoes. The carrot and celery help with adding some sweetness and making it less acidic.
That sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Classic western european mire poir - onion, carrot and celery - the 'holy trinity' of continental cuisine. Bravo 👏
😱Sacrilege! NEVER use an immersion blender on your sauce! You are frothing and mixing in air into your tomatoes. Blending in air will adulterate the delicate flavors. In seconds, a beautiful deep red sauce will turn ugly orange. In other words, you just destroyed your sauce by whipping air into it.
Use a manual "HAND powered" food mill, ricer, potato masher, or even just press the tomatoes thru a mesh strainer.
Stay away from that boat motor submersion blender! No more pink, or worse, Orange sauce for you.
Please do make more of these ! I love this format because it helps me, a viewer who trusts your leveled food opinion, make an easier choice when I go shopping. Videos like these help me take the gamble out of the process of selecting a brand.
@Kody Sullivan you can't really go by that because everybody's tastes are different. For instance he liked the Victoria's better than the Rao's and I prefer the Rao's over the Victoria's.
Victoria's is my personal favorite straight out of the jar sauce. If I am feeling lazy and just want something quick, I know I can use Victoria's sauce and add nothing to it and be completely satisfied. And it's super easy enough to dress it up with a little more garlic for my wife who is a garlic lover or make it a little spicy it is with some chilis. We love it.
Absolutely agree
I tried Victoria when Walmart got it long time ago, and was blown away. It was like 3.59 a jar. Long before they knew what they had. can't find it anywhere now and its $8-10 a jar now. I guess the free ride is over. I knew it was a great sauce looking at it thru the glass bottle. Been looking for it ever since but didn't realize it went to gourmet pricing....oh well.
I’m Italian and I never EVER would have considered using jarred sauce. Yes it would have been deemed “sacrilegious” by my family if I did. 😊 Times have changed though, and being a senior has definitely made me do the unthinkable and use jarred sauce from time to time in dishes like bake ziti, stuffed shells and lasagna. The only one I’ve used so far is Rao’s and every time I do I look up to heaven and silently apologize to my mom, nonna and aunts ☺️.
I loved your comparison so now I will give Victoria a try. Thanks.
I've eaten Rao's Tomato & Garlic straight out of the jar. Then again, I'm Nordic.
I am Italian-American also. I felt the exact same way you do. I would starve to death before I buy a jarred sauce. Now that I'm on my own without access to a kitchen, I'm also contemplating the unthinkable.
If others want to buy jarred sauce, that's fine with me. To each their own.
@maryjanew20 what’s the secret to the best homemade sauce? So many different recipes and opinions.
I’m Italian and always used sauce from a jar. But then I’m lazy too.
MY MOM USED JAR SAUCE BUT DONT TELL ANYONE
I am full blooded Italian Calebrese and I would never put sugar in my sauce. Thanks for this review it was very informative. Love your recipes.
I'm curious, how would you cut the acidic taste out of it? I only make sauce once a year or so, it's a day project because I make meatballs too, and its only myself I'm cooking for. I eat it for 3 days, then freeze the rest which lasts me about a year thanks to my FoodSaver. In the 90s I had an Italian bf who taught me how to make sauce, I think he learned from his mom; I think its realllly good.
@@macycharminI put half a grated carrot in my sauce.
@@melissaculpepper7663 Thank you, I will definitely try that.
@@macycharminfry up a few tablespoons of grated carrot with your onions and garlic before adding in the tomato. Also you can use Italian wide leaf basil fresh. Do not use dried basil all the manufacturers use cabbage basil because it produces 3 x as much dried product . Cabbage basil is actually worse fresh.
No sugar!
Jarred sauces are almost never what they promise to be.James is really good with his ratings. Propz from France.
I was bummed when they didn’t include Classico in the mix. I use this when I’m short on time as it’s decent, to me anyway. I did check the ingredients on their roasted garlic marinara sauce. No sugar or dry basil so there’s that. Great channel guys. You inspired me to get more into cooking.
I agree...it seems like Classico dominates the shelf space everywhere. I find it insipid...
