Tomato is one of the most consumed vegetables in the world. Moreover, tomato sauce is used as an accompaniment to many dishes in the kitchen, such as pasta, pizza or even meat. However, crushed tomatoes give off a flavor that can sometimes be sour and spoil the taste of the dish. To avoid this, you can use an ingredient within reach of the kitchen that will help regulate the acidity of your sauce. Discover this secret ingredient for the perfect tomato sauce.

Although easy to prepare, tomato sauce doesn’t always taste good at home because of its very pronounced acidity. In fact, when you crush the tomatoes, the seeds break open and release all their acidity. To prepare a great, tangy tomato sauce that is not very acidic, you should add this secret ingredient.

What is the secret ingredient of the perfect tomato sauce?

A good tomato sauce should be neither very sour nor very sweet. To find the right balance and improve the taste, you can use baking soda. This natural product never ceases to amaze us. It is used throughout the home to scour and clean surfaces and is also effective in reducing the acidity of tomatoes by adjusting the pH of the sauce.  This gives you a tasty tomato sauce that makes your pasta even more delicious. To prepare your tomato sauce you will need:

  • 1 lb. fresh tomatoes
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 onion
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pinch of baking powder
  • A little chopped basil
  • A tablespoon of chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic cloves, then put them in a pan with a little oil and sweat for about 5 minutes.  Then peel the tomatoes to remove the skin, remove the seeds and roughly crush the tomatoes. Add the strained tomatoes, basil, bay leaf, parsley, a little salt and pepper to the pan and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. When the sauce starts to reduce, add the baking powder.

What other ingredients to reduce the acidity of tomato sauce?

You can reduce the acidity of your sauce by adding sugar instead of baking soda during cooking. The sugar will help mask the acidity of the tomatoes. However, avoid excess so you don’t end up with a very sweet tomato sauce. You can also use other sweet foods such as half a date or a whole date, depending on the amount of your sauce.

Baking soda, a versatile ingredient in the kitchen.

Baking soda can be used to adjust the acidity of tomato sauce or fruit salad, but you can also use it to beat egg whites more easily. To do this, simply add a pinch of baking powder to the egg whites before you beat them. You can also use this white powder to lighten your cakes and pastries.  To do this, add baking powder to the flour in an amount of 3 tablespoons of baking powder for 2 pounds of flour. This natural product acts as a leaven for your dough, especially when hot, and will lighten your preparations as a result. Baking soda also makes legumes and green vegetables more digestible, in addition to reducing cooking time.  Just add a little baking soda when you cook them in water.