Pre-Made Sauces

A_Sober_Paddy

Hey all,

I'm just looking for a little insight from fellow boardies with regards to pre-made pasta/curry/Indian sauces in jars.

Over the last few years there have been a lot of things I've completely cut out of my diet, well may have had them once or twice over the years...

One of these would be pre-made sauces such as the Uncle Ben's sauces, like the Indian also the bolognese sauces, I now may think my approach may have been very snobby. I was looking at the back of one of these jars today in tesco and they seemed like they may be ok in terms of nutritional value.

But I'm not the only one whose had the view that these sauces are unhealthy, quiet a few people seem to share my views, but looking at the ingredients they seemed ok to me...

I'd just like to hear your views on these sauces

Stench Blossoms

You'd make a much nicer one yourself and you'd know exactly what was in it.

A_Sober_Paddy

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

You'd make a much nicer one yourself and you'd know exactly what was in it.

But when I've no time to let a dish cook for a couple of hours, such as a good tasting bolnegnese

Stench Blossoms

Make time

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

I know what i'm eating a week in advance because I have f'all time to do anything. Up at 6, home at 8. Too knackered to start preparing dinner from scratch so I do everything at the weekend.

A_Sober_Paddy

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Make time

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

I know what i'm eating a week in advance because I have f'all time to do anything. Up at 6, home at 8. Too knackered to start preparing dinner from scratch so I do everything at the weekend.

Fairly like myself, up at 5.30 and home around 6.30/7 most evenings...

But my fridge isn't really big enough to have 3/4 dinners in the fridge

boogle

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

I know what i'm eating a week in advance because I have f'all time to do anything. Up at 6, home at 8. Too knackered to start preparing dinner from scratch so I do everything at the weekend.

Exactly this. If I'm making a dish that's saucy (ooh err matron) then I make sure to make a huge batch, maybe 6 - 8 portions. Then freeze in tupperware. It's absolutely no extra work cooking a bigger batch. Simples! Then all I have to do in the morning before work is pull out a portion of curry/bolognese/meatballs/chilli and cook the rice or whatever when I get home.

A fair few of those jar sauces I've looked at have a fair bit of sugar and preservatives as far as I remember.

I see you're low on fridge space. If your freezer space is limited too, you can't beat one of these little yokes. Great for an apartment. http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4810430/Trail/searchtext%3EFREEZER.htm

A_Sober_Paddy

boogle wrote: »

Exactly this. If I'm making a dish that's saucy (ooh err matron) then I make sure to make a huge batch, maybe 6 - 8 portions. Then freeze in tupperware. It's absolutely no extra work cooking a bigger batch. Simples! Then all I have to do in the morning before work is pull out a portion of curry/bolognese/meatballs/chilli and cook the rice or whatever when I get home.

A fair few of those jar sauces I've looked at have a fair bit of sugar and preservatives as far as I remember.

I see you're low on fridge space. If your freezer space is limited too, you can't beat one of these little yokes. Great for an apartment. http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4810430/Trail/searchtext%3EFREEZER.htm

Curry and Chili's are ok for me, they only take a sort time, its just bolognese and indian dishes which take a lot of cooking time for the best taste

Freezer space isn't an issue, in fact I've got a spare freezer ha ha

Zombienosh

Sometimes I find various pastes and buy them. You can find good ones that just have a blend of spices/herbs and are generally free of preservatives. Then you can add whatever milk/coconut/water you want.

cosmic

If time is an issue then do what I do. Stock up on spices. Go to the Asian shops and get massive bags for next to nothing. When you have some free time, make up your own spice mixtures and put them into empty jars. Then when you're cooking just add the spices or spice mixtures and a tin of tomatoes to your meat/veg and simmer for as long as it takes a jar of stuff to simmer. Job done! Could not be easier or quicker. I also freeze big bags of herbs too - all I have to do then is crush up a few and chuck them into the sauce at the last minute. Again, this takes no time and no effort.

c0w3jz6eia8h9n

I would use Patak's Josh Rogans sauce quite a bit and the ingredients seem to be ok:

http://www.pataks.co.uk/products/rogan-josh-cooking-sauce.aspx

Water, Onion (18%), Tomato (18%), Concentrated Tomato Purée (3%), Vegetable Oil, Sugar, Modified Maize Starch, Spices (Contains Mustard), Garlic, Salt, Ginger, Paprika, Acetic Acid, Cardamom, Colour: Paprika Extract,