I was also hoping Classico would be included
I'm Canadian Italian and usually make my own sauce. When I 'm short of time I like to use Classico Basil Sauce and my Sicilian born husband who loves his pasta has never complained. I've tried organic and many other store bought sauces, Classico is my go to 👍
Classico, I think, would be middle-of-the-road, along with the Newman's. I used to use it all the time; now I have a collection of their mason jars that I fill with my own sauce. 😋
Yeah I only clicked on the video because Classico was shown on the thumbnail. Super bummed it did not get rated. I use it sometimes.
I loved the video overall, especially how well you included your family. I was most interested to see your take on Classico. You should make a part 2 with the other 7 sauces
I mentioned in the video that Tara did buy a total of 12 jars of sauce and only 5 were used for this experiment. I still have the Classico as well as the others and from the feedback so far it looks like we will be doing a round 2 and will be sure to include that one as a few others have made a similar comment.
@@SipandFeast Yes, please!
Same...
I watched another Tuber about frozen pizzas and they did not mention Totino's, Red Baron or Tombstone. I was surprised as they are best sellers like Classico is to sauce.
I find classico very sweet but some people like sweet and salty. I think particularly smokers. Just my opinion
My husband and I just found this channel and we LOVE it! The vibes are so chill and it's clear you guys care. about not as elitist as a lot of other food content on YT.
I really enjoyed this one. I’m a sucker for ranking/taste test videos and this doesn’t disappoint. Would love to see more of them.
I loved it! The slight difference in opinion was also interesting and helpful. You seem like such a fun gentle dad, and James is such a good kid :)
RAO's is pretty solid, and I've been able to score it at some stores at a better price sometimes ($6-7 a jar) but pro tip: Costco has been selling a twin-pack of RAO's in a 32oz jar, and the price on that jar is like 5.79. It's basic Marinara, but like what I did tonight, I made a bolognese out of it. Frankly, with the price of tomatoes/canned tomatoes going up, I kinda feel it equals out or is less to use a jar sauce. (assuming you buy quality canned tomatoes like San Marzano)
Rao is also my to go sauce I don’t buy other brands after having discovered Rao’s sauce.
If you use tomato paste that is better than using canned tomatoes. IMO.
Scrolled down to say the same thing. The 2 pack at Costco is a deal.
My Costco also sells 2 packs of Victoria marinara also! And it's usually cheaper than Rao's. I think I like both equally. Victoria is thinner/juicier.
I make homemade sauce that takes 6+ hours. One time I spent double to get San Marzano tomato sauce/tomatoes and we couldn’t tell the difference 🫤
RAO’s is my absolute favorite jarred sauce but the sticker price is always a hurdle… but I just learned that Aldi carries the exact same RAO sauce under their own label for about $4. It’s called Specially Selected Marinara and it is identical.
Wish we had Aldi's...I always hear about it, but have never experienced it.
How about including that in the next taste test?
Thanks for the tip especially since there's an Aldi in the same shopping area asthe Costco.
Good to know. Heading to Aldi's tomorrow!
Victoria is better.
I would appreciate a round two with the other sauces, a tutorial on how to improve the taste of the poorer quality products and a lesson plus cost breakdown of making your own sauce.
problem is you _can't_ remove sugar or nasty spices... youd just have to try to build on them... i cant imagine that being an improved product. & making your own is _ALWAYS_ cheaper by a mile. & if you grow your own tomatoes? pennies on the dollar.
Making marinara is easy & cheap, ~max $2 even if canned tomatoes aren't on sale. Briefly saute chopped garlic cloves in olive oil (don't let them burn!), add chopped onions or green peppers if you like, add 28-29 oz can crushed tomatoes (or plum tomatoes in puree: mash in the pot), basil, oregano, pepper, maybe a little red pepper/cayenne/hot sauce &/or fennel. Simmer awhile to blend the flavors & thicken. Done.
Great idea!!
Love this Jim! Would definitely appreciate more of these videos. Especially if you all have as much fun again in the next one. Great stuff.
You should definitely make more of these videos, I’d love to see you cover all 12 that your wife purchased! We are a Raos household if we need to use jarred sauce for something
Yes Raos is my go to also , I make sure to have a couple jars on hand
We love Rao’s, too!
I resisted Rao for a long time because of the cost but when it went on sale one time I got it and I was hooked! That makes me curious to try Victoria, but unfortunately, I had to give up pasta and now only treat myself if dining out.
Rao's
@@TobileyP You could still have pasta if you switched to Zoodles. It is quite yummy. Spiralized zucchini.
