For NY style sauce, is simple really better?

[CaptainofCrush]

Just wondering people's opinions on this. I see a lot of people saying that a sauce is best when its extremely simple. Is this the case for NY style pizzas? When you go to a place and find that you love their sauce, is it really just plain tomatoes with salt you are tasting? I often wonder if operators are saying simple is best just so people don't know their secrets LOL. I know the brand of tomatoes is of utmost importance, but I still feel like there's more to it.

Ive put alta cucinas, tomato magic etc on pies right of the can with salt, great fresh taste, but I don't think I could say best sauce I've ever had.

A classic NY style sauce still remains a mystery to me. I would really like to see what the top pizzas places in the US are doing...Di Faras, Lucali, Reginas North End, Sallys, Johns of Bleeker street, etc.

[nanometric]

pro sauce

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=69420.msg670971#msg670971


https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=66137.msg646629#msg646629


NY sauce discussion

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=48058.msg482179#msg482179

[TXCraig1]

Second link is directly on target.

[PapaJawnz]

I recently switched from a well seasoned new york style sauce (salt, sugar, garlic powder, oregano, black pepper) to a more simple version (salt/sugar/oregano) and feel like I can taste all the individual components of the pizza much better.  After I made some detroit style pizzas, I realized that my old heavily seasoned sauce is more closely resembling detroit style sauce that's cooked.  Now it's much better, the different style pizzas have their own unique taste.

Now after reading a couple of the links nanometric posted, I could probably even ditch the oregano in the sauce because I honestly don't taste it much even at 2 tsp per 28oz can.  I seem to taste it much better sprinkled on the pizza right out of the oven.

The key is quality tomatoes IMO!

[CaptainofCrush]

Here's a comment from great poster HarryHaller from a while ago.

"i use sclafani as craig mentioned for ny pizza.
and when i mean cooked, i don't mean hours and hours, but for 20 minutes or so.  it takes the rawness out and rounds out the tomato flavor.  however  i find overcooking tomatoes degrades the flavor. 

the sauce i use for ny pizza basically goes olive oil till smoking, and then canned crushed tomato, do not stir for 5 minutes (this is important) and will be bubbling intensely and carmelizes the bottom tomatoes. 

lower heat, then add something called ajinimoto, which is basically MSG or if want to avoid that, anchovy filets, grated parmigiano reggiano, both as natural glutamates, squeeze of fresh lemon, honey or brown sugar, salt, pepper, both dried greek and fresh oregano, dried basil, about 3x more oregano than basil, halved roasted onion, to be discarded after, and hot pepper extract or crushed red pepper. and finally a bit of unsalted italian butter.  you shouldn't identify butter flavor, it just rounds the flavors.  i don't use exact measurements.

cool, and refrigerate overnight.  the flavors come together better next day and even better after 2 days."

He says that the old school shops are cooking their sauce and creating a unique flavor to that shop.

Would you prefer a sauce like what he mentioned? or a simple tomato/salt sauce? To me it seems like the cooked sauce would obviously have more flavors going on, but would that make it better?

[nanometric]

Second link is directly on target.

From that link:

Stir in sugar which is more or less 3T sugar = 28oz can

My interpretation of that is to use 3 Tablespoons of sugar for a 28 oz can of tomatoes, which would be far too sweet for my taste. Thinking maybe A.B. intended 3 teaspoons (which equals 1 Tablespoon) ?

[TXCraig1]

From that link:My interpretation of that is to use 3 Tablespoons of sugar for a 28 oz can of tomatoes, which would be far too sweet for my taste. Thinking maybe A.B. intended 2 teaspoons (which equals 1 Tablespoon) ?

Good catch. I didn't read it that closely. My brain was thinking 3T for a #10 can which seemed reasonable. I'm guessing he typo'd the 28oz and meant #10.

I agree with you the 3T in 28oz would be very sweet. The most I've ever used is 1T in a 35oz can which would be the same as 3T in a #10 can.

[PapaJawnz]

I went ahead and took one for the team and tried a 28oz can with 3Tbsp of sugar and obviously yes, way too sweet!  I've landed in-between 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp per 28oz can for the moment.

Here is Charlie Anderson's video talking about the ingredients in a new york style pizza sauce.  He was talking about 0.6-0.7 grams of sugar per ounce of tomatoes which comes out to 1.63 Tbsp of sugar per 28oz can.

https://youtu.be/t9xRdKVgOHA?si=6U4M5EWXNlOnk57P&t=595

[Gene in Acadiana]

From that link:

My interpretation of that is to use 3 Tablespoons of sugar for a 28 oz can of tomatoes, which would be far too sweet for my taste. Thinking maybe A.B. intended 2 teaspoons (which equals 1 Tablespoon) ?

I read this also and immediately thought 3 tablespoons cannot be right as that is way too much. Personally I think even 1 tablespoon of sugar per 28-oz is pushing it.

[kori]

From that link:

My interpretation of that is to use 3 Tablespoons of sugar for a 28 oz can of tomatoes, which would be far too sweet for my taste. Thinking maybe A.B. intended 3 teaspoons (which equals 1 Tablespoon) ?

pretty sure if you read further down the thread Andrew clarifies this, it's much less

imo simple is not better, sugar is one thing I don't add to my sauce, try grinding up some fennel seeds it sweetens the sauce in a different way, I use a heaping 1/4tsp for 8-10oz.

[nanometric]

pretty sure if you read further down the thread Andrew clarifies this, it's much less

Yeah, I missed that the first time around. Went back and did the calculation on the correct ratio, came up with 20.137335945966607 grams. lol.

[Decoy205]

Here is Andrews corrected comment:

I really like their plain slice but my go to is fresh mozz. And the Sicilian is great. I usually skip the toppings...
Maybe my calculation was off for the sugar because obviously Joe's doesn't f..k around with 28oz cans.  It's 3.5lbs of sugar for 3.5 cases of Nina's (21 #10 cans

[gcpizza]

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=66137.msg646819#msg646819

[spaceboy]

i make pizza sauce the same way i would make any other kind of sauce.  i want it to be flavorful, work on its own, and be well balanced.  i use either bianco or sclafani crushed tomatoes (alta cucina if im making a lot of pizza) and i include kosher salt, sugar, oregano, garlic powder, black pepper, msg and evoo.  i dont cook the sauce, i think the sauce cooks during the bake.  i dump out a 1/4 to a 1/2 of the can and put all seasonings in and stick blend that until pretty smooth and then dump the rest of the can and mix.  i like to do that because i think it adds a nice texture to the sauce, as far as smooth but still kind of crushed