1st time I used Ro-Tel in my chili

Wow, that stuff is great! It really made my chili taste better. Never heard of the stuff as it is not available in Eastern PA. I was in WalMart and saw it and I will always use it from now on.
Do others use it in their chili?

Yes, it's great for the tomato base.

Ro-tel is awesome! Try melting a pound of Velveeta cheese and add one can of Ro-tel... simple & makes a great dip for corn chips or tostito type chips! You can also brown ground beef, drain & add that as well. Yummy!

I put Rotel in all kinds of stuff uncluding chili. For any recipe that calls for tomatoes you can use Rotel. They make several kinds. Lots of recipes at their web site.
Joe

I use Rotel in making Texas Caviar.

Texas caviar? Should I ask?

Rotel is a good base for a mock Spanish rice. Saute some onion and pepper, saute the rice, then use Rotel and water or broth to cook.

Texas Caviar:

1 can Ro-Tel
1 can black eyed peas rinsed and drained well
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 minced onion
1 cup good seasons italian dressing
1 cup chopped pimentos
1/2 cup jalapenos chopped
1 can kernal corn rinsed and drained well

Mix all in bowl, chill overnight. Serve with chips.

quote:

Originally posted by fabulousoyster

Texas Caviar:

1 can Ro-Tel
1 can black eyed peas rinsed and drained well
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 minced onion
1 cup good seasons italian dressing
1 cup chopped pimentos
1/2 cup jalapenos chopped
1 can kernal corn rinsed and drained well

Mix all in bowl, chill overnight. Serve with chips.

Hey! That sounds good! Thanks!

If I dont have Ro-Tel, then I dont make chili.
Simple as that.
It is a MUST HAVE ingredient for me.

Wow, I bet Ro=Tel would pay for that rec Roossy! It is always in my basic chili also.
Joe

Ro-Tel makes a product called "Chili Fixins". I used to make my chili from scratch but have found the "Chili Fixins" recipe to save me a lot of effort. I do Doctor up the recipe on the can by using more meat and adding onions, celery, chopped, flavored stewed tomatoes or crushed tomatoes, or what ever else is handy and a little more cumin and chili powder to taste, but it comes out just fine.
http://www.ro-tel.com/pages/products/chili_fixins/index.jsp

terryl, Food Lion has Rotel, too. It is a good, consistent product that I like. I use it, along with a large can of tomato paste, in my chili. And I'm never without it, always have a can in my pantry.

I wonder how it would work in my favorite dish, Manhattan Clam Chowder?

Chili's a good choice when I need supper done fast. My recipe's not going to get me any prizes in Terlingua, but for the time and effort I put in, it's pretty good. I nuke a pound of ground meat until all the pink's gone, drain all the yuck off (the dog gets the cooked blood), chop it into bite size chunks with the side of a spoon, add a 14 oz. can of diced tomatos, spice, a 6 or 8 oz can of tomato sauce (6 is better, but sometimes you haven't got one), and a rinsed 16 or 18 oz. jar of beans, usually the first one I grab, stir it all up, then nuke it for a minute or two to heat the beans and tomato sauce. It takes about 15 or 20 minutes total when we're famished or have a church meeting or the like that evening, and I only use one ceramic bowl and a spoon, and another spoon for the wife. We eat out of the bowl I cooked in, usually.

I've never heard of Ro*tel until I stumbled on this discussion. It sounds like I might not have to worry about spices getting stale if I use this stuff instead of off~the~shelf spices. Worth a try if I can find it in Southeastern Wisconsin or Northeastern Illinois.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Ugly Mich

I wonder how it would work in my favorite dish, Manhattan Clam Chowduh?

That's not chowda anyway, that's thin chili made with clams.

Go for it. Bet it's pretty tasty for not chowda.

quote:

Originally posted by AshphaltThat's not chowda anyway, that's thin chili made with clams.

Go for it. Bet it's pretty tasty for not chowda.

And I sure don't need the extra calories a snob chowduh offers. Of course, I still eat if that way, too, usually at high class establishments who've never heard of Manhattan Style. I've never had the Rhode Island kind (clear except for all the good stuff) but someday, even though it means I'll have to make it myself. . .

Any place that defines style in any way that's not what sort of trademark is on your butt is great, I always say.

Foodb, I had forgoten about that fixins stuff. I does work good for a super fast and easy chili. Mich, the Rotel "chili fixins" would work to replace the spices but the regular Rotel tomatos just ads and extra flavor to a regular batch of chili.