Can't see anything too bad in there.

adox

A homemade bolognese sauce can be made in half an hour.

thegreatiam

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

Curry and Chili's are ok for me, they only take a sort time, its just bolognese and indian dishes which take a lot of cooking time for the best taste

the thing that both of these have, curry and chilli, have in common with Bolognese is that they are supposed to be cooked over a number of hours.

that is the way they taste better.

sure they can be 'created' in 30 minutes or less, but the longer they cook the better they become.

if you have 1/2 an hour to make a curry, then make it the day before and let is sit overnight. or better yet get a slow cooker and it can simmer safely til the next say.

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

Freezer space isn't an issue, in fact I've got a spare freezer ha ha

if thats not the problem then you can make a hell of a lot of sauces and whole meals in a day and freeze them. one sunday a month could do.

El_Dangeroso

Lyric Echoing Reindeer wrote: »

I would use Patak's Josh Rogans sauce quite a bit and the ingredients seem to be ok:

http://www.pataks.co.uk/products/rogan-josh-cooking-sauce.aspx

Water, Onion (18%), Tomato (18%), Concentrated Tomato Purée (3%), Vegetable Oil, Sugar, Modified Maize Starch, Spices (Contains Mustard), Garlic, Salt, Ginger, Paprika, Acetic Acid, Cardamom, Colour: Paprika Extract,

Can't see anything too bad in there.

The vegetable oil isn't good for you and 99% of pre-made sauces has it listed as an ingredient. Only exceptions I've seen are some (not all) of the thai gold curry pastes.

Not the worst thing in the world by a long shot, but sauces made from scratch are healthier, tastier and cheaper.

All bolognese sauce is made of is passata (dirt cheap in lidl or aldi) oregano, basil, garlic and onion. Reduce a drop of red wine at the start and it'll taste better than anything you could ever get out of a jar.

OP buy a pressure cooker. It makes easy work of a stew or curry in 30 minutes where the meat is melt in the mouth tender.

thegreatiam

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

The vegetable oil isn't good for you and 99% of pre-made sauces has it listed as an ingredient. Only exceptions I've seen are some (not all) of the thai gold curry pastes.

Not the worst thing in the world by a long shot, but sauces made from scratch are healthier, tastier and cheaper.

All bolognese sauce is made of is passata (dirt cheap in lidl or aldi) oregano, basil, garlic and onion. Reduce a drop of red wine at the start and it'll taste better than anything you could ever get out of a jar.

OP buy a pressure cooker. It makes easy work of a stew or curry in 30 minutes where the meat is melt in the mouth tender.

pressure cooker is my next purchase I think.
They speed up cooking quite a bit dont they?

On the subject of sauces/spice rubs/ etc. the charge for what they are is ludicrous considering most are only a few tea spoons of spices and herbs. which you most likely have in your cupboard.

I assume most people think they are paying for convenience but really most of this stuff can be made extremely quickly at home and adjusted to suit your own taste.

and on the plus, youll be using fresher better quality ingredients.

banquet

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

The vegetable oil isn't good for you and 99% of pre-made sauces has it listed as an ingredient. Only exceptions I've seen are some (not all) of the thai gold curry pastes.

Not the worst thing in the world by a long shot, but sauces made from scratch are healthier, tastier and cheaper.

All bolognese sauce is made of is passata (dirt cheap in lidl or aldi) oregano, basil, garlic and onion. Reduce a drop of red wine at the start and it'll taste better than anything you could ever get out of a jar.

OP buy a pressure cooker. It makes easy work of a stew or curry in 30 minutes where the meat is melt in the mouth tender.

I usually buy cheaper cuts of meat and cooking them in a slow cooker overnight so they turn out really tender. Does a pressure cooker have this same effect?

thegreatiam

banquet wrote: »

I usually buy cheaper cuts of meat and cooking them in a slow cooker overnight so they turn out really tender. Does a pressure cooker have this same effect?

this is heston using a pressure cooker to make oxtail pie.
http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/heston-blumenthal/oxtail-and-kidney-pudding-recipe
thats a pretty tough cut if its not slow cooked.

Seems pressure cookers do the same job but faster.

El_Dangeroso

banquet wrote: »

I usually buy cheaper cuts of meat and cooking them in a slow cooker overnight so they turn out really tender. Does a pressure cooker have this same effect?

