# Spaghetti in restaurants **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2014, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178 "2014-03-08T06:55:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/181 "2014-03-17T00:46:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t see “from scratch” in his quote or your quote of his quote. How else would you make it? Either you have tomato sauce (in a can), or you need to make it. If you need to make it, the only way I know of is to start with tomatoes. If you have to start with tomatoes, you have to peel them and de-seed them; which is a hassle. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/182 "2014-03-17T00:50:53Z")
It isn’t the hassle you’re making it out to be, and you can start with canned tomatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/183 "2014-03-17T00:52:33Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > It isn’t the hassle you’re making it out to be, and you can start with canned tomatoes. So why not just use canned tomato sauce? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/184 "2014-03-17T00:54:19Z")
Wait… When you’re talking about ‘tomato sauce’, do you mean spaghetti sauce? I’m talking about [this](http://ninecooks.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/tomatosauce.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/185 "2014-03-17T00:55:22Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > So why not just use canned tomato sauce? 😕 I’m sorry, but this is a ridiculous question. Canned whole tomatoes and canned tomato sauce (I should have said spaghetti sauce, to clear up the confusion) aren’t the same thing. Do you use canned beans in homemade chili? Why not just buy canned chili? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/186 "2014-03-17T00:56:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Wait… > > When you’re talking about ‘tomato sauce’, do you mean spaghetti sauce? > > I’m talking about [this](http://ninecooks.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/tomatosauce.jpg). Read the post I initially responded to, and my response to it. Both specifically reference Ragu brand spaghetti sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/187 "2014-03-17T00:58:46Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I’m sorry, but this is a ridiculous question. Canned whole tomatoes and canned tomato sauce aren’t the same thing. Do you use canned beans in homemade chili? Why not just buy canned chili? Of course I don’t use canned beans in chilli. I have made tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes, which I then used as the base for spaghetti sauce. It was not as good as starting from canned sauce, and it was a pain the backside. (Of course I started with five or ten pounds of tomatoes.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/188 "2014-03-17T01:01:04Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Read the post I initially responded to, and my response to it. Both specifically reference Ragu brand spaghetti sauce. But you specifically said tomato sauce is easy to make. Sounds like we have a miscommunication. I’ll drop it if you will. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/189 "2014-03-17T01:04:03Z")
We’re in a thread about pasta and pasta sauces. “Tomato sauce” in that context obviously refers to tomato-based pasta sauce. Especially since we, you know, mentioned it by brand name from the outset. I think you’re the only one confused. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/190 "2014-03-17T01:17:08Z")
If I went to the store and asked where the tomato sauce is, it would be NEAR the Ragu type cans/jars, but it would be right next to the canned diced tomatoes. Just saying… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/191 "2014-03-17T01:19:36Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > How else would you make it? Either you have tomato sauce (in a can), or you need to make it. If you need to make it, the only way I know of is to start with tomatoes. If you have to start with tomatoes, you have to peel them and de-seed them; which is a hassle. I understand your confusion now. To me, it was clear he was talking about a “finished” pasta sauce with the reference to Ragu, and not just sauced tomatoes. Just look up recipes for basic tomato sauce, and you’ll see this is a common use of the phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/192 "2014-03-17T01:33:30Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > If I went to the store and asked where the tomato sauce is, it would be NEAR the Ragu type cans/jars, but it would be right next to the canned diced tomatoes. Just saying… Exactly. Tomato sauce and pasta sauce are two different things. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/193 "2014-03-17T01:44:34Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Exactly. Tomato sauce and pasta sauce are two different things. “Pasta sauce” is a broader category, but a recipe for homemade tomato sauce, to me, does not imply using fresh tomatoes, as many, if not most, tomato sauces in the US contain ingredients other than tomato. It’s not the same thing as “tomato purée,” and, yes, you can use “tomato sauce” for your pasta without anything else. Seriously, look it up on Wikipedia, Google, or your favorite recipe site. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/194 "2014-03-17T01:49:43Z")