I always liked Classico, mostly because I get a jar with ounce measurements after I’m done with it. Super handy!
Also useful for collecting turbidity samples when you're inspecting erosion control at construction sites.
Also a nice informal tumbler for your iced tea.
And they are mason jars so you can reuse them for canning.
Agreed and the sauce itself isn't quite as good as Rao's but I don't need to tap into the kid's college fund to buy it.
Right! I wonder where they would have ranked Classico..? (BTW I have a little protocol to "doctor it up" and it totally does the trick when pressed for time.)
Classico also has an "organic" variety. Has anyone tasted it yet..?
OMG - I just watched a popular Italian guy rate American brands, and he ranked Classico as a 0 on a scale of 1 - 10!!! 😱😱😱
I only use Victoria when I don’t have any homemade sauce on hand. I pay $5.99 a jar for it and it’s totally worth it. The Fra Diavolo is my favorite!
They should do a Victoria variety blind taste test
Rao’s is better in my opinion. I just tried Victoria’s and it was an easy win for Rao’s. The vote was unanimous in my household.
It's not available in my region.
High regards for including your family. Lucky son to have a Father that is patient, kind, respectful and recognizes his son for his part in the presentation.
I first found Raos at Costco. GREAT price for a 2-pack and a very good sauce for a non-Italian like me. Great video, enjoyed your son being included and his very perceptive comments.
This is exactly why I use Rao's over anything else. The Costco value is so great.
Mutti is still a 10
I'd love to see a part two with the remaining brands.
Yeah, I'm a little confused why the concept was "we bought 12, and then tasted 5."
Me too, since the remaining brands are what most of us actually buy.
Yeah I was disappointed you didn't try The Pioneer Woman's marinara. Once I tried it I never went back.
Yes, please...rate the others!
The ones you didn't judge contained a couple available here in Canada! Do them please?
Oh my gosh, James is so sweet. "Is that the sauce everyone is talking about?" My heart!!
VERY interesting. James is definitely getting his pallet trained on authentic Italian sauces. What a treat for you Jim to have grown up with real authentic Italian cooking from your mom and grandmother. The passion you exhibit in your cooking clearly exudes what's been passed on to you! I'm sure your mom and grandma would be proud 😊
*palete
Palate
I was hoping Victoria would come in #1 - I find it very superior to Roa’s or any other marinara. The one they sell at Costo is even better 🎉
Agreed. The white table one. One of the few marinara sauces in a jar that actually tastes like it won’t ruin your meal.
I was hoping Victoria's would be number one, also. I grew up on Aunt Millie's and Ragu. As an adult, I couldn't tolerate them anymore and started to make my own marinara...until I decided to try Victoria's White Linen Marinara when I saw it at Costco's (so you know the price is comparatively good). Since then, I've stopped making my own sauce and only buy Victoria's White Linen at Costco's; absolutely delicious.
@@rachelg3274 Costco's is Victoria's White "Linen". 🙂
Same experience, I always made my own sauce because jarred sauces like Ragu were so gross. Then I discovered Victoria’s at Costco…never made my own sauce again!
Victoria doest even come close to Rao's easily a 5.5 compared to Rao's being a 9.3
I’m 100% Italian, had similar upbringing. Always make my own, but I will purchase and add to extend if I’m short and family drops in. This was fun, please do more! Good job guys!
I actually cheered to find out that y’all like Victoria as well. It is our favorite, but only affordable at Costco. I feel like they use a way better quality tomato than other brands. I have a certain amount of food fear that Costco is going to drop the brand at some point, and it is way expensive everywhere else. Please do more of these. Mozzarella brands, other cheeses, EVOL, even canned tomatoes. I’d watch every one because I trust you and your family’s taste!
I'm with you on Victoria. In eastern CT it's usually around $7-9 but on sale around $4-5 every month or 2 in some grocery stores and when in stock at Ocean State Job Lot.
Victoria had a great rating on a cooking channel . When Costco has them on sale in late summer, I buy a year's worth.
Been using Victoria over 10 years. It's expensive but the rest of the ingredients are cheap so I don't worry about it. It's $5.99 reg price at my Wegmans. I wouldn't pay $8.50 like they listed.
Victoria and Rao’s are the only functional jarred sauces.