Rotel also makes a Mexican style. I have used it to make some killer Guackamole (spelling?). Just add the rotel, choped onions, and garlic to some avacado.

They also make a milder Rotel version for those who can't take the heat.
Joe

Hello All,
I've never heard of Rotel...I must be stupid.
I will search for it locally in Wal-Mart.
I like heat, so it is hot and spicy?
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

Field, you might want to look around at their web site. Foodb did a link above. Rotel is mentioned allot in the chili section here. A whole new spicy world may have opened up for you. Oh, I think they do make a rotel "hot". Real hot if my memory serves. I use the regular as it's pretty spicy.
Joe

Original Ro-tel is chopped tomatoes with a bit of green chilis. Just a little bite, not really hot. We find it in supermarkets here in the northeast, if not with the canned tomatoes, in the ethnic aisle (sometimes with the "Southern" food which is considered ethnic in some of our stores).

It's a great recipe booster.

They also make a bunch of varieties, hotter, milder, chili mix, etc. but those are hard to find in our area.

BTW - you're not stupid. I never noticed Ro-Tel until a friend from Colorado told me about them.

Yep Ash, Field is a smart guy! And, rotel is everywhere here in Texas but less known in many places.

They used to make a whole tomato rotel. I liked it better than the chopped. I would just chop up the whole ones. They were worth the trouble I thought. Rotel stoped making it, shoot!
Joe

I just found a neat site. Lets see if I can do the link?

www.texmex.net

If you go to the recipe section, and click the rotel link, there are allot of easy and great sounding recipes using rotel. The jalapeno meat balls sound really good to me. Lots of stuff besides rotel recipes there also.

Oh, and they reminded me that there is an Italian rotel. I added that to some sketty sauce once, was good!
Joe

Hello All,
I'm not smart, PapaJoe8, but thanks for saying I'm a smart guy. I'm really not,
just a seeker. But You, are a good and wise person, that I respect and have love for, and you are seeker as well. That's one reason I'm gonna try Ro-tel.
It may sound simple, but does Ro-tel go better with ground beef or strips of steak,
or chunks of various meats, etc.. When I make chili, I use ground beef.
Ground beef absorbs sauces, onions, green peppers etc. at a different amount of cooking time than
cooking than chunks of other meats due to the density and intensity of particuliar
flavours. Whether it is ground beef or chunks or strips of meat, I want a blending of flavour.
Again, my question shows my ignorance, but I wouldn't want to burn the sauce while
I make sure the meat is done enough.
Stupid question...see, PapaJoe8, I'm just a novice
Take Care All,
Fieldthistle

quote:

Originally posted by Ashphalt

Original Ro-tel is chopped tomatoes with a bit of green chilis. Just a little bite, not really hot. We find it in supermarkets here in the northeast, if not with the canned tomatoes, in the ethnic aisle (sometimes with the "Southern" food which is considered ethnic in some of our stores).

It's a great recipe booster.

They also make a bunch of varieties, hotter, milder, chili mix, etc. but those are hard to find in our area.

BTW - you're not stupid. I never noticed Ro-Tel until a friend from Colorado told me about them.

A 'Southern Foods' aisle - I love it . For some reason we don't have those here.

Kroger, HEB, and even WalMart make generic versions of Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles). The Kroger and HEB versions are inferior to the name brand product but the WM Great Value brand I find to be very close. We also see Hatch branch Tex-Mex products (it's actually produced in Farmers Branch, TX) and they also have a tomatoes and chiles product that is often on sale at Foodtown. Hatch products tend to have a roasted tomato taste, or maybe it's just the variety of tomato they use.

I've tried Rotel in chili and wasn't impressed. I like chili that tastes of beef and spices, not tomatoes, but there wasn't enough tomato or heat from the Rotel. I use a maximum of 1 8oz can of tomato sauce per 2 pounds of meat and add red pepper to taste for the heat.

I use Rotel style tomatoes in the broth for braising round steak. I also use it (and salsa) in my versions of pot roast -- just makes the broth more interesting. I've been making a habanero pot roast lately with about 3/4 c habanero salsa and 1 can of Rotel. Now that's some pretty serious heat, for my tastes anyway.

