The Garlic Mistake That Is Ruining The Taste Of Your Sauce
Cooking the perfect tomato sauce is no small feat; poorly made sauce can ruin a dish, whereas perfectly cooked sauce can transform a meal to a whole new level of flavor. When it comes to learning sauces, the "French mother" sauces are a good place to start. The five mother sauces are Béchamel, Hollandaise, Velouté, Espagnole, and tomato sauce (per Healthline). The sauces are aptly named "mother" sauces because they act as a base to make a slew of other kinds of sauces.
If you're going to whip up a comforting bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, it's a no-brainer that you need a good tomato sauce. A pot of bubbling tomato sauce on the stove may conjure up images of a grandma carefully observing and stirring a simmering pot. Italian cuisine maven Lidia Bastianich knows a thing or two about making the perfect tomato sauce. It turns out that using any old run-of-the-mill canned tomatoes can actually ruin the sauce. San Marzano tomatoes are a type of plum tomato that have fewer seeds and a desirable ratio of sweetness and acidity (per Martha Stewart). A good tomato sauce isn't complete without seasonings, like herbs, spices, and fresh garlic. While you may think adding garlic is a no-brainer, there's actually some finesse to adding the pungent cloves to ensure the tastiest possible sauce.
Cooking your garlic correctly for sauce
If you're going to take the time to cook your own tomato pasta sauce, you want it to be delicious. Once you've chosen the correct tomatoes, you need to add some ingredients to enhance the flavor. According to Thrillist, garlic is essential to a tomato sauce, but cooking the garlic incorrectly could be a tragic mistake. While most people worry about overcooking the garlic, undercooking it and leaving it unintentionally raw can ruin the sauce. Undercooked garlic is also stronger in flavor and taste, and can overpower the sauce. On the other hand, overcooked or burned garlic can leave an acrid or bitter taste in the sauce (per Healthline).
If you want to avoid common mistakes while cooking garlic, wait until the oil is pipping before adding garlic. When the pan and oil are hot enough, the garlic won't have a chance to clump up and it will cook very quickly. Once the garlic is added, make sure to keep an eye on it and only let it cook until it's golden brown in color. If you want to add even more of an aromatic, umami flavor, Love Food suggests adding an anchovy fillet (or two) to the sauce. Once your garlicky, flavorful sauce is done, feel free to cook with fresh pasta, or enjoy a big spoonful straight from the pan.