I appreciate all your answers so far about choosing tomato puree or tomato sauce.?

Question

If you could tell me why you chose one over the other, it would help me make my choice. I appreciate all responses. thanks again!

Answer 1

Exclusive of added ingredients such as herbs, spices, peppers, onions, etc., tomato products come in 4 basic viscosities or "thickness". In order from thickest to thinnest: paste; puree; sauce; juice. These differ only in the water content. All are prepared by first removing the skins and stems and separating out the seeds, so that only the pulp and juices remain. Water is then removed by heating. In commercial establishments a vacuum dehydrator is used, because water boils at a lower temperature under a vacuum, thereby reducing the flavor change brought on by higher heat.

Paste plus 2 equal parts water = puree
Paste plus 3 equal parts water = sauce
Paste plus 4 equal parts water = juice

Paste is usually made from a low acid tomato. Therefore paste produces a "sweeter" final product.

Juice is usually made from a fairly high acid tomato. This accounts for the "sharp" taste of commercially prepared tomato juice.

Puree and sauce is usually made from a medium acid tomato. (Within the same brand, it will be the same tomato or same blend of tomatoes). So there is no significant taste difference in the final product from either puree or sauce. The difference is the water content, which affects the viscosity of the final product and therefore "strength" of the tomato taste.

Speaking to the "wateriness" of spaghetti sauce. Whether you use sauce or puree there will always be some water at the edges of the serving - less of course w/ puree. This can be prevented only with a thickening agent. In most homes, flour is the thickener of choice, because it doesn't beak down in an acid environment or when reheated. Cornstrarch is not a good choice as it breaks down in an acid enviroment and also when it is reheated. Tapioca starch (flour, not pearls) and arrowroot are sometimes used as they stand up better in an acid environment and don't break down as readily when reheated. The other choice is "modified food starch". This can be found in large supermarkets and restaurant supply stores. Modified food starch is made from various high starch content foods - corn, tapioca, sego lily, sago palm are a few. They hold up well in acid environments and do not break down when reheated. The one I use is from corn and sells under the brand name Clear-Jel. Modified food starch is used to thicken commercial pie fillings and other similar products. The "Instant" version of modified food starch is to make instant puddings, etc.

I use the above information to make my choice for whether to use paste, puree, sauce or juice as to which best suits my desired final product.

Answer 2

Sauce contains mainly the liquid of the tomato with some solids added for body. Puree is the whole tomato which has been pureed into a thick liquid, that includes the seeds which can impart a bitter flavor. I would recommend using sauce in any recipe if you want something a bit thicker add a little tomato paste.

Answer 3

Looking from the HEALTH point of view, the winner for me is tomato PUREE.

The puree has more tomato content. If homemade, it can be 100% tomato, while the sauce has more sugar and other preservatives etc.


For CONVENIENCE, I tend to just stretch out for the tomato SAUCE. Just turn off the cap, and out comes the ketchup. It tastes better too.


In cooking, for THICKER TEXTURE, I'll again go for tomato PUREE. Add in some salt/sugar, sprinkle down some pepper etc to have greater taste, rather than its original soury taste.

Answer 4

I think that the puree has a stronger flavor than a sauce. The sauce has more water in it. Whether you use one or the other is a personal decision on what you like better. You can control the amount of water that you add to a recipe if you use the puree.

Answer 5

If I was making red sauce, then I would not choose one over the other, you need both. Tomato sauce is too runny, and tomato puree is too bitter on it's own. Mix them both together and you need to add spices and red wine. Some Parmesan is always good to add as well.

Answer 6

Tomato purée is a processed food product, usually consisting of only tomatoes, but can also be found in pre-seasoned form. It differs from tomato sauce or tomato paste in consistency and content; tomato puree generally lacks the additives common to a complete tomato sauce, and does not have the thickness of paste.
Tomato purée can be used in soups, stews, sauces, or any other dish where the tomato flavor is desired, but not the texture. It is often deprecated by professional chefs, who find it to have an overly cooked flavor compared to other forms of canned tomatoes. This is sometimes a non-issue, as in long-cooked dishes, but in quick sauces such as a marinara sauce it is undesirable.
I prefer tomato puree as I like the flavor of the tomato itself and not the additives to sauce to change the flavor of my sauces.......I also think the sauce changes the color of my sauce...

Answer 7

my mother mix the both ---the sauce is thiner the puree is little thicker both same taste to me

Answer 8

for texture, taste, sauce will give you that puddle of water at the bottom of the plate