"Fresh" & "Homemade" Pasta/Pizza Sauce

Question

So, something that&#x27;s been bugging me for a while. I&#x27;m watching the cooking shows (pick any, they all do this), and the chef/restaurant owner/whoever starts touting their "fresh" "homemade" pasta/pizza sauce - then they give the ingredients:"Well, we start with 15 large cans of San Marzano tomatoes"Wait, hold up....."Canned" tomatoes? And as we all know, the tomato is like 88% of the sauce. What&#x27;s the difference between their "Fresh &amp; Homemade" and simply doctoring up a jar of Ragu with some saut&#xE9;ed onions, herbs &amp; garlic? Is there even an Italian restaurant out there that touts "Fresh" and makes the sauce from actual real fresh tomatoes? Seems like that should be a thing.....Yeah, I know, file it under "First World Problems", but, just an annoying observation.....

GimmeMoneyNow · Answer

So, something that&#x27;s been bugging me for a while. I&#x27;m watching the cooking shows (pick any, they all do this), and the chef/restaurant owner/whoever starts touting their "fresh" "homemade" pasta/pizza sauce - then they give the ingredients:"Well, we start with 15 large cans of San Marzano tomatoes"Wait, hold up....."Canned" tomatoes? And as we all know, the tomato is like 88% of the sauce. What&#x27;s the difference between their "Fresh &amp; Homemade" and simply doctoring up a jar of Ragu with some saut&#xE9;ed onions, herbs &amp; garlic? Is there even an Italian restaurant out there that touts "Fresh" and makes the sauce from actual real fresh tomatoes? Seems like that should be a thing.....Yeah, I know, file it under "First World Problems", but, just an annoying observation.....

thorpe · Answer

https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/37547/differences-between-canned-and-fresh-tomatoes

Basically, canned is better than fresh because they are picked when perfectly ripe on the vine and are already peeled.

Fresh tomatoes are picked before they are ripe, so the restaraunt would have a more inconsistent flavor.

Crusher13 · Answer

Reminds me of Papa John&#x27;s commercial....how he can&#x27;s his specially picked  tomatoes...But..there are some really killer recipes when you start putting the right spices, tomato paste, diced tomatoes(yes canned), fresh garlic and real basil..

searchwarrant · Answer

Believe it or not canned tomatoes are actually fresher than the ones in the produce section. Texture&#x27;s a little different.

TheGoldenGoose · Answer

Bullsh!t. How about GROW YOUR OWN tomatoes and eggplant?My cousin does this and her homemade sauce and eggplant is to die for.

wallstreetcappers · Answer

If doing fresh I would only go with Roma/Plum toms and skip anything else...and if you want a thicker sauce, seed out the toms before you stew them...taking out the middle section increases the density and makes so you dont have to puree the mixture as much.

I've done fresh many times and i keep it pretty simple...roma toms, fresh crushed garlic, olive oil, finely diced white onion pepper and sea salt. I dont like yellow onion and I dont add the spices like basil until closer to the time I am going to use it, so if you are going to cook and use then of course get the spices in there.

TheGoldenGoose · Answer

The olive oil is most important. Don&#x27;t skimp on the best. It shows.

GimmeMoneyNow · Answer

Good to see people are on board with this, it's not just me.

Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with using canned tomatoes. I can see how they would be a more uniform, consistent, and probably cheaper product as opposed to using fresh. But, when Guy Fieri comes into your diner, drive-in, or dive and asks you about your homemade pasta sauce, don't respond with "We make it fresh in-house every day....."

Really? Is the date stamped on the 20 cans of tomatoes you just opened "today"? Because if not, you're basically doctoring up a can of Ragu, my friend.

I would love to see an episode with a restaurant that actually makes it from fresh, and be like "Well Guy, unlike all these other places that tout their sauce as "fresh", we actually use fresh tomatoes...."

Just a little truth in advertising, that's all.

And don't get me started on these "Award-Winning" BBQ sauces where they go, "We start with 3 cups of ketchup....."

searchwarrant · Answer

This guy was onto the BS awhile back gimmy,.Click here: George &#xD;&#xA;Carlin On a Bullshit Hunt Describes Food Advertising Bullshit - YouTube

Slobbasaurus · Answer

Even if it is considered "fresh" by using canned tomatoes, I call BS that all servings are made fresh everyday.

You know if they don't use the entire pot of sauce, that sh!t is being either froze or refrigerated. Not buying it. You wouldn't be able to taste the difference anyway.

And on a side note, it's called sauce and not gravy. Olive Garden Italian Americans refer to it as "gravy." Gravy is brown.

Goose is right that EVOO will make or break the sauce. Also fresh garlic.

Slobbasaurus · Answer

Freshly canned tomatoes; fresh from Aisle 9 at your local Shop Rite, A&amp;P or Path Mark!

GimmeMoneyNow · Answer

[Quote: Originally Posted by searchwarrant]  This guy was onto the BS awhile back gimmy,.Click here: George &#xD;&#xA;Carlin On a Bullshit Hunt Describes Food Advertising Bullshit - YouTube  [/Quote]Classic Carlin! Never seen that before, thanks!

Sunshine24 · Answer

I&#x27;m Italian, however the best sauce/ gravy not homemade is hands down .. Rao&#x27;s   It&#x27;s from Italy. Best I&#x27;ve ever had. I

"Fresh" & "Homemade" Pasta/Pizza Sauce

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