Author Topic: How many forum members using "canned sauce"? (Read 3937 times)

Y-TOWN · « **on:** March 22, 2009, 10:28:45 AM »

I'm wondering how many forum members are using canned sauce - and what modifications they make to it.

How about a little survey by brand name and what you do to it prior to the bake.

I’m using more Don Pepino and need to spice it up a bit.

Any suggestions?

Jackitup · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2009, 11:52:57 AM »

I use the Sam's Club "Deluxe Pizza Sauce described in the link since they stopped carrying the Don Pepino.
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6921.msg70186.html#msg70186 It's very good and price is great. I jack mine up as follows. 1 heaping Tb of Durkey Spicy Spaghetti Seas. (I add extra coarse ground fennel seed to the container when I get it) 1tsp gran garlic, 1 tsp gran. onion, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp of bl pepper and 1-2 Tb of Sambuca to taste. This is mixed into 2 1/2 cups of the sauce. I have them froze in Ziploc bags in 2 1/2 cup batches the way they came and mix per batch as I ise them. Obviously I like that licoricey flavor in my sauce. This is a real good flavor profile I like and have stuck with this longer than any other so far. Should work fine with the Don Pepino's too as the sauces are fairly similar.
Jon

JConk007 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2009, 01:49:34 PM »

Nor Canned But I sometimes ad to a jar of Casa Visco Sauce this is the best I have found beside what I have learned to make here. Honoble mention goes to Muir Glen Organic as well. Thats canned and worth spicing up.
JOhn

Essen1 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2009, 02:00:42 PM »

Jon,

You add Sambuca to your sauce?? Interesting. Gives it a little anise flavor.

But don't add coffee beans, too!

Jackitup · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2009, 02:06:58 PM »

I was tasting my sauce one day as I was mixing it up and was thinking, hmmmm, needs a little something and couldn't put my finger on it. So I took a sip of my Sambuca Stinger (2 shots E & J Brandy with 1 shot Sambuca) and thought 'that's it'. so I drizzled a little into the corner of the bowl and tasted it and it was pretty good, then added to the bowl some more and mixed and been doing it ever since. Give it a try, the Stinger too, yummy ;-)
Jon

Essen1 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2009, 02:11:28 PM »

Jon,

I might look into it.

Y-TOWN · « **Reply #6 on:** March 23, 2009, 07:45:08 AM »

Canned was a poor word choice. What I meant to say was any pre-made sauce.

Yesterday I opened a 15oz can of Don Pepino’s and added just a ½ tsp. of oregano, One large garlic clove run through the press, 1/8 tsp. salt and a splash of dry red wine.

After a quick mix and an hour rest on the counter the sauce was much better to my taste.

I’m going to continue with small spice additions.

petef · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2009, 09:09:44 AM »

Quote from: Y-TOWN on March 22, 2009, 10:28:45 AM

I'm wondering how many forum members are using canned sauce - and what modifications they make to it.

15 oz can of Rosa brand, Fully Prepared Pizza Sauce

1/2 teaspoon Honey

1 teaspoon Parmasan cheese, grated fine

1/8 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients, and heat over medium heat just until
it begins to bubble. Stir well and shut off heat.

For years, I've been trying various brands of canned tomatoes, crushed
tomatoes, and prepared pizza sauces that are available at my local
grocery stores. This recipe above is my best result to date.

Anytime I make a sauce from my garden tomatoes or from canned
tomatoes, it winds up lacking something or tastes more like spaghetti
sauce than pizza sauce. However, this Rosa sauce recipe above is
one that finally comes close to the sauce at my favorite NJ pizzrias.
It has that bright taste that is difficult to describe.

I'd be interested in other people's opinions (pro or con)
if they happen to try my recipe above.

---pete---

Y-TOWN · « **Reply #8 on:** March 23, 2009, 05:00:14 PM »

Pete,

I can't find Rosa pizza sauce in this market.

I'm going to try your recipe with Don Pepino's pizza sauce, which I can get around here.

Most pizza places in my area use a doctored prepared sauce for consistency and the sauce tastes good to me.

I am finally satisfied with my dough recipe, which is very consistant. Now I need to get that consistency in my sauce.

I'm trying to figure out additions to available prepared sauce for the consistency I can't seem to get from a completely homemade sauce.

I favor the Don Pepino's as I can't pick up a particular spice taste in it and I like the texture of it. It seems like a prime candidate for my testing especially since I purchase it in 15oz cans.

Thanks for your post !

BTB · « **Reply #9 on:** March 24, 2009, 11:28:45 AM »

I've tried a whole bunch of different pre-made "pizza sauces" and have not been impressed or satisfied with most of them. The best of those so far was Don Pepino's pizza sauce that we tried last week. The worst was Cento's. We opened the Cento can, tasted it with our fingers and said "ugh!". Bitter, sour, etc., which was the same as the last time we tried it (and ruined a pizza with it a year or so ago). We threw it out rather than waste another good home made pizza crust. All in all, I still prefer my home made mixtures using 6 in 1, but will probably always try a new pizza sauce whenever I see one in the hopes of coming across something quick and easy.