Field, thanks for the kind words! I think the best way to think about Rotel tomatoes is that you use it just like you would other canned tomatoes, they just kick things up a notch. If you like ground meat it will work fine. Folks who like meat cut other ways can also use Rotel. I hope that helps!

The Rotel "chili fixins" is a shortcut for the whole chili process and is way different from the regular Rotel tomatoes w/ green chiles.

It dosen't show up in the search function but the 1st. page of the "weird things" chili thread has more talk about Rotel and chili. I did not read the rest of the pages but I think Rotel is mentioned in lots of chili talk here at roadfood.

The search should show lotsa stuff when you do rotel or ro-tel but just a few things come up...??? I posted this in the thread about the search function in the off topic section.
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by Ashphalt

quote:

Originally posted by fabulousoyster

Texas Caviar:

1 can Ro-Tel
1 can black eyed peas rinsed and drained well
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 minced onion
1 cup good seasons italian dressing
1 cup chopped pimentos
1/2 cup jalapenos chopped
1 can kernal corn rinsed and drained well

Mix all in bowl, chill overnight. Serve with chips.

Hey! That sounds good! Thanks!

I quite agree!
simple and sounds tasty as all get out!

quote:

Originally posted by Fieldthistle

Hello All,
I've never heard of Rotel...I must be stupid.
I will search for it locally in Wal-Mart.
I like heat, so it is hot and spicy?
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

Fieldthistle,
If you cant find it, I will send you a couple cans..
Let me know..
Tara

Rotel does come in several heat levels, FYI. Asphalt has pointed out that earlier, I believe. The "regular" Rotel is 'fer wimps!

I have five cans of RO*TEL whole tomatoes & green chilies and one can of "extra hot" diced tomatoes& chile peppers in my pantry. For special occasions only!

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

Rotel does come in several heat levels, FYI. Asphalt has pointed out that earlier, I believe. The "regular" Rotel is 'fer wimps!

For those who can't find this product it is most easily duplicated. The whole tomato variety is no longer available, etc., but that was the best. My homemade variety of this concoction IMO is better because I can control the heat level. I use canned Serrano peppers, a bit of fresh minced garlic, and fresh minced onions to add to the flavor. Rather good & since I always have these things on hand there is no added $$ for my recipe.

quote:

Originally posted by oltheimmerKroger, HEB, and even WalMart, Fieldthistle, make generic versions of Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles).

So does Aldi's. http://www.aldifoods.com I still can't compare it to the real deal, because I can't FIND the real deal. They did print a recipe on the side of the can that's the same as my Quick~N~Dirty Chili, except they use a pot over a stovetop rather than a microwave.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Ugly Mich

quote:

Originally posted by oltheimmerKroger, HEB, and even WalMart, Fieldthistle, make generic versions of Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles).

So does Aldi's. http://www.aldifoods.com I still can't compare it to the real deal, because I can't FIND the real deal. They did print a recipe on the side of the can that's the same as my Quick~N~Dirty Chili, except they use a pot over a stovetop rather than a microwave.

It is a bigger can at a lesser price. It has a -double- your money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. Like others have mentioned, I use it where canned tomatoes would work in many recipes.
I feel that it is just a base where your seasonings and spices enhance and make your meal taste like something that is not from canned tomatoes. You don't want a canned tomatoe taste for any sauce....

That said, I used the Aldi brand this week for my gumbo.It provided more tomatoes for the bang and buck. It came out great.

mark

quote:

Originally posted by Big Ugly Mich

quote:

Originally posted by oltheimmerKroger, HEB, and even WalMart, Fieldthistle, make generic versions of Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles).

So does Aldi's. http://www.aldifoods.com I still can't compare it to the real deal, because I can't FIND the real deal. They did print a recipe on the side of the can that's the same as my Quick~N~Dirty Chili, except they use a pot over a stovetop rather than a microwave.

On a shopping trip yesterday I saw that HEB's generic version does come in the whole tomato variety. I can't recall ever seeing that before. I picked up several cans as that was the best variety.

Also noted diced tomatoes and chile peppers by one of the national brands; can't remember now if it was Del Monte or Libby or whatever. Anyway, there are lots of copy cat versions out there now and like was pointed out, it's not rocket science to make this stuff.

Olth, neat find! Let us know how those whole HEB's are.

Jeep, you might get high dollar for those Rotel wholes on Ebay?

