Hello gardening and canning experts,

I have a question regarding canning homemade spaghetti sauce.
Normally I do the following steps to make it.

1. Skin tomatoes
2. liquefy skinned tomatoes in blender
3. mix with other ingredients and boil down to thicken
4. process in canner

However, I have discovered that if I put the tomatoes in a large bowl
after step 2 (liquefy in blender) the mixture seperates. A clear,
yellowish liquid forms at the top, all the red meaty stuff sinks to
the bottom. If I spoon off the top liquid layer and dispose of it,
step 3 (boil down to thicken) takes a lot less time. Am I losing
any nutrients, taste, good stuff, etc by excluding the liquid from the
mixture ? Is it a good idea / bad idea ?
Any ideas ?

Boiling down is the most time consuming and risky (scorchwise) step.
If I can make that step easier I'm all for it but I don't want to risk
hurting the quality of the final product.


Thanks, Bob Elliott

Bob Elliott wrote:

However, I have discovered that if I put the tomatoes in a large bowl
after step 2 (liquefy in blender) the mixture seperates. A clear,
yellowish liquid forms at the top, all the red meaty stuff sinks to
the bottom. If I spoon off the top liquid layer and dispose of it,

Oh no, you can't be doing that... that's the famous "tomato consomme"
people in NYC pay much bucks for in fancy restaurants....

B/

"Bob Elliott" wrote in message
om...
Hello gardening and canning experts,

I have a question regarding canning homemade spaghetti sauce.
Normally I do the following steps to make it.

1. Skin tomatoes
2. liquefy skinned tomatoes in blender
3. mix with other ingredients and boil down to thicken
4. process in canner

However, I have discovered that if I put the tomatoes in a large bowl
after step 2 (liquefy in blender) the mixture seperates. A clear,
yellowish liquid forms at the top, all the red meaty stuff sinks to
the bottom. If I spoon off the top liquid layer and dispose of it,
step 3 (boil down to thicken) takes a lot less time. Am I losing
any nutrients, taste, good stuff, etc by excluding the liquid from the
mixture ? Is it a good idea / bad idea ?
Any ideas ?

Boiling down is the most time consuming and risky (scorchwise) step.
If I can make that step easier I'm all for it but I don't want to risk
hurting the quality of the final product.


Thanks, Bob Elliott

Discard it??? No! Find something to do with it; it has most of the water
soluble vitamins and a lot of flavor.

When I thaw frozen tomatoes I get a lot of clearish yellow juice. I usually
mix some of it back into the tomato pulp, and the rest I usually use to make
a clear soup -- tomato serum, beef bouillon cube, chiletepin peppers (or
other extremely hot pepper), and a little garlic. Or freeze it again and
add it next time I make vegetable soup. I haven't tried cooking rice in it
yet.

Best regards,
Bob

In article ,
(Bob Elliott) wrote:

A clear,
yellowish liquid forms at the top, all the red meaty stuff sinks to
the bottom. If I spoon off the top liquid layer and dispose of it,
step 3 (boil down to thicken) takes a lot less time. Am I losing
any nutrients, taste, good stuff, etc by excluding the liquid from the
mixture ? Is it a good idea / bad idea ?
Any ideas ?

Hi Bob, you might want to save that top liquid layer! Below, is a recipe
from epicurious.com for 'Tomato Water', and if you do a google search on
'clear tomato', you'll find lots of recipes.
If you want to keep all that flavour in your sauce, but don't want to have
to increase the cooking time, you could still separate the water from the
solids, and cook them down separately. The tomato water will eventually
reduce to a somewhat thicker state, and it won't scorch.
Alexis

Tomato Water
Though this pale-orange liquid may not look terribly
impressive, its flavor is the very essence of tomato. In
addition to using it as a base for soup, we treat it almost
like lemon juice, adding a dash here and there to any of
our summer recipes that call for a little extra zest.

4 pounds vine-ripened red tomatoes (about 10 medium)
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
two 18-inch-square pieces cheesecloth

Rinse tomatoes well under running water and quarter. In
a food processor purée tomatoes with salt until smooth.
Line a large sieve set over a tall nonreactive kettle with
cheesecloth and carefully pour tomato purée into center
of cheesecloth. Gather sides of cheesecloth up over
purée to form a large sack and, without squeezing purée,
gently gather together upper thirds of cheesecloth to
form a neck . Carefully tie neck securely with kitchen
string. Tie sack to a wooden spoon longer than diameter
of kettle and remove sieve. Put spoon across top of
kettle, suspending sack inside kettle and leaving enough
room underneath sack so that it will not sit in tomato
water that accumulates. Let sack hang in refrigerator at
least 8 hours.

Without squeezing sack, discard it and its contents and
transfer tomato water to a bowl. Tomato water keeps,
covered and chilled, 4 days.

Makes about 6 cups.

Gourmet
August 1998

(Bob Elliott) wrote:

Hello gardening and canning experts,

I have a question regarding canning homemade spaghetti sauce.
Normally I do the following steps to make it.

1. Skin tomatoes

What kind? "salad" tomatoes are juicier (waterier) than "cooking
tomatoes" like Roma.

Am I losing
any nutrients, taste, good stuff, etc by excluding the liquid from the
mixture ? Is it a good idea / bad idea ?

No.

Any ideas ?
If you are stuck having to use salad tomatoes, just slice them
in half crosswise and shake out the pulp (before or after
skinning) before you go to the blender. It makes a much thicker
sauce from the start.

Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

zxcvbob wrote:

Discard it??? No! Find something to do with it; it has most of the water
soluble vitamins and a lot of flavor.

