Acidity in Red Sauce

[Dancer in the kitchen]

Hey Guys!

I've heard of putting butter in spaghetti & marinara sauce to help ease the acidity. Which I've tried, but my husband still gets heartburn now & then. It doesn't bother me, so it's hard for me to gage (sp?).
Any other suggestions?

 

[jabbur]

I've been known to add hersey's syrup to tomato sauces and chilis and when I do, it seems less heartburn is felt but don't know if it is true or just my imagination.

 

[PytnPlace]

I started getting heartburn with red sauce a couple years ago. I love red sauce and have tried everything to lesson the burn. The only thing that has worked so far has been Zantac!

 

[Dancer in the kitchen]

I've been known to add hersey's syrup to tomato sauces and chilis and when I do, it seems less heartburn is felt but don't know if it is true or just my imagination.

Interesting. It doesn't change the taste? I don't know that I'd be brave enough to try it. My husband's tastebuds are so acute. He doesn't like cumin & a recipe called for it. I added maybe an 1/8 of a teaspoon in chili. He said, "I like it, but there's just a hint of something I don't like." Go figure.

 

[Andy M.]

If you're happy with the taste of the sauce, don't treat it, treat the heartburn.

If the sauce tastes too acidic, add a very small amount of baking soda (start with 1/8 teaspoon) to the sauce on the stove. It will foam up a little. Stir it in and re-taste it.

Some folks add sugar but I don't care for the taste difference.

 

[Dancer in the kitchen]

If you're happy with the taste of the sauce, don't treat it, treat the heartburn.

If the sauce tastes too acidic, add a very small amount of baking soda (start with 1/8 teaspoon) to the sauce on the stove. It will foam up a little. Stir it in and re-taste it.

Some folks add sugar but I don't care for the taste difference.

I've done that too. And it DOES foam up! Makes me feel like I'm putting together some science experiment. My DH usually has milk with any dinners that have a red sauce & that seems to tone down the heartburn.

Thanks for the advice! I'll just tell him to prepare himself & take a pill before dinner.

 

[Constance]

DH and I have milk with almost all our meals.

Putting butter in the pasta sauce will only make your hubby's heartburn worse.
If you're using meat in your sauce, don't cook the meat to hard, as the longer it cooks, the more grease it soaks up. Cook it just until all the pink is gone, then drain it in a colander, mashing the meat with a spoon.

I also suggest your husband see a doctor for the heartburn. There are new medications that can eliminate that problem. My doctor prescribed Nexium, and for once in my life, I can even eat fresh fruit without pain.

 

[Dancer in the kitchen]

DH and I have milk with almost all our meals.

Putting butter in the pasta sauce will only make your hubby's heartburn worse.
If you're using meat in your sauce, don't cook the meat to hard, as the longer it cooks, the more grease it soaks up. Cook it just until all the pink is gone, then drain it in a colander, mashing the meat with a spoon.

I also suggest your husband see a doctor for the heartburn. There are new medications that can eliminate that problem. My doctor prescribed Nexium, and for once in my life, I can even eat fresh fruit without pain.

Other than cashews & cajun spices, nothing else really affects him. But, since I experiement with different dishes, I'll keep an eye on what might be causing his discomfort & if it goes beyond those foods, we'll definitely look into it.

Thanks!

 

[Andy M.]

I've done that too. And it DOES foam up! Makes me feel like I'm putting together some science experiment. My DH usually has milk with any dinners that have a red sauce & that seems to tone down the heartburn.

Thanks for the advice! I'll just tell him to prepare himself & take a pill before dinner.

Didn't the baking soda work for you?

I take Prilosec and that works for me.

 

[Dancer in the kitchen]

Didn't the baking soda work for you?

I take Prilosec and that works for me.

It may have. I don't remember my DH complaining afterwards, but then he usually doesn't, unless it's really bad.

He doesn't take any kind of preventative--usually a Rolaids if he feels the heartburn coming on.

 

[CherryRed]

I heard that the skin of the tomatoes actually increases acidity. I've always been told it's best to skin them before you start making any sauce. Anyone know if this is true?

 

[RMS]

When I make sauce using fresh tomatoes, I always skin them but I don't know if it reduces the acidity.
My husband gets heartburn as well. He just uses an antacid afterwards. I'm going to try the baking soda next time to see if it works for him.
Thanks for the tips.

 

[Andy M.]

I heard that the skin of the tomatoes actually increases acidity. I've always been told it's best to skin them before you start making any sauce. Anyone know if this is true?

Most canned tomato is peeled so that should not be a factor.

 

[letevic]

I ALWAYS add a dollop of ketchup to my tomato sauce. That cuts down on the acidity because of the sugar in the ketchup.

Hope this helps

 

[Mylegsbig]

I use some splenda.

 

[auntdot]

Have used the bicarb but find I have to use it very sparingly or it dulls the flavor.

 

[urmaniac13]

Sufficient amount of "sofritto" (well-sautèed mixture of finely chopped onion, carrot and garlic) will tone down the acidity of tomatoes, not only that, add some great flavour. My pasta sauce can not be done without it!!

 

[Michael in FtW]

Catch-22

There are two things going on here: (1) Actual acidity (the actual acid content that causes indigestion) and (2) Perceived acidity - the taste in your mouth.

Catch-22: Both acid and sugar enhance the tomato flavor in a tomato sauce. Using something like baking soda to chemically neutralize the actual acid content will, as auntdot noted, "dull" the flavor. Jabbur's idea of using a touch of Hershey's Syrup is not without merit as I found out after a little investigating ... it's made from Dutch Processed chocolate (chocolate treated with an alkaline), which is about as alkaline as baking soda (pH=8), so it should work chemically as an acid neutralizer.

Urmaniac13's "sofritto" will not chemically reduce the actual acid content but will balance the flavors. The carrots do not add a "sugary" sweetness like table sugar ... just a flavor balance. Ironically ... if you don't want to use carrots, dark brown sugar is a better option than refined white table sugar because the molasses contains some flavor components found in tomatoes.

How to Reduce The Acid in the Beginning: The majority of the acid in a tomato is in the juice and jelly surrounding the seeds. So, cutting a tomato in half and squeezing out the seeds and jelly (aka "seeding") a tomato reduces the acidity by about 2/3 - it's not just to get rid of the seeds. But, this is not without consequences ... the jelly and seeds also contain flavors that will be lost if discarded before cooking.

In the end: Acidity can be reduced in the sauce but it will be at the expense of flavor. To preserve the flavor - perhaps an antacid prior to eating might be the solution?