We grow plum tomatoes each year specifically so that we can harvest, place into freezer zip-locks, and freeze in the freezer section of the beer fridge (our refrigerator in my man cave). Drop the tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds and they peel easily. The variety has few seeds. Fresh made sauce is one of the perks of life with my SO.😃 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/195 "2014-03-17T02:29:41Z")
When I actually take the time to make home made pasta sauce, I try to use as many fresh ingredients as possible. Sometimes, I have more fresh tomatoes available. Sometimes, it’s mostly canned. I enjoy the end result either way. Ragu, Hunts, etc… have some tasty sauces. (some awful ones, too) Great for a quick fixing of a meal. My wife also cans the extra sauce we have left over from our scratch makings. Of course I prefer my own stuff, but I don’t always the time for making it. Same with salsa. I have my personal recipe exactly how I like it, but many store bought salsas are also pretty decent. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/196 "2014-03-17T02:48:07Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > It’s quite famous as a line from the end of Goodfellas. > Also, tomato sauce is ridiculously easy to make. You don’t have to be a good cook to make sauce better than Ragu. I would love to see a recepie for that. Could you post a link to one? Or suggest a Google search strategy? I have tried to use canned tomato sauce and/or canned tomato paste and/or canned tomatoes. But I’ve never been able to create a sauce that tasted better than the Ragu sauce I can buy. Also, that Ragu sauce often goes on sale for one dollar a jar and I buy as many as I can. When that happens, I feel like I hit the jackpot because IMO it is worth far more than one dollar per jar. There are several varieties including: plain, spaghetti sauce with meat, spaghetti sauce with mushrooms and some others. They are all delicious. I realize it is a mater of personal taste. But I have never tasted a spaghetti sauce better than the Ragu brand of sauce. By the way, I am not an employee of the Ragu company or affiliated with them in any way. I just love their sauce. P.S. I remember that line from Goodfellas. Now I’m wondering if the writers of Band of Brothers got their line from Goodfellas or vice versa. Martin Scorsese has been known to plagerize other works in his movies. For example, the opening scene of Mean Streets is a song produced by Phil Spector that Scorsese used without permission and had to beg Spector not to sue him for doing that. There is a recent movie about Phil Spector (The Agony and Ecstacy of Phil Spector) in which Spector explains how that happened. It’s a real hoot! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/197 "2014-03-17T02:55:11Z")
By the way, the song is “Be My Baby”. Phil Spector said that if he had been a hard ass about it, it would have destroyed Scorsese’s career as well as Robert DeNiro and some of the other actors. It’s kind of hard to dispute that. But I was very disappointed when I heard that about Scorsese. He should have known better. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/198 "2014-03-17T05:10:56Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Of course I don’t use canned beans in chilli. What’s wrong with canned beans in chili? 😕 I usually boil my own with salt pork or real bacon bits, but it means starting a whole day in advance. I see nothing wrong with using canned beans occasionally for convenience’s sake. Frankly, there isn’t much difference in flavor, either. The same applies to spaghetti sauce. I keep a supply of Hunt’s and Classico on hand for when I just don’t feel like cooking. They can be used in other dishes too, presto! ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/199 "2014-03-17T05:23:37Z")
I guess I’m just lucky. I happen to live in an area with a very large Italian American population and hence a large number of Mom & Pop independent Italian grocers who make their own pasta, read sauce, and Italian cured meats. Spaghetti sauce from any of these small places is head and shoulders above anything you can but in a jar from a grocery chain store. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178/200 "2014-03-17T05:38:03Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > P.S. I remember that line from Goodfellas. Now I’m wondering if the writers of Band of Brothers got their line from Goodfellas or vice versa. \*\*Goodfellas \*\*came out in 1990 and Band of Brothers first aired in 2001. Also, while were on the subject of **Goodfellas** , during the scene where Hill’s in prison, he gives some tips on how to make great marinara (i.e., spaghetti) sauce. One I remember is to slice garlic with a razor blade so it can liquify more easily in butter. ([And keep stirring the sauce.](http://movie-sounds.org/old-movie-samples/goodfellas/tell-michael-not-to-let-the-sauce-stick-keep-stirring-it)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaghetti-in-restaurants/683178.md?page=11)