Is there anything you can do to help take the slight burnt taste our of homeaid spagetti sauce?

Question

Need to know if there is anything to put in my homeaid spagetti sauce. I am going to freeze a bunch of it but it has a burnt taste in it because the bottom of the pan was burnt? Maybe nothing will work but I just though I would ask.

Thank you,

Answer 1

The best thing to do when you burn a sauce like this not to scrape or stir the bottom where it is burnt, ladle the top of it out into another bowl or pot, this should help. But there is no fixing it that I know of otherwise.

Answer 2

I actually am surprised nobody mentioned using a crock pot to slow cook it. If you have the time I have to say it's probably the best way to do it. Put it on low heat and let the sauce cook all day while you are at school or work or something. If you are using a half-way decent crockpot the sauce shouldn't stick at all to the ceramic bowl to get a chance to burn. Keep it covered and stir it more when you get a chance towards the end.

Now I know you may not have a crockpot or even te time to use it. The key at this point if you have to use a large metal pot is use high temps at the beginning with constant stirring and then back off and use less heat and less stirring to very little heat and cover it. This only prevents the burning in the first place though.

If it's already burnt a bit, your best bet is to not scrape the pan like mentioned before. if the taste still exists, you'll want to take as much of the non-burnt portion and poor into another container, clean the original pot and add the sauce back in. Add some tomato paste and seasoning and you should be good. A little bit of sesoning can go a long way so don't overdo it. I hope this helps and good luck.

Answer 3

Here's a bit of advice for the next time you make it.

There are several things you can do to avoid burning a tomatoe sauce.

One of the primary reasons tomato sauces burn is that when most americans attempt to make a homemade sauce out of canned tomatoes they will only partially crush the tomatoes because of the "chunky" consistency that is favored here. When cooking for a long time this means the chunks fall to the bottom of the pan and the liquid stays on top. Even on the lowest flame, eventually it will burn if not looked after. Do it the Italian way. Put your tomatoes through a "tomato mill" or in a blender on a low setting. This evens the consistency, which is the traditional type for a longer cooked sauce (ragu') , and prevents burning.

Next, during the initial stage of cooking, when the ingredients are fusing together, keep the lid completely on. This of course will eliminate evaporation during the longest period of cooking time. Take the lid off to reduce the sauce a bit and concentrate the flavors during the final 15-30 minutes. This will be a less tedious amont of time that you have to monitor it.

Most important is the first step though, because even without the lid, when the sauce is an even consistency it can cook for a long time on a low heat without burning.

You will also notice how much better your sauce will adhere to the pasta in an even manner instead of just chunks on top and watery sauce on the bottom. Ever notice how the chunks invariably remain at the end after the pasta is eaten up? This way the tomatoey goodness you've spent hours slaving away for sticks to every piece of pasta!

Answer 4

If you worked very fast and got it off the heat you might be able to save it. Put the pan with the spaghetti into a larger pan in the sink. Do not tranfer the spaghetti into another pan just set it in with the water flowing on the bottom of the burnt pan and also let it flow on the side of the pan too. Be careful handling hot pots! Now do not stir the spaghetti in the pan. Pour the spahgetti into a different pan and be careful not to rake the burnt sauce into the pan. Afterwards taste the spaghetti and if it tastes not burnt then good for you otherwise if the burnt taste is still there sorry there is nothing more you can do! Lots of Luck to you and your sauce!! Try cutting a potato in 4 sections and put it in the pot along with a pinch of sugar...brown sugar.

Answer 5

"Don't stir the food as this will mix any burnt pieces into the rest of the food and contaminate it all. Plunge the bottom of the pan into cold water to cool it down and prevent further cooking. Carefully remove as much of the unburnt food as you can and put into a clean pan, being very careful not to include any burnt bits, add a little more liquid continue cooking. If it still tastes burnt the addition of something like Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, spice or herbs, usually disguises it."

I also know that placing a potato in a pan of sauce absorbs salt if you add too much--wonder if it would work for the burnt taste? I think it is worth a shot.

