Can you really OS on pasta sauce?

studentphil

The supermarket sells a jar of pasta sauce for 50p. Even if you buy two tins of toms you can not do it for that price and a tin of toms does not have as much favour as a jar.

MrsTinks

Can you? Of course you can can you MS on it... I'd have thought so Tesco own tins of tomato's I think are about 12p? (sorry I've not bought them for a LONG time ) reduce a litte in a pan, add your own preference of herbs, maybe some onion, garlic... the point is that it will be home made, no addatives or preservatives and made to your own taste.

sophiesmum_2

Three tins of smart price tomatoes around 39p, 1 small onion, less than 7p and some herbs, garlic from storecupboard makes much more pasta sauce than a jar and tastes much nicer than shop bought. No additives or preservatives either so better for you all round.

sophiesmum

nearlyrich

I stopped buying sauces in jars a couple of years ago and the food we eat now is much tastier, less fat etc.

thriftlady_2

I think you're right Tine - 12p seems to ring a bell with me.

The point is anything you make from scratch with real food (not modified maize starch, monosodium glutamate, hydrolysed vegetable protein, guar gum or diglycerides of fatty acids) is going to be far superior to stuff from a jar, particularly a cheap jar. So, you're not comparing like with like - it's not a fair contest.

Best pasta sauce

Warm a little olive oil (you don't need much), add a squashed clove of garlic. Stir for a bit, add a crushed chilli.

Toss through pasta (discard garlic and chilli).
Serve with little parmesan.

Toxic_Lemon

Personally, I'd buy a more expensive tin of tomatoes and make my own (with onions and herbs, as above). The value tins of toms are really tasteless and just not worth buying. Plus, the added chemicals/pesticides that have been added to them during the growing process just make them prohibitive for me.

Helath is more important than cheap.

cuddlymarm

Hi

Surely OS is also about the time and resourses it takes to cook.
Isn't it OK to use a tin/jar of sauce if it is quite cheap (lots of BOGOFs about at this time of year)
I do both depending on how much time I have (I work full time and also part-time as needed)
In an ideal world I would have loads of sauce made up from the tomatoes etc that I grew in the summer but unfortunately I don't have the garden space or the time.
Isn't the theory of OS to do the best you can with what you have available?

Sorry if this sounds holier than thou. I don't mean it that way just that time is also precious.

Kath

Edinburghlass_2

Are there not preservatives though in a tin of tomatoes?

Toxic_Lemon

cuddlymarm wrote:

Hi

Surely OS is also about the time and resourses it takes to cook.
Isn't it OK to use a tin/jar of sauce if it is quite cheap (lots of BOGOFs about at this time of year)
I do both depending on how much time I have (I work full time and also part-time as needed)
In an ideal world I would have loads of sauce made up from the tomatoes etc that I grew in the summer but unfortunately I don't have the garden space or the time.
Isn't the theory of OS to do the best you can with what you have available?

Sorry if this sounds holier than thou. I don't mean it that way just that time is also precious.

Kath

I think you have a point, but I also think OS means different things to different people. Personally I would NEVER buy any food labelled as 'value', not even for my dog. I don't believe OS means value, I think it means back to basics, and that isn't always the cheapest. The quality of my food is of the utmost importance to me, as is my health, so I have always made everything from scratch - but it's all excellent quality and the tastiest, IMO.

Others will disagree - but that's MY interpretation and my standards.

victory

I agree with Toxic to a point, some of the value items are as good as the price is really...
Tin of tomatoes though, once joined with onion, garlic and a bit of chilli like the OP has said is better to buy cheap and not waste money on the tins that supposedly are the same as eating fresh italian toms for an extraordinary price of £1.99!!
The best food comes from making it yourself, you know exactly what is in it (helpful for me being diabetic) you can make a batch and freeze the rest.
Yes the jars are there for the on the go people but there are so many things in them that I would rather make my ownxxx

tawnyowls

Edinburghlass wrote:

Are there not preservatives though in a tin of tomatoes?

There shouldn't be - the canning process is what preserves the food. I've just checked my Lidl can, and that has tomatoes, tomato juice and citric acid (vitamin C) - as the Lidl stuff is usually far better labelled (continental regulations), I'm sure if there was anything else, they'd have to mention it.

I'm with the HM pasta sauce too - onions, garlic, mushrooms, basil and a couple of tins of tomatoes; job done.