In other words.... willful waste is woeful want.

B/

(Bob Elliott) wrote in message . com...
Hello gardening and canning experts,

I have a question regarding canning homemade spaghetti sauce.
Normally I do the following steps to make it.

1. Skin tomatoes
2. liquefy skinned tomatoes in blender
3. mix with other ingredients and boil down to thicken
4. process in canner

However, I have discovered that if I put the tomatoes in a large bowl
after step 2 (liquefy in blender) the mixture seperates. A clear,
yellowish liquid forms at the top, all the red meaty stuff sinks to
the bottom. If I spoon off the top liquid layer and dispose of it,
step 3 (boil down to thicken) takes a lot less time. Am I losing
any nutrients, taste, good stuff, etc by excluding the liquid from the
mixture ? Is it a good idea / bad idea ?
Any ideas ?

Boiling down is the most time consuming and risky (scorchwise) step.
If I can make that step easier I'm all for it but I don't want to risk
hurting the quality of the final product.


Thanks, Bob Elliott


I recommend getting rid of the seeds in about half of the tomatoes.
(Actually, I'd get rid of all the seeds -- they make the sauce
bitter.) Scoop them out and toss them -- don't blenderize then. You'll
find you have more mass to your sauce -- less liquid and less cooking
down.

in article , JCM at
wrote on 5/11/03 5:26 PM:


I recommend getting rid of the seeds in about half of the tomatoes.
(Actually, I'd get rid of all the seeds -- they make the sauce
bitter.) Scoop them out and toss them -- don't blenderize then. You'll
find you have more mass to your sauce -- less liquid and less cooking
down.

I love the seeds. I find them usually sweet and tasty. I even like to crunch
them between my teeth.

Bill

On 11 May 2003 17:26:20 -0700, (JCM) wrote:

(Bob Elliott) wrote in message . com...
Hello gardening and canning experts,

I have a question regarding canning homemade spaghetti sauce.
Normally I do the following steps to make it.

1. Skin tomatoes
2. liquefy skinned tomatoes in blender
3. mix with other ingredients and boil down to thicken
4. process in canner

However, I have discovered that if I put the tomatoes in a large bowl
after step 2 (liquefy in blender) the mixture seperates. A clear,
yellowish liquid forms at the top, all the red meaty stuff sinks to
the bottom. If I spoon off the top liquid layer and dispose of it,
step 3 (boil down to thicken) takes a lot less time. Am I losing
any nutrients, taste, good stuff, etc by excluding the liquid from the
mixture ? Is it a good idea / bad idea ?
Any ideas ?

Boiling down is the most time consuming and risky (scorchwise) step.
If I can make that step easier I'm all for it but I don't want to risk
hurting the quality of the final product.


Thanks, Bob Elliott


I recommend getting rid of the seeds in about half of the tomatoes.
(Actually, I'd get rid of all the seeds -- they make the sauce
bitter.) Scoop them out and toss them -- don't blenderize then. You'll
find you have more mass to your sauce -- less liquid and less cooking
down.

You might want to consider an inexpensive tomato press that I bought
about two years ago when I have an overabundance (not this year; lousy
luck!). I learned about it on this NG, I think. .

It's a little Italian press, bright red, adorable. I parboiled the
tomatoes and put them through. Machine caught peels and seeds
and just pulp came out. Place in jars, process, bingo! No pain no
strain.

Source: Gardener's Supply Co. 133 Elm Street
Winooski VT 05404. Web site gardeners.com

I paid $19.99 + S&H on sale. Just checked, and unfortunately they no
longer seem to have it listed.

However, Googling "tomato press" came up with quite few URLs,
including http://www.thegadgetsource.com/8001895000665.html
$29.99 plus s&h.

Well worth it, IMHO.

Good luck!


--
Polar

You might want to consider an inexpensive tomato press that I bought
about two years ago when I have an overabundance (not this year; lousy
luck!). I learned about it on this NG, I think. .

It's a little Italian press, bright red, adorable. I parboiled the
tomatoes and put them through. Machine caught peels and seeds
and just pulp came out. Place in jars, process, bingo! No pain no
strain.

Source: Gardener's Supply Co. 133 Elm Street
Winooski VT 05404. Web site gardeners.com

I paid $19.99 + S&H on sale. Just checked, and unfortunately they no
longer seem to have it listed.

However, Googling "tomato press" came up with quite few URLs,
including http://www.thegadgetsource.com/8001895000665.html
$29.99 plus s&h.

Well worth it, IMHO.

Good luck!


I've got one of those things too. I agree -- works great -- especially
in late August when the plum tomatoes are piling up! Lee Valley sells
the same model. I think it's $20 or $20 as well. I got mine at
Williams-Sonoma when I used to work there. I believe they still carry
it as well -- $25 IIRC.

(Bob Elliott) wrote:

Any ideas ?

I hate throwing stuff away. I skim out that liquid and boil it down
seperately. Much faster that way, and when it's *way* reduced but not
scorched, I toss it back in. Oh, and it *will* scorch if you go outside
to track down a child for a phone call.

On 11 May 2003 08:41:10 -0700, (Bob Elliott)
wrote:

Hello gardening and canning experts,

I have a question regarding canning homemade spaghetti sauce.

See rec.food.preserving

"Bob Elliott" wrote in message
om...

1. Skin tomatoes
2. liquefy skinned tomatoes in blender
3. mix with other ingredients and boil down to thicken
4. process in canner

Try cooking the tomatoes first, before you "juice" them. Start your pot
going and keep adding to it. That might work.


--
Jam

(remove the "m" )