@@eronan03 And both are much more affordable at Costco. My family is a Rao's family these days and where we are I think it's like $10 or $11 for a pack of two jars at Costco.
Can you do more blind tests? this was fun! I'd also love to see a "here's how to fix this sauce" video if you had ideas to fix any of the mediocre options :D
Agree. It gives us a nice representation of all the items.
Robin Eisman is the chef behind Victoria sauces. All of the ones she created are homemade great
James’s face when he tasted jar number 3 lol. This video was a lot of fun to watch.
The best jar sauce I’ve had is Prino. It’s sold at Aldis. I stumbled upon it by accident when I didn’t want to go in to the big store. it tastes closest to homemade to me. I make a really good sauce. But when I don’t feel like cutting everything up garlic, basil and I’m tired I’ll use this and keep it in the house for a quick dinner. They also have manicotti. You simply spoon the sauce over the top. Served with salad that’s already bagged and you have a yummy evening meal with little effort. You can heat some of the frozen breads like Texas Toast or garlic sticks. It is a good easy meal with little effort.
Thanks for the tip, I'll try it. Aldi's is hit and miss for me with their house brands.
Aldi’s anything is just gross.
I'll look for that brand at Aldi. I have tried their other brands and like Jane says that were a hit and miss.
What' the price for it?
@@G0rgo incorrect, their garlic cheese bread slaps
Whenever Victoria is on sale I buy a bunch, hands down the best jarred sauce. I accodentally cheered loudly when you revealed that as the best one and I woke up my dog😂
Yes when shoprite has 2 for 1 I'm all over it
I knew it was Victoria when they were taste testing because of the color of the lid.
Just fyi, we get two jars at costco for under $10. It's the best deal and we love the sauce.
My wife started buying Victoria sauce a few years ago and we agree its the best jarred sauce on the market. We also stock up when it goes on sale because it is expensive.
I love Rao's
It's so cool you're teaching the kid to find the words to describe food. I was never taught that and didn't learn how describe flavours accurately until much later in life. Thanks for being a good example
H h
Love this series. I would definitely watch more videos like this as long as you promise to keep giving us amazing recipes as well
Well, the old adage "you get what you pay for" rings true with these comparisons. I really enjoy watching people do taste tests on food that is easy to find. Please do more of these.
I personally love Newman's Own "Sockarooni"... Victoria's is great too. I try to make my own most of the time, but those are the only two sauces I buy premade. Fun video btw. Cheers!
Love watching this video. Love to see families doing fun things together and treating each other so well. You can tell that the relationship between father and son is a close friendship but Dad is definitely an authority figure in the relationship. LOVE FAMILY!
This was really fun to watch for so many reasons. I love the suspense, I kept trying to guess which jars were which before the reveal depending on what you guys said. James' expression was so funny! Please do this again!
It's the family interaction that makes S&F so great. I'd love to see more videos like this. Bring'em on.
Victoria is the best Walmart is selling it for under $7.00. lots of favorable comments. Taste how I would make it
Forgot the results so watching again and thinking of following your instructions for making a simple homemade. We don’t have any of good brands here. I love these videos. You guys really get down to it. Thanks to all of you!
I've had the Rao's and found it to be better than most every jarred sauce I could remember. So I'm really interested to try the Victoria brand. Definitely will look for it in the store next time. Thanks. I really liked the video. Maybe a tad long, but really fun! Thanks!
I always bought Victorias until I tried Raos.
Same here. One question, am I pronouncing it incorrectly or are they? 🤔
@@judipierry549 I'm pretty sure they are pronouncing it correctly. As far as I know, it is pronounced ray-ohs. The recipe is from Rao's restaurant, an iconic Italian joint in New York.
@@maryh7134 Can't go wrong with either one. I prefer the Rao's sauce but would use Victoria's if I can't get Rao's.
I use Rao's on my keto diet since it is a low sugar/ carb sauce and pour it over spaghetti squash.
I took your advice and retired my dried basil! You are so right! What a difference in my sauce! Thanks!
The most Long Island family ever, LOL.
$8 for a jar of sauce is insane. I don't care how good it is.
have fun eating red 40 sludge then
I agree. What could they be putting in it that's SO expensive.
@@jojivlogs_4255 Yeah I'll just eat my homemade sauce, but thanks.
