Tomatoes are amazing. They’re jam-packed with nutrients and flavour, not to mention that they make the best base for stews and sauces. The only downside? They can be quite acidic. Sure, any tomato sauce needs a little acidity to balance out its sweetness. But it can quickly overpower the dish, making the dish taste unbalanced or, in worst-case scenarios, inedible. But fear not – with these tips, you can save any tomato-based dish in no time.
Tip #1: Bicarbonate of soda
Since acidity has everything to do with the pH level of the dish, the best solution is to use some basic science. The more acidic the sauce, the lower the pH level. So what we want to aim for is to raise the pH level. Bicarbonate of soda has a basic pH and helps to raise the pH level, neutralising the acidity.
A spoonful should work wonders (be careful when adding to a hot sauce, as it will make the sauce fizz and bubble up). However, as effective as this method can be, it also has its limits. If you add too much bicarb, the sauce will turn bitter, which is arguably worse than acidic.
Tip #2: Butter
Using butter to finish a sauce is a classic technique that many chefs use. It makes it glossy, smooth, and helps emulsify it, which improves its mouthfeel and helps it bind to whatever food it’s being poured over. In this case, butter can actually help balance the acidity of tomato-based dishes.
The dairy proteins in butter bind to some of the acidic molecules, helping to cancel them out. The extra fat coating it gives to your tongue can block some of our taste receptors that perceive the acidic tang.
But once again, a word of caution: adding too much butter will increase the risk of muting the overall flavour of the sauce. Additionally, butter isn’t the best solution if you or your family is lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy, or has specific dietary requirements.
Tip #3: Use a carrot
Using a carrot is the best solution. You might be thinking that you’ve tried or seen that before, and it doesn’t make much of a difference. The secret here is not to add carrots as ingredients, but rather, to use them as a kind of sponge or magnet for acids. When you grate or slice them and add them to the dish, they absorb the acid but melt away. So you’ll still taste the acidity, because it hasn’t been removed or balanced out.
The trick is to add and remove the carrot before serving. All you need is a knob. Pop it into the tomato-based dish and simmer for a good 5 minutes or more, and fish it out before finishing and serving the dish.
Carrots are alkaline-rich veggies with high pH levels, so having them simmer in an acidic sauce will help bring up the pH level, similarly to the way bicarb does. What makes carrots a better choice is their natural sweetness and no risk of turning the sauce bitter.
