Water separation in marinara sauce

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Tyler9999

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jun 9, 2019
Messages
16
Location
Missouri
Hi all, new member here! Let me know if this needs to be in a different thread...

I'm looking for some advice on my marinara sauce. I cannot seem to cure my water problems. I get a significant amount of water everytime I plate and it's both off putting to guests and frustrating when serving over things that can get "soggy." A little background on the sauce: I've tried all sorts of tomatos and brands ranging from store brand to San marzanos to garden fresh so I can't imagine that being the culprit. The sauce contains a variety of herbs, garlic, onion, and butter. Cook time is usually around 6 hours.

Any advice? I look forward to meeting you all!
 
I start with chopped onions sauteed in olive oil, then garlic until fragrant. Then I add in 3-4 Tbsp of tomato paste and stir it until it starts to brown, next red wine. I add my spices and fresh basil sprigs. If I need more liquid Ill add chicken stock. It gets cooked uncovered for a couple hours, adding stock if needed. I don't add butter. I've never had Watery sauce. I reserve a cup of pasta cooking water and drain the pasta before adding it to the sauce.
 
I usually fix a thinner sauce either by cooking it longer ( lid off) or adding some tomato paste.

The obvious would be making sure the pasta is drained thoroughly ( to make sure the liquid isn't coming from the pasta itself, especially if its a shaped pasta that has areas where the water could hang out even after draining).



Fresh vs canned tomatoes could make a difference.
 
Generally I use San Marzano canned whole tomatos, but I have had the problem with fresh before too.
 
I usually fix a thinner sauce either by cooking it longer ( lid off) or adding some tomato paste.

The obvious would be making sure the pasta is drained thoroughly ( to make sure the liquid isn't coming from the pasta itself, especially if its a shaped pasta that has areas where the water could hang out even after draining).



Fresh vs canned tomatoes could make a difference.

Originally I pointed to the pasta too, now I give it the plate test. If I put the sauce down on a plate by itself a good amount of water immediately runs off.
 
Cook it uncovered to thicken it via evaporation. After draining the pasta, add it to a pan with the sauce and stir it over heat for a minute.
 
One thing I remember from my mom's cooking was water on the plate when we had spaghetti with sauce. I didn't like the watery sauce.



So when I make sauce, I make it to can in quarts. I start with 20 quarts of cored quartered tomatoes, cook it, then hit it with an immersion blender (or run it through a mill to remove peel), and cook it until it is reduced by half. This takes a whole day and if I start at night, it goes overnight in a roaster with the lid cocked at low temperature. So 20 quarts of tomatoes for 10 quarts of thick sauce that doesn't puddle on the plate.


Last summer I repeated this 10 times, for a total of 100 quarts of canned thick tomato sauce. Not paste, not juice.



It really depends on how much water is in the starting sauce. More liquid, more cooking time, less liquid, less cooking time needed.
 
One thing I remember from my mom's cooking was water on the plate when we had spaghetti with sauce. I didn't like the watery sauce.



So when I make sauce, I make it to can in quarts. I start with 20 quarts of cored quartered tomatoes, cook it, then hit it with an immersion blender (or run it through a mill to remove peel), and cook it until it is reduced by half. This takes a whole day and if I start at night, it goes overnight in a roaster with the lid cocked at low temperature. So 20 quarts of tomatoes for 10 quarts of thick sauce that doesn't puddle on the plate.


Last summer I repeated this 10 times, for a total of 100 quarts of canned thick tomato sauce. Not paste, not juice.



It really depends on how much water is in the starting sauce. More liquid, more cooking time, less liquid, less cooking time needed.

Maybe more time is my answer, I normally go 6 hours or so but today I started early this morning. So I plan to simmer the heck out of it and see what happens!
 
In order to thicken the sauce you must simmer uncovered so water can evaporate. If you leave the lid on, simmering longer won’t help.
 
Hi, Tyler, and welcome! For that saucy sauce, do you use just the tomato products, or are you adding water? I ask because when Himself and I got married, he taught me his Mom's recipe for spaghetti meat sauce. Originally, it called for cans of tomato sauce and paste, and near equal amounts of water. It took forever to get the sauce thick enough. Over the years I've tweaked the recipe and eliminated all water. What was once a runny sauce like yours can now be thick enough to trowel on like plaster if I don't mind it carefully. Like others suggested, and I did in the past, simmer for enough time with the lid completely off until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
 
Remember, veggie additions, such as bell peppers, and fresh onions,contain a fair amount of water..Saute these before adding to the sauce and cook them as the tomato products reduce. I use purred tomato, or crushed tomato rather than fresh tomato, as it is canned at its peak ripeness, and has no added seasonings, except salt. I add tomato paste to thicken, and if I want to get a little more involved, will make up the french mother sauce, Sauce Tomat. then add oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, and rosemary to give it the herb profile I like. The sauce should be thick into to coat a spoon.

There are two ways to serve pasta with tomato sauce, either by bringing the sauce and pasta to the table as separate items, or by combining the sauce and pasta, and baking it for a bit. Both are equally good. The latter will guarantee that your past and sauce will cling together, with no water oozing onto the plate. Even so, I prefer having the sauce spooned over the pasta on my plate, especially if it's a meat sauce, or has meatballs in it. And then there is the cheese. But that is another topic. :chef:

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Thank you everybody for your input/advice so far! I don't add any water but some brands of canned whole tomatos come in a lot of liquid, so that could be adding to my time. I'm passing hour 8 of simmering now and I am finally starting to notice an improvement. Looks like patience and a few more beers is going to be my answer!
 
8 hours? Something is grossly wrong. Can you post your recipe?

Start with onion and garlic.
Then add canned whole tomatos (usually in 10 can batches)
Add other dry seasonings.
Add butter, a few tablespoons.
After cooking awhile I add planked whole carrots for about an hour then remove.
 
Start with onion and garlic.
Then add canned whole tomatos (usually in 10 can batches)
Add other dry seasonings.
Add butter, a few tablespoons.
After cooking awhile I add planked whole carrots for about an hour then remove.
Saute diced onions and carrots until softened to drive off the water. Break up the tomatoes before adding (your hand will work just fine) to let the water escape. After everything has thickened (should be less than 2 hours) use a good immersion blender (or a food processor or blender) to blend the works, including the carrots.
 
Saute diced onions and carrots until softened to drive off the water. Break up the tomatoes before adding (your hand will work just fine) to let the water escape. After everything has thickened (should be less than 2 hours) use a good immersion blender (or a food processor or blender) to blend the works, including the carrots.

I'll definitely give it a try, can part of the tomatos be reserved to not be blended? We enjoy some "chunk."
 

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