Preserving Homemade Sauce?

Question

Okay, I make a KILLER homemade spaghetti sauce (marinara) and would love to be able to make one huge batch and keep the it in the fridge for later use.

I've never "canned" anything before and would love to know what the best way to go about doing this would be.

Thanks for the info! :)

Answer 1

What I do is freeze my killer sauce! A hint though, don't use cheezy store brand freezer bags, invest in the real ziplock, heavy duty double lined freezer bags. The other ones will develop freezer burn in short order and ruin the flavor. Also, make certain you get ALL of the air out of the bag before you freeze it. And, don't try using Gladlock plastic containers. First, the tomato will leave a permanent stain in the plastic unless you first spray it with Pam. Second, the air space left to the top of the container promotes freezer burn. Finally, make certain the sauce is at room temperature before you chunk it in the freezer.

Answer 2

Consider spraying a sealable plastic container with vegetable spray then filling with sauce leaving an inch from the rim.
Pour olive oil over the top of the sauce to completely cover the sauce from air. put the lid on and freeze.
I have used this method and have been able to defrost undamaged sauce for up to 6 months. I haven't yet kept anything over that period yet.
The oil provides a barrier to the air and any frost that may want to form on the sauce. Just make sure the sauce is cooled before packing and pour off the oil after defrosting.
Also put a tape label with the date and the contents on it.

Answer 3

I'm in cooking school and an aspiring chef and there are a few good ways to store sauce. One would be in a plastic container in the freezer. Sauce is easily frozen and can be kept very long. Just remember to put a little Extra Virgin olive oil, or any olive oil you have around, on the top of the sauce as thin layer..it hels preserve it. You can also store it in jars in the refridgerator but it won't last as long. I store all kinds of sauces in my freezer, just remember, O.O. on top. =)

Answer 4

You don't need to know anything about canning, just get some tupperware and throw your sauce in the freezer! I like to measure mine out into portion sizes first, so that I can just take out a container and know it's a good amount for one person's pasta. It will stay good frozen for about half a year. You can also do this homemade soup stock and other pasta sauces, like pesto.

Answer 5

you need pickling salt, jars,lids, and liners.and a huge pot to put water in.make your sauce, put the jars in boiling water always keep them in boiling water until you are done canning.put the liners in boiling water as well.in making the sauce dont put any salt in it as this is why you need pickling salt. so after you have boiling jars and liners and the sauce is made, take a jar out put the sauce in the jar. for a quart jar add 1 teaspoon of pickling salt to the jar of sauce. and a half a teaspoon to a pint jar. so after you do that get a liner from the boiling water and place it on the jar, then put the lid on it and set the jar on a surface that wont melt. when your done with all the jars place a towel over them and let them sit there, you'll here the lids seal, its a popping sound. and voila! your done.

Answer 6

It's not necessary to can it.

All you really need to do is make sure you store it inside of an air-tight sealed container and keep it refridgerated. Even just using some plain old tupperware could be good enough to keep it fresh.

Answer 7

Just chuck it in! I like to put mine in lots of small containers - portion sized. Make sure it's cold before it goes in, else it will defrost the freezer.

Answer 8

Throw it into freezer bags and freeze it, it'll practically last forever and is a hell of a lot easier than canning.

Answer 9

add a tablespoon of Vit. C powder preventing oxidation. Make your sauce stable

Answer 10

after it cools down, put it in a gallon freeze bag and put it in the freezer, it will keep in the freezer and when you are ready to use it all you have to do is thaw it out. and heat it.

hope this helps you