Why does my homemade tomato sauce come out tasting bitter and how can that be prevented?

Question

I take several tomatos and put them in a blender, then drain the liquid and throw away the pulp formed by the seeds and tomato skin. I then boil the liquid portion in a pot for about 40 mins or until it thickens and becomes a paste. Before adding any seasoning I taste it and it has a bit of a bitter taste - nothing overwhelming but I could do without it. Is it normal for tomato sauce to have a bitter taste? How could this be prevented next time when I make a homemade tomato sauce?

I don't eat sugar, so if you can, please suggest something other than sugar that's effective. Thank you.

Answer 1

Add a bit of sugar to it...

Answer 2

Bitter Tomato Sauce

Answer 3

I add a pinch of sugar to my homemade tomato sauce. It definitely takes away the bitter taste. It is normal for tomato sauce to have a slightly bitter taste. You don't need too much sugar. Try about a 1/4 teaspoon to start and add more if needed.

Answer 4

Take the seeds out of the tomatoes before you put them in the blender. The seeds are very bitter and if some of them are being pulverized they may be adding to the bitterness.

You don't have to boil down the sauce - the heat is probably too much and could also be contributing to the bitterness.

Try putting a little olive oil in a pot, add chopped yellow onions and garlic. Cook slowly (don't let the onions or garlic burn. Then add the pureed tomatoes. Add a teaspoon of sugar (also helps balance out the bitterness.)

Cook slowly for an hour or so - and adjust seasonings to taste.
While it's cooking I usually add parmesan cheese, and sometimes meatballs, and cooked sausage - but you can leave the meat and cheese out if you want it to be vegetarian. Add more garlic powder if you want it really garlicky.

Enjoy!

Answer 5

Hopefully you are using Roma tomatoes they make the best sauce.
1- remove the seeds and skins before you puree
(to remove the skin using a spoon dip the tomato into boiling water and then peel)

2- use 1 teaspoon kosher or 1/2 teaspoon sea salt while cooking the sauce down

3- use a splash of Modera Balsamic vinegar if it is still a bit tart the Modera type is thick and naturally sweet (nice enough they drizzle it on gelato in Italy)

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

It's not that complicated ; you're using the wrong tool . Switch out that high tech blender for a low tech food mill and you results will improve dramatically
Blenders are really hard on food and can make almost anything taste bitter.
Do the empirical experiment . Chop some garlic in in a blender and then chop some it with a chef's knife. Can you guess which one will taste bitter ?
As far the rest of your recipe goes you lost me completely because I don't see the reason for it.
In culinary terms you just made a tomato glace ,Why ????

Answer 7

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Takes more than 10 minutes sweetie. Forget the carrot, honey, sugar, all that. Add 1/4 cup dry red wine, like Chianti, and simmer for at least two hours. And garlic should not get brown AT ALL when making a red sauce. It will bitter up quickly.

Answer 8

Skip the vinegar, tomatos are acedic enough.
First, you need to add salt to the tomatos during cooking! Also, that is when you are supposed to add seasonings like basil or rosemary. The reason being that the tomatos go through a changed chemical state, you want to introduce all the flavors early, and let them cook together.

Then, after cooking, you probably need to add a little sugar.

Answer 9

I am not sure about the first type of your recipe as far as the blender issue, but sautee up some garlic and onion before hand just until they are clear then add your tomato mixture. The sweetness will counterbalance the bitterness without adding sugar. Also the tomato seeds are bitter, I would highly suggest removing the bulk of the seeds prior to you blending them.

Answer 10

WEll you will have realised from the previous answers that tomato sauce usually has sugar in it. If a dash of garlic and herbs dont do it for you I would suggest you add a little artificial sweetener.

Answer 11

Sugar and olive oil! Sugar will help cut the acidity which causes bitterness. A tbsp of olive oil will help too. Also try adding basil, oregano, marjoram and rosemary if you aren't adding it already. You may also want to cook it at a lower temperature for a longer time. Use FRESH ingredients if you can!