Rao's is much cheaper at costco!
You’d spend $20 for a plate of pasta at a half-descent Italian restaurant, and at least that to make a good pot of Sunday gravy.
I am a hobby cook, who lived in 13 countries and follow some serious cooking channels, but seeing you three, you just got a new sub! Great interaction, honesty, and feeling, which is important in the experience of enjoying what’s in your mouth
Yes, Victoria changed my spaghetti game! Ever since I "spurged" on it years ago, I never turned back. Totally worth it. I buy mine at Costco. Family loves it, too!!
I buy Ragu by the gallon. Just kidding. Will try Victoria upon your recommendation.
fwiw, victoria makes two different sauces: the one in this video and "white linen" (which costco carries).
(and yeah, the white linen one is fantastic)
@@op3129 What does white linen mean? It's superior to the other one?
@@namvet1968 no idea what the difference is since we've only tasted the costco/WL version (which is freaking awesome). just saying that there are TWO DIFFERENT victoria sauces ... and that this video features the one costco doesn't carry.
James is spitting straight facts. You can tell he's raised on good food.
5:30 Victoria and Rao’s are my 2 favorite canned pasta sauces! I love the Arrabiata with both sauces. They are far and beyond way better than all other canned sauces
who is paying $8+ for a jar of sauce tho??? MAKE YOUR OWN.
I just recently tried Rao's because of all the hype & found it good. The Silver Plate was my go to for a quick sauce, but I always add more fresh garlic to any sauce I make. Still prefer making sauce from scratch because I have the time. I learned from my Italian mother in law how to make all things Italian. She was an amazing cook and her verdes & beans have been a staple in my Polish household for over 40 years. Bless you, Mary!
Very fun! When I was in college, most of my friends were from Italian-American homes. They were always lamenting not being able to have their mama's (or papa's) homemade pasta sauce...whenever I craved a taste of home, I just had to go to the store and buy a jar of Prego.
These days, I cook for Dad and me. He has congestive heart failure, and I'm too lazy to make my own sauce, so it's Silver Palate's low sodium sauce for us. It's actually pretty tasty.
Vickie, is the low salt sauce from a jar or the Silver Palate Cookbook?
My wife and I bought some for the same reason (health). I agree. It was very good.
Thank you Vickie!
Wow! Haven't thought of the Silver Palate in 20 years! Or more! Are they still around? They had the store on Columbus when I was growing up--(that can't still be open??)--I remember them starting the line of jarred sauces. Glad to hear they still sell them! (Or were they bought out by a large food corp?)
@@skontheroad I honestly have no idea. I wasn't even aware of their existence until Dad developed congestive heart failure and I, as his primary cook, had to start watching what he ate. I checked the website and it doesn't look like there's a Silver Palate store left, per se, but their products are in different grocery stores across the country. Not all the stores sell the same items though.
Amazing that you took these less advertised sauces. I'd like a taste test of Prego, Ragu, Classico, Bertolli, rule the shelf.and too, the store brands.
Yes!
Amen...the only brand I recognized was the Newman's Own.
Same. Round 2?
You named the bottom of the barrel sauces he already did the right test
I.m fond of Bertolli sauces especially their Alfredo,but I"m not an expert I just know what I like.
I love Rao’s marinara. To date, it is the best commercial marinara I have had. I bought Victoria brand today at Costco and look forward to finding out how it measures up to Rao’s for me.
Have you tried Rao's Arribiata sauce? I like it a lot more than their marinara (which I also like).
So? How’d it go?
A little perspective here . I was a professional wine taster for 42 years . One thing that I learned about tasting blind is that the order of tasting can greatly affect your relative perception . For instance a wine following a very good wine will usually score lower than it would otherwise and a wine following a bad wine will usually score higher than it normally would . The reason is that we are doing a comparative tasting ,so we are naturally comparing whatever we are tasting to the one that immediately preceded it . I have actually tried this experiment out with experienced tasters and found it to be true . So it's interesting that your highest rated sauce immediately followed your lowest rated one ,just as my theory would suggest . Also your second lowest rated sauce immediately followed your highest rated one
Bingo. I always tell people if they are entering a cooking contest, add more salt, sugar, and butter to anything they serve. It won't taste great but makes everything else taste bland.
