Recommendations for jar spaghetti sauce
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »@RowdysLady - did you know that baking soda is commonly used to cut the acidic taste of tomatoes? And once it neutralizes the acid, it doesn't taste salty. Worth a try.
I did not know that - do you know approx how much per how much to use? Awesome info!0 -
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda. Expect to see slight bubbling as the baking soda neutralizes the acid. Stir the sauce until the bubbling stops. - but it doesn't give amounts on the homemade tomato sauce.
Another thread said: I've done this, a little trade secret I learned from my aunt-in-law in Italy. I use the tiniest pinch, and then taste. You don't want to remove all the acid. I also use a little tiny pinch of sugar, or I add a raisin or two to the sauce while it's cooking for sweetness.
Other comments said sofrito as the base or using celery (Finally, I can recommend one ingredient in my tomato sauce that I never missed until I forgot it once: chopped celery. I find it too cuts the acidity and fills out the flavor. If you're not already using it, give it a try and see if you like the results!)...
Most of the stuff says, depending on batch size, start with a pinch to a teaspoon, sprinkle it on top, wait for the bubbling to stop, then do again. "Yes, baking soda works. About a teaspoon for every 20 tomatoes"
Other recommendations are caramelize the onions, stick in a cut potato (or peeled one) to remove at the end (old Italian trick, supposedly), use shredded or chunk carrots (remove at end if preferred), etc.
"Small amounts of pickling lime (calcium hydroxide) can be used to raise the pH, like sodium bicarbonate. Unlike bicarb, it doesn't leave your tomato sauce with a fizzy, oversalted flavor."
"An interesting way to cut acid in almost anything is to add a bit (1/3 tsp or less) of ground cinnamon (no sugar or anything) to it. I learned this from my grandmother who is Lebanese and it has always worked out well for me. If you search a bit you can probably find this tip on some other websites as well."0 -
You can't make marinara without celery! Sheesh...
I always sweat the onions. Carmelized is too sweet for me. I used to add carrots but stopped due to the sugar in them and didn't put it in the recipe above because of that.
Thanks for all that info @KnitOrMiss0 -
@RowdysLady - You are most welcome. As your experiments continue, please let us know when you hit upon the perfect formula! LOL0
