How To Cut The Acid In Tomato Sauce? (9 Ways)

How to cut the acid in tomato sauce? (9 Ways)

In this article, we will answer the question “How to cut the acid in tomato sauce?”, and how to make tomato sauce?

How to cut the acid in tomato sauce?

Tomato sauce is the base of many recipes including lasagna, spaghetti, pizza, chili, stews, and soups. Discarding the sauce because of its not-good-enough consistency seems like a waste of resources. Follow the tips and tricks given below to adjust the acidity of your tomato sauce according to your taste.

Neutralize the acid

To neutralize the excess acidity in your tomato sauce, sprinkle a ¼ teaspoon of baking soda across the surface of the tomato sauce. Let the tomato sauce bubble on simmering heat. This allows the baking soda to react and do its job.

One very important thing to consider when using baking soda to adjust acidity is the amount of baking soda. Start by adding only a smaller amount and taste before adding more. If you add too much, the undesirable flavor produced consequently can’t be corrected.

Mellow it out

Add a pat of butter to adjust the acidity and add extra richness and creaminess to your tomato sauce. If the sauce is too much acidic, this trick might not do the job.

Sweeten it up

Start by adding only a teaspoon of sugar at a time. Check the taste and add more If the acidity needs to be further adjusted. The amount of sugar required depends on the amount of your tomato sauce and the level of its acidity.

Add red or white wine

Add white or red wine when you are cooking the vegetables. Apart from countering the acidity in your sauce, red wine will add to a pronounced richness and the white wine will leave your tomato sauce tasting fruity.

Broil the tomatoes

Broil or roasting the canned or fresh tomato before tossing them in the saucepan will counter the acidity in the finished product. Apart from that, It also adds a lot of flavor and heartiness to the end product.

Coat with Romano or Parmesan Rind

Do not toss the rind of the hard cheese. This might seem absolutely unnecessary but let me tell you adding parmesan rind to your sauce while simmering will add a lot of flavor to your sauce while countering the acid.

Add some anchovies

In case you are wondering, anchovies will not make your tomato sauce taste fishy. Add 1-2 fillets of anchovies or a globe of anchovy paste during simmering to add a delicate umami flavor to the end product while countering its acidity.

Other ways

Adding caramelized onions can lower the acidity of your tomato sauce. Herbs, greens like kale and spinach, and mushrooms can lower the acidity of your tomato sauce by making its pH alkaline.

Toss it

This is your last bet If the sauce is way too acidic and you have tried other ways to counter it but in vain. To prevent this from happening, make sure you do not simmer your tomato sauce for more than 30 minutes. This will prevent the acids from concentrating and giving the sauce an overly acidic flavor.

Other than that, the most important factor in controlling the flavor profile of your tomato sauce is the tomatoes. The ripeness, growing conditions, and the variety of the tomatoes are important factors in determining the acidity of the final product.

Other FAQs about Sauces which you may be interested in.

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How to make tomato sauce?

Ingredients

1 medium-sized onion (peeled and quartered)
2 stalks of celery (cleaned, cut into chunks)
2 medium-sized carrots (peeled, cut into chunks)
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
56 oz. crushed tomatoes (four 14oz/400g cans or two 28oz cans)
A handful of fresh flatleaf parsley chopped
A handful of fresh basil (chopped)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Then finely chop the onions, carrots, and celery in a food processor.
In a large saucepan, add some olive oil. On medium heat, saute the onion, carrot, and celery mixture. Heat until dry completely dry and soft.
Poke a hole in the center of the softened vegetables, add the rest of the olive oil followed by garlic. Heat the garlic until fragrant.
Then add tomatoes and all the herbs followed by seasoning.
Let the tomatoes come to a rolling boil. Then lower the heat and let the tomatoes simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
If you like your sauce to have a thinner or runny consistency, blend the tomatoes in a food processor before adding them to the saucepan. If you like it to be thick and chunky, skip this step.