PLEASE make more of these blind taste test videos!
Would love to see more test tasting. Your son did an excellent job!
My favorite 'prepared' sauce is DelMonte Traditional in the can. Excellent and budget friendly. I do like to make my own with Cento crushed tomatoes, Cento tomato paste, salt, garlic, onion, oregano, basil, rosemary, fennel seed, ground anise and a bit of pepper. I also add high quality olive oil on occasion and a tad bit of sugar depending on the taste of the tomatoes. Once in a great while I'll add some freshly grated pecorino romano cheese as well. I use this sauce in lasagna as well.
a few years ago my in-laws got me Cool Hand Luke on bluray for xmas, and my college aged brother in law looked at the cover and said "woah the salsa guy's acting now?!" and he was totally serious. love the fam interaction here btw; great vid 👌
😂😂😂
Funny! Love Paul Newman, gotta agree with the sauce review though...not a fan.
I loved this comparison, even though some I hadn’t heard of. I was most interested in how you were going to rate Rao’s sauce, because I recently was introduced to it, and I think it’s pretty darn good, so glad to see it was one of your top two. I’m definitely going to be getting and trying the Victoria’s sauce, because I just love a good pasta dish!
Rao’s for me. Italian chef recommended.
I think you will love Victoria... It's so good, and I tried Rao's too, and not a fan of it
Rao's has very little sugar, which is great!
wait till their on sale
I tried Rao's recently and it's my go to jar sauce now. But I have to give Victoria a try have a feeling I will find a new go to.
My Sicilian mother and grandmother off the boat used dried basil. You couldn't get fresh basil year around. I still use it today and i have people ask for my sauce as gifts. I dont use Italian seasoning just basil and parsley. My sauce is a very meaty one and probably why it can stand up to the basil. I will give Victoria a try... for a quick dinner. Happy to pay 8 bucks for quality sauce.
This kid is so awesome! Great video and great parenting!
Really enjoyed this video - please do more!! Love the Jim and James dynamics hah! Also, really appreciate hearing your thoughts as to how you evaluate and judge jarred sauces. I really struggle to ever buy jarred sauces just because it feels "wrong" when I know I can make my own (for cheaper and better!!), but this was useful on those occasions when I really want pasta and don't quite have the time to make tomato sauce.
Also appreciated seeing you guys go through the ingredient labels - flashbacks to when I'm in the grocery store trying to parse which jarred sauce is "least bad"!! Generally the one with the least sugar is one I go with, though now I'm going to be much more wary of dried spices as well...
Omgoodness I so loved this video! Your son has an amazing palette, as do most children who are brought up eating good food. My grandson is the same way. I buy Rao’s when I don’t make homemade because I really can taste the difference in it and other commercial sauces, however, now I have to try to find Victoria’s! Thank you so much. I follow your channel and love it for so many reasons. I would love to see more of this type of content from time to time.
My wife and I have been eating Newman's Own for years. I don't remember how we decided on that. We've also tried Rao's. After watching this, I decided to get the Victoria sauce. WOW! 100 times better than Newman's Own. Victoria's was so clean and light, if that makes sense, with a great taste. This will be the only marinara sauce we buy from now on! Thank you for the wonderful informative videos.
The Sockarooni is my favorite.
Dried basil is absolutely delicious in tuna salad and potato salad.
NONE of them have the secret Italian ingredient: 2 ounces of red wine...It cuts the acidity and the sweetness and adds a subtle savory finish.
_THAT_ sounds interesting!
don't think that's legal in the US. I've had a ketchup that uses white wine vinegar though. and that's what I use to cook with, since I can't trust alcohol in my home (can't trust housemates to be near it)
@@yeetghostrat They do sell "Vodka Pasta Sauce." I just googled for it and Prego sells it, RAO's sells it, Classico, etc.
Apparently it doesn't take much ... the vodka enhances the flavors, and makes the sauce more creamy and smooth.
Or…balsamic vinegar. Works too!
@Side Quest: YEET (ghost rat 2nd) tell more about your housemates
How has no one mentioned your fabulous new kitchen?! I’m totally here for the family and the recipes, but that kitchen of yours makes me happy for you guys!! Y’all especially need a super functional kitchen. Enjoy!!
