Ready made sauces?

foxgloves

I never use any ready made ones, always cook from scratch as once you've built up a good basic store cupboard, you have most of the ingredients in. A couple of months ago, I was out at a well-known pizza place and ordered a chickenny thing in a creamy sauce. It tasted of virtually nothing. Am convinced they must get the sauce in huge tins and heat it up as needed. I could have made a much better one from just a little bit of butter, flour, milk, salt & pepper and maybe 3 or 4 mushrooms. I think people can shy away from sauces because they are thought to be difficult, but they're really not, just a case of having a go then practising. I have no idea what the bought ones cost because I've never bought them but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they work out a lot more expensive in the long run. Like everything else, it's often the advertising for instant products which convince us the 'old way' is difficult & time consuming and that's just because they want us to buy their stuff.

LJM

i always make my own,after looking at the ingredients on the jars also there is a heck of alot of sugar and salt in them,i prefer mine fresh and i also bulk make them for the freezer

newlywed

I found part of the secret was to use passsata, add extra herbs and an extra beef stock cube to the bolognaise/lasagna sauce - no idea why but OH and the kids then found it more tasty and more acceptable to their jar of sauce culture they used to have - same with soups too.

The only sauces I buy are red pesto (freeze any left over in ice cube trays), tartar (35p in lidl), enchilada sauce (about once every 6 months), bisto gravy (OH insists) and erm bisto white sauce granules - well I've tried and tried lots of recipes and tips and got so stressed with lumpy white sauce that I figured it was worth paying to remove that one stress from my life

Other than that.... I only buy sauce when I feel like a lazy tea - only get a day off cooking when we're invited to friends or when there's a batch of stuff I've already made in the freezer :rolleyes:

RachelW1987

The only sauce I but is a certain Carbonara cause I love it for either plain pasta or a potato bake.

I also get mexican sauces but thats about it

helyg

Trinny wrote: »

Hello

Just a thought -if you take HelyG's basic white sauce and add grated cheese - you have cheese sauce and if you grate nutmeg into a plain white sauce you have bechemel sauce - used for lasagne, and if you add onions it becomes onion sauce.

I know its stating the obvious but if you tweak a white sauce you can make all the packet versions - its cheap and very little extra hassle.

Thanks Hely and HTH someone

Trin

That's exactly what I do, it gets turned into cheese sauce, bechamel sauce, parsley sauce etc with the addition of a few bits and bobs. Once you know how to do the basics you can tweak it as you like.

valk_scot

I make most of my own sauces ...anything based on a white sauce or tin of tomatoes always tastes better home made, I think. And curry sauces I usually make, though I use curry pastes as the base as often as I use freshly ground spices.

I'll also make sauces from reduced meat juices or wine to go with steak or other meats. And I always make the gravy, though Bisto powder does get involved here!

The one thing I do use out a jar though is M&S sweet & sour sauce. I just can't make anything half as good. Yeah it's not OS but I think if you can't take a short cut once in a while......:rolleyes:

helyg

I use this recipe for sweet and sour sauce (you don't have to be a toddler to like it!) : http://www.tesco.com/babyclub/recipes/detail.page?R=1528

valk_scot

helyg wrote: »

I use this recipe for sweet and sour sauce (you don't have to be a toddler to like it!) : http://www.tesco.com/babyclub/recipes/detail.page?R=1528

Thank you, I'll give it a try. Have to say though I have tried many recipes for S&S in the past and we still all prefer M&S, lol.

helyg

valk_scot wrote: »

Thank you, I'll give it a try. Have to say though I have tried many recipes for S&S in the past and we still all prefer M&S, lol.

lol I've never tried the M&S one as we live about 70 miles from our nearest branch, but I like it as much as the one from my favourite Chinese Takeaway.

northwest1965

zippychick wrote: »

Also, i freeze white and cheese sauce in ice cube portions - so it does freeze and cook from frozen well

Thanks for that I was just going to ask if you could freeze & reheat white sauce OK.

I never buy jars iof sauce mixes now. I used to up until a year ago:o. I realised that I could make far better at home:j