Phantom Gourmet: Vodka Sauce Taste Test

BOSTON (CBS) -- Phantom recently purchased four jars of vodka sauce from a local supermarket. The creamy contenders were Bertolli, Classico, Emeril's, and Newman's Own. See if you can guess which brand ended up at the top of the food chain.

Emeril's finished in last place. To start, the celebrity chef's picture on the label appears to have been taken sometime during the last millennium. Upon popping the top, Phantom's nose was blasted with a strong punch of fresh garlic. But when it came to taste, this sauce was surprisingly watery and flavorless.

Newman's Own didn't fare much better. This rustic, chunky sauce has a lot happening, but most of it isn't very good. The diced tomatoes, onions, and tons of Romano cheese give this brand a thick consistency and toothsome mouthfeel more suited for a stew than a sauce. For some reason, the label says this stuff is 'industrial strength'—but it may be too strong for its own good.

The runner-up is Classico. Finally something worth serving, this jar showcases a sauce with a deep rich color and plenty of visible herbs and spices. Tangy, fresh tomatoes are the overwhelming flavor, with some salty Romano and parmesan thrown in for good measure. Plus, if this is important to you, Classico also has the least amount of fat and calories of all the competitors.

At the top of the food chain is Bertolli, which easily surpassed the others, delivered a well-balanced sauce that could hold its own against many restaurant versions. It's luxuriously creamy, with a bright tomato flavor that's well complimented by onions, cheeses, spices, and just enough sugar. This pretty pink sauce has a smooth mouthfeel, but is still thick enough to stick to whatever pasta you pair it with. That's why Bertolli vodka sauce is at the top of the food chain.