I had a few questions on sauce preparation and was hoping someone could either comment and correct, or confirm my method of preparing my sauce.
I use a Bonta with Basil heavy tomato paste for my base (3 cans). I then add in approx 2.5 cans (14oz) of room temperature water, into a white food can. I add my salt, sugar and spices, mix with a hand held mixer for about 3 minutes and refrigerate for 24 hours. I then scoop out what I need on a daily basis and keep at room temperature for a maximum of 24 hours (12 one day, 12 the next of need be).
The only problem I run into is that no matter how much I mix it the water likes to separate and I sometimes end up with a slightly thicker or thinner sauce each time I prep a small container.
Thanks for any input.
When you make a sauce as you have described I think some water separation upon standing is going to be normal. This is why I personally, like to use ground whole tomatoes or puree rather than paste when making pizza sauce. I also think it makes for a better flavor too, but that is a personal preference. In your spice pack, do you have onion and/or garlic? If so, this can/will act as a catalyst causing the pectin in the tomato to gel, resulting in a thicker sauce. If this sounds familiar, try nuking the spice pack in a portion of the water. Just heat it enough to bring it just to the boiling stage, then allow to cool and add to the sauce. There is nothing shameful about needing to stir the sauce occasionally during use, BUT do keep in mind that a sauce that separates in the bowl/bucket will also separate on the pizza, setting the stage for the development of a dreaded gum line. To prevent this from happening just be sure to get your pizzas into the oven as quickly as possible after saucing. I would not recommend pre-saucing with a sauce of this type.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
I scrape out the cans of tomato paste into a white food bucket, measure out my water. I add the water to the food bucket, then dump in my sauce, and mix for 3-5 minutes. I let it sit for 24 hours. Each day before I use I remix for about 30 seconds (otherwise I end up with thin sauce at top, thick on bottom). When I make extra, I can usually use it for up to 5-7 days (kept in refrigeration) before it starts to get a bitter taste, or 2 days at 12 hours a day room temperature.
If you have any suggestions, either on ingredients for flavor, longevity, or to reduce the water consistency of it without losing too much in current flavor, I would greatly appreciate your expertise!
My background is from chain restaurants when I tried to do things from scratch I am still learning as I go.
I think what is actually happening is that you are getting gelling of the tomato product as a result of adding the onion and garlic to the sauce as you are. If you check through the TT Archives you will find quite a bit of discussion on this topic. I think most, if not all of us are in agreement that heating of the onion and garlic prior to addition to the sauce is an effective way to control the gelling issue. Try this approach first, and see if things don’t begin looking better.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
Tom,
Just to clarify, I do not have a burner here at my shop, so I would have to boil the water at home. Should I just take the water (all 14oz) put it in a sauce pot at home, turn it on a low setting, add the granulated garlic and then the onion powder, let it boil and come back to room temperature and then just take that in to the shop with me, add it to the paste then add and mix in my basil and oregano (or should I add those to the water when I boil it too?).
Sorry for the dumb questions. I have been looking through the search forums on think tank reading a few but just want to clarify.
That would work, just boil the 14-ounces of water with the onion and garlic, let it cool and bring to the shop to add to your sauce. No need to add any of the other sauce ingredients to the boil. But why not invest a few dollars and buy a cheap (low cost) microwave oven from Walmart that you can use in the shop for other things that might need reheating or boiling too?
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
Tom,
After re reading my own postings, (I have been preoccupied with out “dreaded” Tropical Storm Isaac) I realized that I made a HUGE mistake in posting that I use 14oz of water. I use 2.5 #10 cans full of water which comes out to 14lbs (obviously a big difference).
Does this change me to being way off, or still the same principle? And obviously since I cannot fit that much water conveniently in the microwave, is there a ratio I should use to boil water with the onion and garlic in the microwave (i.e, 1oz of spice = 1oz of water)?
Thanks!
Nick;
That is a lot of water for your sauce recipe. The reason why it is so high just might be due to the fact that you are gelling the tomato in your sauce and you’re trying to thin it back down to a spreading consistency with water. Better to not gell the tomato by boiling the garlic and onion in only a portion of the water. You can probably get away with boiling the onion and garlic in a pint (16-ounces) of the water, then add only half of the 2.5, #10-cans of water to see if you now really need all that water. I’m guessing that you won’t. If you need more that the 1.25-cans you can always add it and stir it in after you have made the sauce.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
Keep your shutters pulled tight, and your head down!
Tom,
Thank you very much. I will do just that and let you know how it turns out! Thank you for the advice.
I don’t that Nicks water amount is not far off. Adding a half a can of water to Bonta will not get it to a spreadable consistency. I find it takes just over 3/4 a can to get it there. It’s quite a bit thicker than Saporito from Stanislaus.
Nick,
We actually use the same sauce base that you do. A batch for us is as follows:
2 #10 cans bonta
2 #10 cans water
1 spice pack
We mix all together with a drill with a mixing attachment on it. We put in the walkin for at least 24 hours before using (we have found it is best on the 3rd day). We do not use it past 6 days though. This is the recommended shelf life of that product by Escalon. If it is taking you that long to go through a batch of sauce, you may think of cutting your batch in half to use it quicker.
After the sauce sits, we pull it out of walkin, mix with drill, pour into 1/2 cambro containers and place in pizza prep table to be used. It may sit in there for 1 day before we use it sometimes. I have not thought much of it before - I usually just stir the sauce with a spoodle - but may reconsider how long we let the sauce sit in the prep table before using it.
Dan