I use the generic brands also. Some are bigger cans for the same price. For times when I need the "milder" of the "hot" I can only find those in the Rotel brand.
Joe

Fieldthistle,
I tried to send email to ya, but it came back to me...
Tara

quote:

Originally posted by doggydaddyYou don't want a canned tomatoe taste for any sauce....

Not now, when every stand on the side of the road has nice ripe tomatoes out the yaya, but when the only source for fresh is the supermarket, canned reigns supreme because they try and get the best ones and can them quickly. Grocery store produce sits in a $&(^%&) warehouse for a week or so before it goes on the shelves for you and me. I've used tomatoes that were literally frozen solid because I thought like you did, and it was a total waste, even though I'm no gourmet. Now if I could find any canned tomatoes with NO SALT . . .

I found a Costco that's about 10 miles further from Chez Mich than the Sam's Club I hit. I'm checking it out. Wal-Mart and Sam's are good, but they stock about 85% of what I need. Since I don't need the extra 15% all the time, so they don't stock it for me all the time. I hit Meijer's from time to time, which is an option many of you don't even have, since it's a Chicago thing.

quote:

Worth a try if I can find it in Southeastern Wisconsin or Northeastern Illinois.

Have you tried either the Woodman's or the Pick 'N' Save in Kenosha?

quote:

Originally posted by Big Ugly Mich

quote:

Originally posted by doggydaddyYou don't want a canned tomatoe taste for any sauce....

Not now, when every stand on the side of the road has nice ripe tomatoes out the yaya, but when the only source for fresh is the supermarket, canned reigns supreme because they try and get the best ones and can them quickly. Grocery store produce sits in a $&(^%&) warehouse for a week or so before it goes on the shelves for you and me. I've used tomatoes that were literally frozen solid because I thought like you did, and it was a total waste, even though I'm no gourmet. Now if I could find any canned tomatoes with NO SALT . . .

You mean you can't find any no salt added tomatoes at all, or just not at Sam's? I thought every major tomato canner had no-salt products; I've been using them since the 70s.

The best canned tomatoes are home-grown, home-canned . I'll take those over even the ultra-expensive imported ones from Italy. But lacking those, no-salt added varieties are the best to go with.

Lately, I've been buying the Hunt's Organic Diced tomatoes at Sam's. A 6-pack of them is more expensive than an 8-pack of the regular Hunt's diced tomatoes but they do taste better. I haven't seen anything other than the diced (really chopped -- larger than dice).

Thanks for the tip Olth! Hunts organic no salt diced ( but larger chunks than diced ). You could add green chilis and onions and make your own Rotel, maybe? Maybe better? And yep, home canned are great but kinda hard to find where I am.

Lleechef recomended a can or jar tamato she likes. What was the name of that?
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by Tastytoo

quote:

Worth a try if I can find it in Southeastern Wisconsin or Northeastern Illinois.

Have you tried either the Woodman's or the Pick 'N' Save in Kenosha?

Woodman's, yes. I will try the Pick 'N' Save this week

quote:

Originally posted by Big Ugly Mich

I wonder how it would work in my favorite dish, Manhattan Clam Chowder?

Chili's a good choice when I need supper done fast. My recipe's not going to get me any prizes in Terlingua, but for the time and effort I put in, it's pretty good. I nuke a pound of ground meat until all the pink's gone, drain all the yuck off (the dog gets the cooked blood), chop it into bite size chunks with the side of a spoon, add a 14 oz. can of diced tomatos, spice, a 6 or 8 oz can of tomato sauce (6 is better, but sometimes you haven't got one), and a rinsed 16 or 18 oz. jar of beans, usually the first one I grab, stir it all up, then nuke it for a minute or two to heat the beans and tomato sauce. It takes about 15 or 20 minutes total when we're famished or have a church meeting or the like that evening, and I only use one ceramic bowl and a spoon, and another spoon for the wife. We eat out of the bowl I cooked in, usually.

I've never heard of Ro*tel until I stumbled on this discussion. It sounds like I might not have to worry about spices getting stale if I use this stuff instead of off~the~shelf spices. Worth a try if I can find it in Southeastern Wisconsin or Northeastern Illinois.

It should be good in Manhatten Clam Chowder But I'd go easy at first. You can always add, but you can't take it out! You should be able to find it. They're owned by Con-Agra and it's nationally distributed. If not I think they will ship it to you. www.ro-tel.com

quote:

Originally posted by oltheimmer You mean you can't find any no salt added tomatoes at all, or just not at Sam's? I thought every major tomato canner had no-salt products; I've been using them since the 70s.

