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SMART SHOPPING: Roasted Red Peppers

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We tasted eight brands of roasted red peppers, both straight out of the jars and in roasted red pepper soup, to find the best one. Overall, tasters preferred firmer, smokier, sweeter-tasting peppers packed in simple brines made of salt and water. Peppers packed in brines that contained garlic, vinegar, olive oil, and grape must–characteristic of most of the European brands–rated second. Our winner? Tasters preferred the domestically produced Dunbars Sweet Roasted Peppers, which lists only red bell peppers, water, salt, and citric acid in its ingredient list.