My kid told me the spaghetti sauce was too watery and I changed everything

My 8 year old straight up said mom this sauce tastes like tomato water and I was mad but she was right. I started simmering my sauce for an extra 20 minutes with the lid off and it got way thicker and richer tasting. Has anyone else had a family member call them out on a cooking habit that actually made you better?

2 comments

2 Comments

colemiller2h ago

Actually I'd push back a little on the simmering with the lid off part. That works fine for getting the water out, but you're also losing a lot of the herbs and garlic flavor that way since they evaporate with the steam. Better trick is to take the lid off for the first 10 minutes to let the watery part cook off, then put it back on for the rest of the simmer. That way you keep the flavor locked in while still getting rid of the extra liquid. Also if you're using canned tomatoes, try the fire roasted ones next time, they have way less watery juice compared to the regular crushed kind.

the_nathan2h ago

That lid trick saved my sauce last month when I was testing a new recipe. Fire roasted tomatoes are a game changer too, cut way down on the extra watery mess.