Canning Tomato Sauce
Canning is one of the simplest preservation methods to store tomato sauce for later use. In fact, tomatoes store best when canned. So, if you are deciding whether you should can your tomato sauce or not, you should definitely go for it. It is a great idea!
The process for canning tomato sauce is very straightforward. It can be done in a water bath canner easily. Further, you can preserve both seasoned and unseasoned tomato sauce in this particular way. Check out the following sections for more details about canning tomato sauce.
How To Can Tomato Sauce With Citric Acid?
Adding citric acid is a great idea when it comes to canning tomato sauce. In fact, this option is great for canning any food item. Check out the following steps to can tomato sauce with citric acid:
- Prepare your tomato sauce at home as you would normally do. Let it cool completely and transfer them into sterilized pint-sized jars.
- Do not fill the jars completely, leave a little headspace. Next, add about a tablespoon of citric acid to the tomato sauce, and close the lids tightly.
- Fill the water bath canner with water and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiled enough, place the tomato sauce jars and let it heat for about 20-30 minutes.
- Keep the heat on a medium-low flame until the water bath process is complete. After, this stage is complete, remove the jars from the canner carefully and set them aside.
- Use a towel to pat dry the jars and let them cool completely. The water bath canner will seal the tomato sauce jars securely.
- Once, all of these steps are fulfilled, you can store the jars in your cabinet for about a year. The addition of citric acid will boost the preservation process.
Why Do You Add Citric Acid To The Sauce?
The tomato sauce undergoes a proper canning process to be preserved in cans. The boiling water bath might sometimes cause the food inside the jars to spoil due to bacterial growth. Therefore, citric acid is added as a preservative to stop the bacterial growth.
However, always keep in check that you add the right proportions of citric acid to your tomato sauce. A normal pint-sized jar of tomato sauce will require a maximum of 1 tablespoon of citric acid, be it cider vinegar or lemon juice.
Does Citric Acid Change The Flavor Of Canned Tomato Sauce?
Yes, adding citric acid to tomato sauce changes its flavor, whether you can it or not. However, the change in flavor is not very noticeable. This is because the acid is added as a preservative to protect the food from spoiling instead of a flavor enhancement.
However, if you are adding any kind of citric acid powder, there might not be any flavor alterations. Flavor alterations tend to occur with bottled lemon juice and commercial cider vinegar. Further, remember that if you keep the canned tomato sauce beyond 5 weeks, the flavor alterations will be noticeable.
Things To Remember To Make Tomato Sauce!
Making tomato sauce at home is quite simple. It might seem hectic though because you need to be very well-versed in the steps, otherwise, the tomato sauce might separate and release water as a result.
While making the sauce, you need to decide first whether you want a thick sauce consistency or a thin one. This majorly depends on your individual tastes and sometimes the requirements of the sauce later. A thick sauce would ideally require more tomatoes.
To prepare the sauce, you need to thoroughly wash the tomatoes first. Choose fresh and ripe tomatoes and discard the blemished ones. Next, you can choose to peel the tomatoes or strain them in a strainer. The seeds will be taken care of when you further blend and cook them.