Matthew · « **Reply #10 on:** March 24, 2009, 02:59:34 PM »

My favorite so far is Stanislaus Full Red. Great on NY style pizza.

Matt

JConk007 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 24, 2009, 04:50:07 PM »

Bonta with Basil Very good if youo can get it!

scottfsmith · « **Reply #12 on:** March 24, 2009, 06:36:58 PM »

My favorite jar sauce is Raos marinera pasta sauce and second place is Muir Glen. I never add anything to the sauce per se. I tried making my own sauce from the "correct" Italian tomatoes people mention here but found these jar sauces are infinitely fresher and more interesting than the cans.

Scott

petef · « **Reply #13 on:** March 24, 2009, 07:13:45 PM »

Quote from: BTB on March 24, 2009, 11:28:45 AM

The worst was Cento's. We opened the Cento can, tasted it with our fingers and said "ugh!". Bitter, sour, etc.,

The worse canned fully prepared pizza sauce I tried was Contadina brand.
It was not even close to pizza sauce and much more like spaghetti sauce.

I wish there were words to describe the target pizza sauce taste
I'm after. Best I can say is, it's not a complex flavor like spaghetti
sauce. It's a simple flavor with a bright taste that wakes up your
taste buds the moment your tongue touches the sauce.

If anyone here has tasted Delorenzo's Tomato Pies (Trenton or
Robbinsville NJ), that would be a good example of my target sauce.
Kate & Al's pan pizza (Columbus NJ, Fleamarket) fits into the same
class.

Has anyone ever read a description of various pizza sauces that
accurately differenciates between a few of the target classic
pizza sauces we all seem to be after?

---pete---

scott r · « **Reply #14 on:** March 25, 2009, 01:39:15 AM »

I seem to remember Delorenzo's using Redpack. I have been having some really good luck achieving the super fresh tomato taste lately by processing down Redpack whole tomatoes. It is an exceptionally bright tomato. The stanislaus and escalon equivalents are a bit thicker which is nice, but not as easy to obtain for the home chef becuase Redpack is a widely distributed wholesale and retail product line.
Good luck!

JConk007 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 25, 2009, 08:43:45 AM »

Scott,
I too really like the Red Pack Recently. Very reasonable and obtainable at most stores , at least around here.
The whole and the (Diced 2 sizes Available) with Basil are very good
John

pjbear05 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 25, 2009, 08:48:24 PM »

You think Contadina's is bad, try Ragu Pizza Quick. Yeah, it'll ruin your pizza real quick.

The Italian store that is my resources house carries Cento, Del Fratelli, and Don Pepino. I echo the previous posts on Cento-YUCK, bitter, nasty, ACK, that took some major doctoring.

Del Fratelli was better, but very thick and a tad too sweet for my taste.

Y-Town, for now I'm doing what you are-cranking open the DP's can and adding things bit by bit. Until my pizza making gets good enough to even consider scratch making sauce, I'll stick with that.

gfgman · « **Reply #17 on:** April 10, 2009, 01:42:35 PM »

I read an article years ago where a NY shop owner said he was using imported tomatoes and adding black pepper and basil. I like to get a crushed tomato product that is tomato only, and start there. I've been using redpack lately. I can't find too much else in local stores that doesn't have lots of stuff added. Some of the brands I tried tasted so bad out of the can that I didn't proceed any further. I just threw them out and went to plan b.
I like to run the crushed tomatoes through the magic bullet for 3 seconds. Then I had a dash of salt, a couple dashes of garlic powder, a sprinkle of sugar, a tsp. of dried basil, and a couple cranks from the pepper mill.
The redpack is a little too watery, so I simmer it for an hour or two in my mini crock.
Nothing against a more complex sauce. Such a sauce can be good in the right context, but it doesn't do it for me on an east coast style pie.

I don't care for any premade sauces that I have bought, except for Don Pepino's. But, even that doesn't quite hit the mark for me.
Someday I will locate a store that carries the Simpson san Marzanos, which I found quite tasty, or I will get to a cash and carry and bring home a load of 6in1s.

TONY · « **Reply #18 on:** April 10, 2009, 04:58:00 PM »

I use Smart and Final (Southern California) Pizza Sauce and mix it with a can of their Marinara Sauce, it's not bad for $1.29 for 28 oz.

Kemosa · « **Reply #19 on:** April 14, 2009, 07:48:48 PM »

I recently discovered RedPack crushed tomatoes with thick puree. After many trials with other brands, I believe that I finally found a sauce that delivers the fresh punch of tomato flavor in every bite (I've always had access to it but never bothered to pull it off the shelf). For the first time, my family also commented favorably on the sauce. They've always loved my crust, and Grande Cheese blend with provolone, but I could never get the sauce quite right. To the sauce I added salt, sugar, black pepper, granulated garlic, oregano, basil and a splash of red wine vinegar. Only problem now is that I'm not sure what to do with my stash of Full Red (Yuk), Don Pepino, and Furmano's !
I do hope to try 6 in 1's as I heard that this sauce is similar to RedPack.