How much baking soda to reduce acidity in tomato sauce

You have just spent several minutes, even several hours, making your homemade tomato sauce and when it comes to tasting, it’s the tragedy: the acidity is far too present! Do you feel like you’ve ruined your meal? Do not panic ! The majority of mistakes in the kitchen can be made up for. So, without waiting, discover what to do to make up for a tomato sauce that is too acidic? And for next time, also discover all the tricks, from the choice of tomatoes to the cooking method, so that the tomato sauce never becomes acidic.

Why does tomato sauce turn sour?

We often forget that the tomato is a sweet fruit but also very acidic, which can also cause gastric problems in some people. In effect, the pH of tomatoes is usually between 4 and 5, which makes it a highly acidic food. And the phenomenon gets worse when the tomatoes are heated. In effect, heat releases acidity mainly contained in the seeds of tomatoes and therefore leads to an imbalance of flavors between sweetness and acidity. the acidity level increases while the sugar content remains unchanged but therefore appears lower. As a result, the taste of the tomato sauce then becomes sour. Nothing more unpleasant!

To limit this acidity in tomato sauce, fortunately there are solutions. The most common is to use food compounds that neutralize acids. They are called “bases”. These are in fact alkalizing foods, ie with a pH above 7, called “basic” or “alkaline”. So they will come correct the acidity of the tomatoes and therefore of your tomato sauce.

There are also other tricks to ensure that your tomato sauce is not acidic. So, without further ado, check them out below.

How to make tomato sauce not sour?

To prevent the tomato sauce from being acidic, there are several tips. They start when choosing tomatoes, until cooking and even when serving if you need to rectify an already acidic tomato sauce. So, without further ado, discover all the solutions to avoid or remove the acidity of a tomato sauce.

Read also: How do I flavor my bland tomato sauce?

Add baking soda to make up for an acidic tomato sauce

One of probably the best known and most used tricks to prevent your tomato sauce from being too acidic is to add baking soda. Indeed, as seen previously, baking soda has a basic pH of 8. Because of this, it will come rebalance the acidity of the tomato sauce, without altering or modifying its taste if you do not exaggerate on the quantity of course.

Count around a quarter of a teaspoon of baking soda in your sauce for 6 medium size tomatoes. Then adjust according to the number of tomatoes you put in your sauce. The bicarbonate can be added during or at the end of cooking, mixing well for about 1 minute so that it is incorporated into the whole of the sauce and produces its role of acidity corrector.

Add a sweet food to prevent your tomato sauce from being too acidic

If you want remove acidity from tomato sauce without baking soda, the good news is that other solutions exist.

To correct the acid taste of the tomato sauce, another very popular but less healthy trick is to add a sweet food to the preparation. Indeed, it is chemical: the sugar neutralizes the acid taste. So add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in a sauce made up of 6 medium-sized tomatoes. Then, adjust little by little according to your tastes.

If you’re not keen on adding refined sugar, other more natural sweet foods may do the trick: honey, agave syrup and maple syrup are also perfect for counterbalancing the acidity of a tomato sauce. They will bring an even more gourmet touch to your dish.

If you want a diet tomato sauce, then better go for adding sweet but non-tart vegetables or fruits sure. For example, you can add 1 carrot grated or 1 slice of pumpkin cut into small pieces at the time of preparation. The trick of the date works but it is more difficult to incorporate into tomato sauce and you will tend to end up with small pieces.

Finally, you can also add a tablespoon of milk, fresh or vegetable cream or even yoghurt with your tomato sauce to neutralize its acid flavor with sweet and neutral tastes.

Reduce cooking time for tomato sauce

The longer the cooking time, the more acidic the tomatoes become. So, to ensure that the tomato sauce is not acidic, reduce the cooking time of the tomatoes. To do this, cut the tomatoes into small pieces (small from about 1 cm). This reduces the cooking time of the sauce because the tomatoes will cook much faster. With this trick, between 10 and 20 minutes are enough to transform tomatoes into a sauce and therefore limit the formation of acidity.

In any case, note that it is advisable not to exceed the cooking time to prevent the tomato sauce from becoming too acidic.

Choose the right tomatoes to put in your sauce

A very simple trick that allows you to limiting the acidity of your tomato sauce is simply choosing the right tomatoes that will go into your preparation:

• Choose ripe tomatoes. Indeed, the riper the tomatoes, the less acidic they are. To recognize a ripe tomato, simply hold it between your fingers and choose the heaviest and softest. If you are growing tomatoes from the garden, pick the tomatoes when they are fully ripe. Indeed, tomatoes picked too young do not accumulate enough sugar and therefore have a fructose/acid imbalance. They are therefore more likely to be acidic.
• Choose the right tomato varieties to ensure that the tomato sauce is not acidic. Some tomatoes are naturally more acidic, while others contain more sugar. By way of example, one can cite Black Crimean tomatoes, Andean retort, pineapple tomato, Big Rainbow, Sungold tomato or Roma tomato which have a low acidity level and which are therefore to be preferred to prevent the tomato sauce from becoming acidic. Note that, in general, orange and yellow tomatoes are less acidic than red tomatoes. But of course, there are exceptions. It is better to confirm by doing a quick search on the internet or by asking the merchant for advice when you find yourself faced with a variety of tomato that you do not know.

Remove the seeds from the tomato

Last but not least, seed the tomatoes will allow you to have a less acidic tomato sauce. Indeed, tomato seeds contain most of the acids contained in the tomato plant. To remove the seeds, cut them in half horizontally. Remove the seeds with a small spoon, being careful not to not scrape too deeply to preserve some of the flesh.

Of course, the disadvantage of this trick is that since the seeds are in part of the flesh of the tomatoes, it will be necessary to put more tomatoes for as much sauce.

You now know how to make tomato sauce not sour. Don’t hesitate to tell us in the comments if our tips worked, and if you know of any others. Looking forward to reading you !

Top 8 how much baking soda to reduce acidity in tomato sauce edited by Family Cuisine