Cooking Resources

WinterDream · 01-07-2009, 01:01 PM

My question is,how can I make tomato sauces less liquid?If I make a tomato sauce it's actually so liquid,that it wont stay on the noodles.
Putting flour into it makes it quite..thick..
Could someone please tell me some tricks?:3

Andy M. · 01-07-2009, 01:11 PM

First, if you cook it uncovered, some of the liquid will evaporate, making a thicker sauce.

Second, if you list the ingredients and quantities you use for the sauce we may be able to offer more help.

larry_stewart · 01-07-2009, 01:12 PM

I usually add tomato paste to my sauce which thickens it up. Also, letting it simmer with the lid off will reduce it quite a bit ( just dont let it burn/ stick to the bottom). A little olive oil in it will help it stick to the pasta ( butter and cream too, but changes the taste significantly)

quicksilver · 01-07-2009, 01:12 PM

First off, No pasta is called "NOODLES!!! Sacrelidge! NOODLES are NOODLES! Pasta is Pasta!
Add some tomato paste.
Use tomato puree to start though 1 large can of puree, 1 can of water, 1 can of paste, 1 can of water.
Simmer with your favorite spices and herbs and cooked meat (or no meat) for about 1 hour, stirring every so often, keeping on medium low.

geez - noodles?!?

Andy M. · 01-07-2009, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quicksilver

...geez - noodles?!?

Is this a big issue for you? Really?

Also, perhaps she was actually using noodles and that's why she said that.

snack_pack85 · 01-07-2009, 01:21 PM

Good point Andy. and quicksilver...whoa buddy...whoa!??

As for the pasta sauce, like Andy said we'd help you better if we knew what recipe you were using. All the tricks mentioned above are great, tomato paste will def. thicken things for you but make sure you change the recipe to account for the tartness that the past will add. I always use a little more salt and a pinch of brown sugar to offset the tangyness (sp?).

If you're using a protein in your sauce like ground beef or meatballs etc, that should make for a hearty sauce already. I always add a ton of veggies to my tomato based pasta sauce, like asparagus, onion, mushrooms it adds a lot of great flavor and the sauce is extra thick! Good luck and let us know if any of this works out for you!

jennyema · 01-07-2009, 01:28 PM

Any liquid will thicken via evaporation by simmering it.

quicksilver · 01-07-2009, 01:39 PM

brown sugar? Italians in my family never heard of that.
Add a cut up (like you do for boiling mashed potatoes) fried potato. (I fry with the meatballs or sausage or chicken or braciole) The starch in the potato draws the acid out....and they taste great. That is if you stir with a wooden spoon so as not to break them up, or the meat apart, in the sauce. If they do break up, no big deal. They aren't even distinquishable.

But no, noodles are NOT pasta. Sorry guys.

And yes, uncovering will allow the liquid (water) to evaporate more quickly. But if there's any fat, from the frying, or the protein, it will splatter all over your stove. Water and oil do not mix. And if you stand by the stove, you will be wearing it also.
Tastes good though.

WinterDream · 01-07-2009, 01:44 PM

Alright,I guess it will help.

That's what I do.
I put tomatoes(Sometimes fresh ones,sometimes from a can)into a pot,with a bit sugar,salt and pepper.Then I heat it.Result:Water evaporates,which leaves it quite thick.I put water in it,which makes the taste less and it's getting like I said before,you can't put it on noodles.(YES NOODLES.)

CharlieD · 01-07-2009, 02:11 PM

What's wrong with noodles? I love noodles. I even make them at home, and still call them noodles. Het, give the kid a break.

Pasta – Shasta - Basta, who cares, as long as it tastes good. And maybe that is what they call pasta in Germany anyway. Right kid?! You are from Germany, right?

Anyway, are you talking about making your own tomato sauce? Then it is whole big process. First of all you should do it only in the summer when you can get the ripest tomatoes. And then when you cook them you have to let the water evaporate until you get desired consistency.

If you are talking to make some sauce for your NOODLES, from canned tomatoes or tomatoes sauce it is a whole different bowl game, or is it ball? Gosh that funny English language. Couldn’t you peoples come up with an extra few words that do not sound the same? So we foreigners will not have that many problems.

So kid which sauce are you making?