Answer 6

I got the advice below from near the bottom of this page: http://www.ichef.com/news.cfm?itemid=111479

When food burns while cooking, do three things:
1. Remove the pot or pan from teh heat at once. Fill a container bigger than the pot (use the sick if necessary) with cold water and place the the burned container in the cold water. Speed is of the essence. Just removeing a pot from the flame doesn't stop the cooking; the cold-water plunge does.
2. Using a wooden spoon, preferably, remove all ingredients that don't cling, and transfer to another pot. Be sure you don't scrape or forcibly remove anything - take only what comes easily.
3. Taste the food. It is unlikely that it will have a burned taste, but if it does, cover the pot with a damp cloth and let it stand for about 1/2 hour. Taste it again. If the taste is still unpleasently burned or smoky, your food is probably beyond repair - unless you can take advantage of the smoky taste

Answer 7

im sure it was the bottom of the pan. Most likely you didnt stir the sauce enough and the fire was on too high...heating the sauce has to be gradual, thats why the little old italian ladies spend aAAAAALLLLL day cooking their sauce =0) lol no but seriously, very low heat...very small tiny bubbles should be coming from your pan, it should be on a simmer rather than a boil. I would also suggest that you pay alot of attention in the beginning, burnt onions and garlic can be veeerry strong in their charred flavor ....watch them carefully....The Most Important Tip that i have is the pan that you use....those cheap stainless steel pans are great for boiling and making gravy, but for a long simmer, get a nice heavy cast iron type pan.....OR USE A CROCKPOT....it eliminates most of the hassle....cooks slowly, doesnt burn and does allll of the work for ya!!=0) good luck and as for the SAUCE YOU already made....i think you could try some seasoning but thats about it....good luck w. the next batch =0)

Answer 8

SAUCE BURNED ON BOTTOM
Remove the pan from the heat immediately! Don't stir. Place the bottom of the pan into a sink full of cold water to stop the cooking. Don't stir the sauce! Pour the top 3/4 of it into a new pan, leaving the burned part behind. Taste the sauce. It might still be okay, but if you detect any burned flavor, you'll have to throw it away and start over.
I got this from a page in about.com that has a list of almost every cooking mistake

Answer 9

Yes there is something you can do. When you are heating the pan try some butter or extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan but not a lot you don't want your sauce to be to oily or greasy. Then once the pan is heated then add the ingredients for your sauce and I promise the burnt taste will not be there. Oh yeah and use a non stick pan and if you don't use a non-stick pan then please use a wooden spoon because it will not scrape the bottom of the pan so the pan can burn in those areas.

Answer 10

I adore creating homemade tomato sauce,my family simply turn up their noses at the store bought stuff ever since I began making my own recipe over a decade ago.In that length of time you will definitely run into some disasters in any kitchen:-(

To rescue a burnt tomato sauce, I learnt to remove the sauce from the pot in which it burnt,being careful not to scrape the bottom.
Slice about 1/2 cup of onion and, in a fresh pan,saute till tender but not colored, allowing the fragrance to develop.Add the sauce and about 1/2 cup of freshly pureed tomatoes. Simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes,taste constantly to check when the sauce's flavors have redeveloped. If it still has a burnt-ish taste, add a 1/2 tsp at a time of brown sugar. DO NOT ADD ANY BROTH OR WATER TO THE SAUCE. IT WILL ONLY HIGHLIGHT THE BURNT TASTE, I don't know why. You can add more spices like bouillon powder or oregano if you want but no liquids.If you have some fresh ground beef ,then all the better : you can add that to the pan when you are sauteeing the onion for improved flavor.

To prevent tomato sauce from scorching at the bottom to begin with, you need to stir it all the way to the bottom of the pan and go over the entire surface of the pan with a wooden spoon. Always use a WOODEN spoon when stirring a tomato sauce, it's surer of getting to the bottom and all the corners,leaving nothing to cling to the pan to burn.If you don't own a wooden spoon,go and buy one - or three of different sizes- with flat edges preferably.You'll bless God that you did, they are so useful.
Happy Adventures in the Kitchen :-)

Answer 11

Remove Burnt Taste From Food