Loved this show, I agree about the Victoria and Raos sauces, they are both pretty decent, they are expensive though but i often find them on sale. Hope you do more of these tasting shows!
I was not a fan of Rao's. It's in my local Food Lion and i thought it looked high end. Wasn't impressed, at least with their vodka sauce. Maybe I'll try their marinara as well.
@@charlesgunzelman3323 I tried the marina sauce several times, I thought it tasted pretty good, even before I doctored it up a bit with some sautéed garlic and fresh herbs in tomato paste which made it taste even better, close to homemade.
Costco routinely has Victoria on sale. Currently have 8 jars in my pantry. Love it.
Victoria’s is pretty inexpensive
Just found your channel and I must say..it is so refreshing to see a Father working with and showing his son how to cook! Great job Dad...and son, you are the Best for enjoying these vid's with your Dad! You'll make someone a wonderful partner some day!! 😀
I was disappointed that Bertolli and Classico didn’t actually make an appearance in the video.
Both are about a 7.
James has a pretty good palate for his age. Dad taught him well. Great series!!! EDIT After #5 James needed a palate cleanser. Bread. Brilliant.
Victoria is my go to for a quick sauce without making my own. LOL Love how y'all rated it the best.
So you use the same ingredients? Do you add anything else if you had to make your own?
My next time at the store I am getting ajar of Victoria sauce. I did try Rao but the spicy marinara which was good also. I only tried that because it was spicy. Thank you again Jim . 😊
I'm seriously impressed with James' comments - for a young guy he really has a finely-tuned pallet. Kudos!
Love this content! Please do more of these. We live in CA where prices are sky high. This is one of the best channels on RUclips!
I love this video - would be happy to see more of these if you have the time to interchange them with the recipe videos for sure! I like having James give his reasoning for ratings. He is learning about ingredients and parsing them to suss them out when he is tasting things. That is fantastic. He doesn't just say I don't like it - he knows why and is adept at expressing it. I imagine when he gets older he is going to be out of this world because his personality and vocabulary will have kicked in even moreso. Great young man! I happen to like my own sauce best, but I like Rao's; I am not big on plain marinara sauces. I like their arrabiata and fra diavolo sauces; I tend to mix sauces if I am using jarred sauces - sweeter and then add a spicy one or I lean toward a vodka one as my fave. I like meat sauces rather than marinara as well. I cannot stand salty anything so salty sauces would turn me off and I would want to add sugar to it. I like sweeter rather than salty but just a touch. Lastly, I absolutely hate the phrase "no sugar added" as it is completely disingenuous. No sugar added means it just doesn't have extra sugars added to the sugar already found in it. I am very conscious of sodium and carbs and sugar to carb ratio. Sorry for this book comment! LOL Thanks for the video!
Loved this one!! Would love another episode with other jarred sauces that are easily accessible from chain grocery stores, like Prego, etc. I assume you guys won’t like them but still would love to hear about it!
Rao's has been my go to quick sauce since America's Test Kitchen rated it #1 years ago, I will now give Victoria's a try next time I need a jarred sauce. Thanks so much for doing this!
Same. Tho I prefer their non marinaras
Victoria's is by far the best jarred sauce I've ever tasted! We've been eating it for over 15 years now!
Great video. I'm so glad you guys made the comparison between some popular jar sauces. I've been telling my family for years these very same complaints about off the shelf sauce. It is mostly over spiced junk. Real Italians don't put tons of dried spices in their sauce. I came to the same conclusions about Victoria a few years ago, so I'm glad about the validation. You know which one I like even better than Victoria--Mezzetta Marinara. Give it a try.
Haha. Yes, I just wrote a comment about Mezzetta too! It’s the best!
Try *Paesana* if you can, the best jarred sauce in the supermarket.
Mezzetta makes some great products, period. Their marinara is less expensive than Victoria's. And I just ordered it.
Forgot to say. Thanks for your comment. I'm going to try the Mezzetta marinara. They make a lot of flavors.
@@25centsworth yes Mezzetta has many different ones. My favorite is the Whole Garlic and Sweet Basil. That one is made with the Italian plum tomatoes so be sure to select one from that variety. They also have some made with California tomatoes which are still good but not the same as the real Italian tomatoes. I’m pretty sure you’ll love it.
100% victorias is amazing. My other favorite is Botticelli Both completely different tasting and texture. Both imo , the best sauces I’ve had.