My fault. I meant tomatoes with stuff like chilis or Italian spices added. Just tomatoes, or tomato paste (which, by law, has nothing but tomatoes) can be found with no salt, and I use them, too.

Many of you know I can beans by filling a glass jar about a quarter full of dry beans, then adding boiling water all the way to the bottom of the threads and putting the lid on the jar tightly (which is NOT as easy as it sounds with boiling hot water in the jar). I may try adding some chili peppers and/or onions to this, but I normally rinse my beans when I open them.

If you want to try this, put the jars in a sink when you first do it. Sometimes they don't seal, usually if you put in too many beans. The solution is to use them the next day at the latest, and rinse the overflow down the drain.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Ugly Mich

quote:

Originally posted by oltheimmer You mean you can't find any no salt added tomatoes at all, or just not at Sam's? I thought every major tomato canner had no-salt products; I've been using them since the 70s.

My fault. I meant tomatoes with stuff like chilis or Italian spices added. Just tomatoes, or tomato paste (which, by law, has nothing but tomatoes) can be found with no salt, and I use them, too.

Claro. I don't think I've ever seen those either. I was forming an opinion about the wierdness of grocery stores in WI .

If anyone wants it, let me know. It will cost less for you if I buy it and ship it (than the website would).
Tara

Yuck!



There wasn't a tomato in the can with good red color throughout and one was even worse than the one in the front, which had all the tomato flavor of a wet paper towel. Insipid heat, too. A bigger disappointment than I expected. Some HEB generics are pretty good, some, obviously, are not.

Two thumbs down from me.

By the way, happened to notice on my last trip to the store a chunky version from Rotel. I'll have to try that. Rotel is $.83 a can here now; I can remember when it was about $.56. And I think that was only about 2 years ago .

Rotel on sale for 59c here. The chunky comes the closest to the now extinct whole Rotel.
Joe

Looks like I'll have to plan on stocking up on Rotel when I get up that way to go to Tolbert's. Off hand I don't recall seeing Rotel on sale here in a long time.

Olth, there are some other non name brand Rotel like Tomatoes that are good. I have only seen the 'diced". Your 'whole" ones are the only ones I have seen. I bet they would still make something good even though two of them are kinda yellow looking.

Hy Top is the brand I usually buy, but I still buy Rotel in the... milder...chunky...mexican...italian flavors. The Hy Top comes in a largr can than Rotel and is 59c here. The brookshires stores put Rotel on sale about 4 times a year but only for one week. It's no huge savings unless you use a whole lot of Rotel.

Tolbert's, mmmm, I have not made it yet and am only about 70 miles away.
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by PapaJoe8

Olth, there are some other non name brand Rotel like Tomatoes that are good. I have only seen the 'diced". Your 'whole" ones are the only ones I have seen. I bet they would still make something good even though two of them are kinda yellow looking.

Hy Top is the brand I usually buy, but I still buy Rotel in the... milder...chunky...mexican...italian flavors. The Hy Top comes in a largr can than Rotel and is 59c here. The brookshires stores put Rotel on sale about 4 times a year but only for one week. It's no huge savings unless you use a whole lot of Rotel.

Joe

Yeah, I've mentioned many copy cats that I've used above, but the Rotel chunky will be awfully good in some dishes. I always broke up the whole tomato variety anyway.

I've gotten the Hatch that I mentioned above for as little as 25 cents a can on special; it's more of a stewed tomato and chiles texture but has good tomato flavor.

HEB's diced tomato product, like the whole tomato product, is inferior in taste. I tried it a few times and in my experience there were always yellow/white or green tomato bits in it (Likewise the Kroger generic I've used). I threw those in the pic in some gazpacho I had made; hours later, when the flavors had come together, I could still pick out the HEB tomatoes by the lack of taste and slightly mealy texture. They just don't use good quality tomatoes.

Hmmm. We have some Brookshire Brothers stores here but none near me and I've never shopped there or seen a circular.

Brookshire's and Brookshire Brothers branched off from each other at some point. Hey, they may all be owned by the same folks for all I know. Kinda small town, but real good stores where I live, and good sales, and a good deli.

