To think that sauces from jars are much nicer than homemade?

[Satine5]

Or am I just a rubbish cook? I don't buy ready meals, but I can't get over my love of ready made sauces. As hard as I try, a can of chopped tomatoes and herbs are never as nice as a jar of good old loyd grossman bolognese sauce. What am I doing wrong? Same with hummus- I tried making my own and it was vile!

YUBA. I wont touch a pre-made sauce If you are just mixing tinned tomatoes with herbs, then you are not going to get a tasty sauce. You need seasonings (not just salt/pepper) and other bits, plus you have simmer & let the flavours mix. I chuck all sorts i mine, wine, worcester sauce. balsamic vinegar, garlic, paprika, even soy sauce. Not all at once mind you!

I'm with you satine

Chopped tomatoes and herbs? No wonder it doesn't taste right... You need

No way! If you want a foolproof and gorgeous tomato sauce, pm me. Its all about the ingredients. And it's super cheap!

What other sauces in jars do you like?

Sauces from jars are vile. YABU

Take a look at the salt contents of some of these sauces - that'll give you your answer!

yanbu, another vote for lloyd!

yabu and a rubbish cook

you need to cook onions, herbs, tomatoe paste, balsamic vinegar...

You are NOT a rubbish cook, it's just that sauces are sometimes made out to be harder to make than they are.

I laso do my own curry sauces and they taste amazing, if I do say so myself :)

the only sauce i use is sweet n sour cos i cant cook it , bolognaise sauce is easy to make (honest) just add more herbs and garlic , I dont like wine in sauce so i put a little beef stock in , Stock cubes are allowed right

Excuse my typing, it must be the wine in my sauce

tinned toms + a few herbs does not a tasty sauce make. It takes more than that and also simmered for at least an hour. I make up large batches and freeze so I don't have to do it every time I want sauce.

Jarred sauces, once you lose the taste for them, taste over salty and processed. I suppose it could be the same the other way round - homemade sauces taste odd if you are used to processed/salty.

YABU and you must be slightly mad! As others said you need more flavours in there. A teaspoon of sugar works wonders with a tomato sauce (brown if you have any), plus basil, bit of salt and loads of black pepper.

Factory sauces are gloopy slop that fry your tastebuds.

Lloyd's sauces are the best alternative to homemade, but they seem to have more oil and salt than I'd prefer.

I always use stock cubes MrsJay :)

YANBU.
I lurve curry sauces and pasta sauces always taste so much nicer from a jar. I do make my own, but they never do taste the same.

It's because their full of bleddy salt, my friend sniffs at me because I add salt to food i'm cooking, which i'm pretty sure is a damn sight less than the salt content of the jars of shite she lives off !

I thought I was doing something wrong! But also secretly glad I am not the only fan of the dear old loyd. I also like seeds of change sauces and patak's sauces [going to tge kitchen to hide under a pile of empty jars]

I'd go for homemade over jars every time except for houmous, I've never managed a good homemade houmous.

YABVVVU! You mean sauces from jars are nicer than YOUR homemade! I wouldn't dream of buying an artificial jar-sauce, and on the occasions I have been forced to eat some, find it artificial and tasteless except for over-salted, sweetened etc. Something like a simple tomato based pasta sauce is easy, and when you have got it right, you will never look back!

Satine, they are good sauces, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to do your own. I do mine in bulk and freeze in tubs or bags.

Sorry I sound like Martha Stewart now [cow]

YABU and probably a rubbish cook

Just follow a recipe, once you've done it a few times it becomes second nature

YABU

Of course tinned tomatoes and herbs don't taste great. You need onions/shallots, garlic plus seasoning. Cook on a low heat, blend, cook some more. YUM.