How do you bind sauce?

TZ-OH6 · September 13, 2008

Everytime I cook down sauce some water still oozes out so I end up with pasta sitting in water with a lump of solids on top. What can I do to bind that last little bit of water into cooked down sauce? add some flour? corn starch?

Zana · September 13, 2008

I wouldn't use flour...and hesitate to use the corn starch or anything like agar agar too.

However a small slice of potato if you put it in while its simmering will probably thicken it up enough and/ or absorb any excess "water".

Also if you plan to make large enough batches to freeze, you need to leave some excess moisture or the texture seems to change after defrosting. And if you're canning it for future use its usually better to leave some for when you go to reheat it.

Again it all depends on how much "water" you're talking about....are we talking a huge amount like almost a soup consistency? If so, my recommendation is to simmer / reduce your sauce down more.

matereater · September 13, 2008

canned tomato paste

gardenpaws_VA · September 13, 2008

I think tomato paste is the most likely solution (added to homemade sauce). A friend of mine was working on this at one point for Ragu, trying to get a thick sauce which didn't break, without having to add any "untomatoey" thickeners. They had a rather high-tech way of doing it with less paste, the details of which I don't know, but for us ordinary folks just add some tomato paste and don't worry whether it takes a tablespoon or half a can.

TZ-OH6 · September 14, 2008

Thanks for the replies.

I dug out a jar of store sauce and it lists corn starch. We only had flour around so I used that and results were satisfactory. I hesitate to use paste because it imparts a distinctive flavor, and color change would be important if making a sauce from white, or orange toms.

September 13, 2008	#1
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 847	How do you bind sauce? Everytime I cook down sauce some water still oozes out so I end up with pasta sitting in water with a lump of solids on top. What can I do to bind that last little bit of water into cooked down sauce? add some flour? corn starch?

September 13, 2008	#3
matereater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: S.E. Michigan (Livonia) Posts: 1,264	canned tomato paste __________________ Steve Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

September 13, 2008	#2
Zana Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Southwestern Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,521	I wouldn't use flour...and hesitate to use the corn starch or anything like agar agar too. However a small slice of potato if you put it in while its simmering will probably thicken it up enough and/ or absorb any excess "water". Also if you plan to make large enough batches to freeze, you need to leave some excess moisture or the texture seems to change after defrosting. And if you're canning it for future use its usually better to leave some for when you go to reheat it. Again it all depends on how much "water" you're talking about....are we talking a huge amount like almost a soup consistency? If so, my recommendation is to simmer / reduce your sauce down more.

September 13, 2008	#4
gardenpaws_VA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Northern Virginia, USA - zone 7+ Posts: 161	I think tomato paste is the most likely solution (added to homemade sauce). A friend of mine was working on this at one point for Ragu, trying to get a thick sauce which didn't break, without having to add any "untomatoey" thickeners. They had a rather high-tech way of doing it with less paste, the details of which I don't know, but for us ordinary folks just add some tomato paste and don't worry whether it takes a tablespoon or half a can.

September 14, 2008	#5
TZ-OH6 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 847	Thanks for the replies. I dug out a jar of store sauce and it lists corn starch. We only had flour around so I used that and results were satisfactory. I hesitate to use paste because it imparts a distinctive flavor, and color change would be important if making a sauce from white, or orange toms.