The Surprising Hidden Ingredient That Italians Use in Their Perfect Pasta Sauce

If your food-loving friend has said, “You know, I hated sprouts too ’til I cooked them with lardons,” then you can cross that off their bingo board. “Don’t tell anyone, but my secret ingredient for chilli is actually 80% chocolate!” and “your life will change if you add some sugar to your pasta sauce,” you have a full house.

By the way, I am the “foodie friend” in question. And while none of the aforementioned claims are untrue, you might want to check out TikToker Giuseppe Federici’s rant if you’re ready to try something less formulaic and novel.

Cooking With Nonna’s author revealed that his Italian grandmother uses baking soda in addition to sugar in her sauce, and she’s not the only one.

Hidden Ingredient That Italians Use in Their Perfect Pasta Sauce

Why?

The TikToker (@sepps_eats) remarked, “You might wonder why Nonna puts bicarbonate of soda in her pasta sauce. She went on to say that it’s perfect for canned tommies.”

When produce isn’t as fresh as it may be, many experts suggest utilizing canned tomatoes; however, the price of preserved perfection is frequently a bit too much acidity.

In order to counteract the puckering tang, Guiseppe’s grandmother adds sugar and bicarbonate of soda to canned tomatoes.

Advocates support the change. Baking soda neutralizes the acid in tomatoes, improving the sauce’s taste, according to AllRecipes’ tomato sauce recipe. Add soda very little at a time, and heat sauce for a few minutes after adding soda.

“Sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid,” according to Southern Living.

The trick works wonders for any tomato sauce that leans slightly towards tartness, not just canned tomatoes.

Oh! Anything further?

Yes! As we’ve already discussed, adding too much bicarbonate of soda may turn the sauce bitter, so proceed with extreme caution.

According to Guiseppi, his grandmother uses a quarter of a teaspoon for every two cans of tomatoes, and AllRecipes emphasizes that you should wait a few minutes before adding more.

“I’ve done it in the past to salvage soups and sauces and it does work, use very small amounts though and bear in mind that as a result of the chemical process, a bit of salt will be formed which could throw off other flavors. ,” commented one Redditor who had tried the hack.

Therefore, utilize your bicarb carefully and with your probably already-loved sugar.

read also: Pasta Sauce Types You Should Know Part 2

read also: Pasta Sauce Types You Should Know Part 1

Hidden Ingredient That Italians Use in Their Perfect Pasta SauceHidden Ingredient That Italians Use in Their Perfect Pasta SauceHidden Ingredient That Italians Use in Their Perfect Pasta SauceHidden Ingredient That Italians Use in Their Perfect Pasta Sauce

The Unexpected Secret Ingredient Italians Add For Perfect Pasta Sauce (msn.com)