I completely agree with both of your favorites. I have seen Raos (typically in the "health/vegan sections of stores, but never once have I thought about buying it. To me, Victoria is the closest you will get to homemade.
This video was so much fun to watch! Can we get a blind review on different pasta brands next? (Barilla v De Cecco v Store Brand etc etc .. )
Not really surprised…from scratch Italian (Sicilian and Neapolitan heritage) cook for over 40 years. When I use jarred sauce it’s Raos or Vitoria whichever I can get cheaper. Thank you for confirming and validating these old Italian taste buds
I used to buy Raos all the time when I first started doing keto because it was the best tasting sauce with the lowest carbs. Now I switch between Victoria and Raos depending on the sales at the time. I also buy ‘Taste of Inspirations’ brand due to the low cost, low carbs and quality of sauce.
I love "Taste Test" videos, and you guys seem very natural and authentic here, so please do make more!
This was a great change up, and really informative; turns out you really do get what you pay for. Another good video would be 5 different pastas (bronze and regular cuts, randomize) all cooked with the Victoria marinara for a baseline comparison. Lot of work for Tara, but the results would be helpful. Cheers!
Just use bronze cut lol
Yes!! I always buy bronze cut / durum wheat when it's available, but my local grocery store only carries a few pasta styles that meet that criteria (spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, and fusilli) so when I need another pasta style, I have to choose from all the other brands.
Try the veggie pastas and the ones that have (and don't have) enriched flour.
@@sahej6939 not always available in my area😪
"No Sugar Added" does not mean no sweetness. High fructose corn syrup does not count as 'sugar'. Thanks for including James. He's got a good palate.
I think the biggest problem with jarred sauces stems from the tomatoes they use. The tomatoes don't have great flavor so they try to cover that with too much cheap seasoning in an attempt to make it taste like something.
I liked this video and would definitely like to see more like this. I also really like that James seemed eager to read the ingredients! Very cool.and very important!
James was very funny when he said one was just red food coloring and no tomato at all LOL! Love Rao's but I will give Victoria a try. Great video guys - and gal!
Loved the idea of this blind testing; I’m 83 so I now buy my sauce which is usually Victoria or Rao’s. Thanks. Pat
Victoria "White Linen" marinara is hands down the best jarred marinara sauce. It has made me lazy as iused to make my own marinara just like you, same ingredients but i always used San Marzano with the onion, olive oil and fresh basil. Then several years ago i happened to try the Victoria which Costco sometimes has (two larger jars for $11 unless on sale for $8). It tastes at least 95% the same as my homemade with that wonderful taste of bright ripe red tomatoes that aren't overcooked. Rao's is good but clearly a step behind. Really it made me lazy.
I stopped making sauce after a trip to Costco resulted in the White Linen discovery. Been using it for years now.
Believe it or don't, next to my Italian mom's sauce, I love Victoria marinara. But, what really blew my mind was trying BJ's marinara and finding it the equal to Victoria's. Never could I have expected that!! Methinks maybe it's produced by the same manufacturer?
I normally do not use a jarred sauce. However, if Victoria’s is that good, I’ll try it! I absolutely love the comparison video.
I usually make my own sauce too, but over the years I have tried many jarred sauces and when I found Victoria's at Costco in bulk I was surprised! I tried Rao's but was not impressed at all either with this price. I've seen Victoria for less than Rao in the markets too. When I don't have time to make sauce, I will break into my stored stash of Victoria, it is the best!
it’s not. watery and tasteless. I do agree that Rao’s is really good though.
@@CBJammer1 it’s not? What? No one said watery & tasteless in our 2 comments. Just said Victoria’s is better than Rao’s.
@@CBJammer1 agreed. I've tried many jars of Victoria's from Costco and it's nothing like Rao's. Victoria is more watery, has a sour taste to it, and has chunkier tomatoes. Rao's is much better.
@@redcrystal8327 he’s saying “Victoria’s is not that good. It’s watery and tasteless”
I DID have these questions (especially about Raos sauce) & I’m so glad you made this video!! Thank you! Loved the format. I’d never even heard of the Victoria brand until now. Also, James telling you to “chill out” had me laughing so hard.😂
Tomato paste was in the three you said you didn’t like. It’s incredibly sweet.