Yep, they do a better job I would say, because slow cookers won't soften veg as well. Rubadub is the master of all things pressure cooker and he recommended one in argos that is really good.

It's especially good for making chicken stock in about an hour, you'll never waste a roast chicken carcass again.

Cale

You should learn (if you can't) to cook making your own sauces. Very rewarding and the taste is far better.

Those pre-made sauces are just awful. Full of oil and very bland in taste.

You could easily whip up a batch of sauce on a Sunday and use it for the next few days. Not ideal as some require stewing with the meat, but a lot better than using the jars.

You could make a nice curry sauce for example with some coconut milk, curry powder, garlic and onions and a few spices.

Vooice

Not Indian but Thai Gold pastes are the only pre-made sauce that I think of as "allowable":

No. Igredient %
1 Red Chili 24
2 Garlic 24
3 Lemongrass 20
4 Galangal 16
5 Salt 9
6 Spices (poopor, kaffir lime, coriander seed) 4
7 Onion 3


http://thai.ie/html/sub_pages/products/red_curry_paste_more.html

Prefer the green variety but ingredients list missing from website. It's about the same as the red however.

El_Dangeroso

My only problem with the thai gold pastes is that they seem to taste very salty.

rubadub

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Rubadub is the master of all things pressure cooker and he recommended one in argos that is really good.

This is the one, 20% off at the moment. http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/8610351/Trail/searchtext%3EPRESSURE+COOKER.htm

I wouldn't go near any others in argos

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

It's especially good for making chicken stock in about an hour, you'll never waste a roast chicken carcass again.

I wish they were still called "bone digesters"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_digester

The steam digester (or bone digester, and also known as Papin’s digester) is a high-pressure cooker invented by French physicist Denis Papin in 1679. It is a device for extracting fats from bones in a high-pressure steam environment, which also renders them brittle enough to be easily ground into bone meal. It is the forerunner of the autoclave and the domestic pressure cooker

El_Dangeroso

rubadub wrote: »

This is the one, 20% off at the moment. http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/8610351/Trail/searchtext%3EPRESSURE+COOKER.htm

I wouldn't go near any others in argos

That's the one alright! Didn't want to link in case I got the wrong one, they all look alike to me.

Love it, there is no meat it cannot make as tender as beef fillet.

thegreatiam

rubadub wrote: »

I wouldn't go near any others in argos

no going to buy in argos, what exactly are you looking for when selecting a decent one?
what separates a quality one from a crap one?

Renn

rubadub wrote: »

This is the one, 20% off at the moment. http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/8610351/Trail/searchtext%3EPRESSURE+COOKER.htm

I wouldn't go near any others in argos

For what it's worth it's £36 on Amazon, works out at €42.

syklops

Theres a pressure cooker in Lidl at the moment for 39.99

thegreatiam

syklops wrote: »

Theres a pressure cooker in Lidl at the moment for 39.99

thats the one I was eyeing up, not too sure if its decent or not.

syklops

thegreatiam wrote: »

thats the one I was eyeing up, not too sure if its decent or not.

Like you, Im not sure how you identify a decent one over an indecent one. I got a slow cooker for 20 quid, when there were other ones for 60/70/80. It does what it says on the tin, it cooks slowly. Not sure what more you want.

thegreatiam

syklops wrote: »

Like you, Im not sure how you identify a decent one over an indecent one. I got a slow cooker for 20 quid, when there were other ones for 60/70/80. It does what it says on the tin, it cooks slowly. Not sure what more you want.

yes, with slow cookers its no real difference. choose the size you need and get the cheapest. the rest is fluff. But I don't know with pressure cookers. pick a crap one and you might explode your kitchen lol.

Ill look up a guide on buying then, unless someone else provides some insight

seems comprehinsive, http://missvickie.com/workshop/buying.html#Avoid%20Aluminum%20Pressure%20Cookers

Name Changed

Is there a thread with a list of home made sauces? I can't find one. I have been trying out a few random combinations myself.

Made a nice coating type thing for some chicken legs using lemongrass, chilli, garlic & onion salt.

El_Dangeroso

You should make one, I'd happily contribute a few recipes.

Name Changed

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

You should make one, I'd happily contribute a few recipes.

I'll set one up so. Hopefully there isn't one already!