The Hy Top brand may be available at other stores? It is always good quility as far as their tomato products. I use their regular and flavored tomatoes, and their tomato sauce (4 for $1). I make fresh tomato juice with the sauce, well maybe not really fresh, but not bad, and cheeper than buying a can of tomato juice.
Joe

I see generic versions of diced tomatoes with all sorts of stuff in them. I've even seen lime and cilantro by an Illinois company called Shur-Fine.

If Ro*Tel is really Con Agra stuff, so is Hunt's, which has tomatoes with stuff like that in it. I found that at Woodman's many times, Tastytoo. Not to go off on a rant, but I miss Big Ugly Mich's John's Pork and Beans, with the bacon and tomato sauce in another can. Mixing a can of that with about 1/2 pound of ground beef and some onions and stuffing green peppers with it was killer.

quote:

Originally posted by PapaJoe8Hy Top is the brand I usually buy, but I still buy Rotel in the...milder...chunky...mexican...italian flavors. The Hy Top comes in a largr can than Rotel and is 59c here. The brookshires stores put Rotel on sale about 4 times a year but only for one week. It's no huge savings unless you use a whole lot of Rotel.

You shouldn't have to use it all at once. Canned food should last as long as the can's not damaged.

Mich, I was trying to remember the other brand I have used that was good, yep, it was Sure-Fine. Hy Top and Sure Fine might be the same folks? Hy Top makes quite a few flavors of tomatoes also. I have not found a bad one.

Big Johns, never got to try it. Are we sure it is gone for good? Hmm, fry some bacon and maybe onion, add some tomato sauce and pork n beans, might be good? Vande made pork and beans w/ somked ham for a while that was real good I thought, all in the same can though.
Joe

Thanks for the tip.never tried it in chili.But I'll have to try to make some chili con queso with it,and may add some cooked mexican chorizo sausage to it.
It does come in different heats as someone mentioned and H.E.B.
and Walmart carry it around here.There is an Albertson's in New Braunfels that may have it too.

quote:

Originally posted by PapaJoe8Big Johns, never got to try it. Are we sure it is gone for good? Hmm, fry some bacon and maybe onion, add some tomato sauce and pork n beans, might be good? Vande made pork and beans w/ somked ham for a while that was real good I thought, all in the same can though.
Joe

Bush's makes one that's not bad with bacon, too. Me, I just make beans and doll them up myself, often with less than optimal results. I've thrown onions and green peppers in canned beans (even mine, which is just beans) and gotten good eats. Tomato sauce in my dry beans is not the best, but for soups, they're great.

Tomato sauce in beans makes them too sweet for my tastes, so I cut that with (usually raw) onions, peppers, or the time honored way (pork of some kind, and I never salt ANYTHING at the table).

I FINALLY found Ro*tel at Jewel-Osco (susidiary of Albertson's, HollyDolly) but didn't buy it. They wanted $1.09 for a 10 oz can. I can already get Hunt's cheaper than that, not to mention generic versions, so I passed.

Holly, the "mexican" Retel might be good in the queso with the chorizo? Hey, the regular Rotel might be good also. There is a "hot" and also a "milder" and the "mexican". Oh, and the "chunky" and the "italian". What kind of cheese do you use in your queso? The dip w/ Velveta, regular breakfast sausage, and Rotel, is a staple here in north Texas but nothing like real queso.

Yep Mich, $1.09 is allot, 89c reg price here. I still do other brands that usually come in larger cans instead of the regular Rotel.
Joe

Love Ro-tel, been using ot for years now. I do buy the wal-mart brand a lot of times now.I like it as well as rotel and it's cheaper.

MikeS.

Hot Rotel is a pantry staple here, I learned about it years ago when a friends girlfriend made a dip with melted velveeta, browned hambuger and rotel.. It definately goes into chili but works as a condiment/salsa as well, I empty a can into a jar (clean of course) a couple spoons full over eggs or on a sandwich for a bit of zest. Spice up a meatloaf, poured over baked chicken breast, blenderised into a bloody mary or even a virgin. Add catsup for a cocktail sauce with crab or shrimp, add to canned/jarred spagetti sauce or bottled BBQ sauce..... did I say it was a staple?
when in doubt... ROTEL it!

I usually get it at superwally but its available in most area supermarkets here, although sometimes it seems to hide amongst all the other diced tomato products

Dreamz, Rotel has a wide spot at the Wally's in N. Texas. Rotel is a household name here.

Anyone tried the "Mexican" Rotel? I like it for some stuff, like Guacamole.
Joe