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!

I don't simmer mine for an hour, 30 minutes usually does the trick.

You need a good quality brand of tomatoes, basics range doesn't cut it. Also add some red chilli flakes, red wine and basil - stick the basil in right at the end.

YABU - but only because you don't know that the key to a good homemade pasta sauce is, as PoppadumPreach says, to REDUCE it. To get a good rounded flavour it should cook for at least 30mins, preferably an hour.

This is how I do it:

Garlic (lots) - say 4 cloves for 2 tins of tomatoes
Onion if you like
Chilli ditto
Fresh basil if poss
Salt
Pepper
Brown sugar

Fry garlic (and onion, basil and chilli) slowly in plenty of extra virgin olive oil. Add tomatoes - fresh or tinned. Cook down for a cook 45 mins. Add more fresh basil, salt, pepper and a pinch of brown sugar at the end.
To make it extra YUM add some capers, anchovies and black olives, or tuna, or sardines.

I promise this will be nicer than Loyd's! although I do love his tomato and chilli one when I'm feeling lazy

You really don't need hours to make sauce. You need 20 minutes.

Mince garlic and put in cold pan with glug of olive oil. Turn heat to medium.

When it starts to sizzle, add tinned tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Simmer 20 minutes.

Done.

I've made my own houmous and it's very nice. I just tweak the lemon juice/ seasoning till I get the flavour I want. Although I did have a disaster once when I put in way too much tahini and it solidified

I also make most stuff from scratch, except I use Lloyd's puttanesca sauce. I hate frying anchovies as they reek, so this takes the pain out of it. Homemade does taste better but I can't take the smell .

The flavour does improve the longer you cook it though.

Once you make your own most jars seem fake and sugary.

You just need to practise - try out a few different recipes. They seem obvious when you've been cooking them for years but I certainly made some crap tasteless sauces when I started.

It's about balancing flavours but takes a few go's I think.

Hummous just needs blending for longer than you would expect, plus a decent amount of lemon juice, some crushed garlic and plenty of paprika (preferably smoked). Tomato sauce (as other posters have suggested) needs oregano (my favourite), and splashes of wine, balsamic, sugar and seasonings and plenty of onions fried with garlic to start. Alternatively roast the ingredients then blend for extra flavour. YABU to prefer jar sauces - if you like the convenience fair enough but taste-wise no way!

I'm rubbish at making nice pasta sauce. Every so often I look for a recipe and try again, but it always turns out rubbish. So I agree with you op, but only in so far as sauce from jars is nicer than my pasta sauce. I'd love a decent pasta sauce recipe that actually tasted nice.

The secret to good hummus is to add a big spoon of Greek yoghurt. You get a really nice texture and hardly need any oil so much healthier too.

Don't do it in bulk for your first attempt OP, try a couple of smaller batches with 1 onion, 1 tin of tomatoes, and whatever other flavourings from the many suggestions above take your fancy, tasting frequently. Only do a big batch once you've settled on a recipe you're happy with.

Personally I'd recommend passata rather than tinned toms. My standard additions to a tomato sauce are salt, pepper, pinch sugar, splash of balsamic and a bit of smoked paprika.

If I'm doing a substantial sauce like bolognese or something I grate red onion, red pepper and carrot into it and ideally cook it down for half an hour or so til the veg go soft. I know I sound like an advert but the kids love it, they genuinely do.

I agree with others who've said jar sauces have a peculiar 'tinned' taste to them. I find that with lazy garlic too, I use garlic granules if I'm in a rush.

I've never cooked a homemade sauce in my life and don't think ill ever will. Hate cooking and just cant be arsed with a million ingredients for one meal, i bloody love Lloyds jars they are lovely.

Bum. forgot to mention the herbs!

I never make hummous though, have never had a success with that!

I hate ready made sauces, homemade all the way here!!!!

Thanks for all your requests for my recipe I have a version of a tomato sauce which incorporates lots of "hidden veg" for young DCs, please PM if you'd like it.

Have to say though, when you're short on time, Lloyd does it for me

Many sauces are better on the "second day". Make a load, cool, refrigerate and reheat. Does something to the flavours

EauRouge - great idea, thanks

YAB a rubbish cook.

Once you get used to making your own sauces, and get confidence, its dead easy.

I really dislike bought sauces now, I can taste the preservatives and artificiality in most of them, creamy ones in particular have a horrible gelatinous texture that you dont get when you start from a roux. Bleurgh.

I can stomach the odd Lloyds tomato based one in an emergency though. But given the chance, I can whip up a decent tomato based sauce in ten minutes. Im really going off processed food in general as I get older.

I make Jamie's very veggie pasta sauce, the recipe for which I got on here! I batch cook and freeze in servings. My dts love it and can tell immediately when I've run out, not had time to replenish and have used a cheat jar.

I try to buy the best veggies but can usually source everything in Aldi when times are tight (such as now!)

TwoIf - sounds good!

anyone had success making a sweet & sour sauce?

I think you get used to the taste of jar sauces and then homemade tastes kind of bland. Probably all the extra vinegar, salt, sugar etc they put in, but there you go. I don't like Loyd Grossman ones but pretty much any other pasta sauce tastes fine to me. I can't be arsed with food snobbery. Jars are quick and easy.

canthink - yes to sweet and sour. It seems the key is cornflour, and I followed a recipe - have you any tips?