I always add a bit of sugar to tomato sauces of all sorts, as well as tomato soup. It brings out the tartness of the tomatoes, gives the sauce or soup some lively sweet and sour accents, and complements the salt in the dish. It's rare to find perfectly balanced tomatoes. However, I'm not talking about dumping in a load of sugar.
Jack - 11 years ago
My grandparents are from Cittanova, Calabria, and grandma always added a little sugar if the sauce was a little bitter or acidic.
Tomatoes have their own sugar, why mess up a good thing with processed sugars!?
Although one cup of sliced tomatoes has 5 g of sugar, it provides only 32 calories and 0 g of fat. This cup also offers 1,499 IU of vitamin A, 23 mg of vitamin C and 14 micrograms of vitamin K. Tomatoes are also a high source of potassium, with 427 mg per cup. Cooked tomatoes provide the antioxidant lycopene, which may help protect men against prostate cancer.
If the sauce is too acidic and needs it, use it. Even great tomatoes aren't all created equal, so taste the sauce and see if it calls for it.
Just. like. salt.
Wayne McComb - 11 years ago
If you're using fresh ripe tomatoes, then no. If you live in a country that is still covered in snow and your tomatoes come out of a can then yes, that little bit of sugar will brighten the flavour. Nobody's talkin' fudge for goodness' sake.
I always add a bit of sugar to tomato sauces of all sorts, as well as tomato soup. It brings out the tartness of the tomatoes, gives the sauce or soup some lively sweet and sour accents, and complements the salt in the dish. It's rare to find perfectly balanced tomatoes. However, I'm not talking about dumping in a load of sugar.
My grandparents are from Cittanova, Calabria, and grandma always added a little sugar if the sauce was a little bitter or acidic.
Canned tomatoes picked fresh and ripe should not need added sugar. If you think it's your canned tomatoes, email me at sales@biancodinapoli.com
if you need sweetness then add carrots/a mirepoix.
Pizza by Certé in midtown NYC makes sauce from fresh tomatoes year round and even in the winter when tomatoes are not so good, the sauce shines. They add no sugar, but instead use caramelized onions to regulate the sauce's sweetness. There's a video of their sauce-making process here (http://vimeo.com/user3266295/pizza-by-certe-pizzacentric) and a story about it - including a home recipe - here (http://tinyurl.com/bh6ahdh). It's delicious, even in February - and it makes a strong case against the need for sugar in pizza sauce.
Tomatoes have their own sugar, why mess up a good thing with processed sugars!?
Although one cup of sliced tomatoes has 5 g of sugar, it provides only 32 calories and 0 g of fat. This cup also offers 1,499 IU of vitamin A, 23 mg of vitamin C and 14 micrograms of vitamin K. Tomatoes are also a high source of potassium, with 427 mg per cup. Cooked tomatoes provide the antioxidant lycopene, which may help protect men against prostate cancer.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/434548-are-tomatoes-high-in-sugar/#ixzz2NdvhATOf
If the sauce is too acidic and needs it, use it. Even great tomatoes aren't all created equal, so taste the sauce and see if it calls for it.
Just. like. salt.
If you're using fresh ripe tomatoes, then no. If you live in a country that is still covered in snow and your tomatoes come out of a can then yes, that little bit of sugar will brighten the flavour. Nobody's talkin' fudge for goodness' sake.