# Stupid Question About Tomato-Based Sauces. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 14, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691 "2015-04-14T22:33:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chicago\_Faucet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chicago_faucet/32/13910_2.png) [@Chicago\_Faucet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicago_Faucet)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/1 "2015-04-14T22:33:42Z")
I think I know the answer to this question, but I have to ask anyway. Do you have to cook tomato-based sauces? Does cooking them change them in some way? If so, how do they change because of the heat? I used an enchilada sauce, and poured it cold over some enchiladas. I’m pretty sure that ruined the whole pan of them… …Or, is it just my imagination? ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/2 "2015-04-14T22:38:18Z")
Well, if it’s canned or jarred sauce, it pretty much has already been “cooked”. If you poured the cold sauce over the enchiladas and then baked them in the oven, I don’t see how it could have ruined anything. That’s what you’re supposed to do. If you baked the enchiladas and then poured cold sauce over them, well, that would be kind of weird because the cold sauce would cool down the enchiladas. Don’t know if this helps or if I have totally misunderstood your post. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/3 "2015-04-14T23:06:27Z")
No, that’s the way I read it too. Based on just the thread title I was going to suggest adding wine or vodka to the raw sauce, because alcohol releases more of tomato flavor. Steeee-rike! ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/4 "2015-04-15T01:26:35Z")
The OP is confusing, I’m not sure what happened. Heating something up is not the same as cooking it. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/5 "2015-04-15T02:10:08Z")
From what I’ve seen, enchilada sauce is usually red pepper based, not tomato based. I never use it cold. I always bake my enchiladas in the oven, with sauce and lots of gooey cheese. I use tomato sauce a lot in Italian dishes. I don’t cook it, as such; I just mix it up and refrigerate it until I need it for a recipe. It then gets heated up with the rest of the ingredients for pizza, spaghetti, whatever. I would simmer it only in conjunction with meat, chicken, or seafood. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/6 "2015-04-15T02:18:13Z")
Cooking tomatoes overly long can make them somewhat bitter. Roasting tomatoes in the oven gives them a smokey-sweet flavor. Merely heating up tomato sauce will kill any bacteria, but not do much else for the flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/7 "2015-04-15T02:39:22Z")
Nearly anything that comes out of a factory-sealed can or jar can be safely eaten directly from the can or jar, without any heating necessary. It might be kind of gross cold, but it’ll be safe. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/8 "2015-04-15T02:43:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Cooking tomatoes overly long can make them somewhat bitter. Hey! What about Sicilian-American, Brooklyn-style Sunday Gravy? I simmer that for several hours with beef meatballs, Italian pork sausage, and maybe a chicken thigh or two. Bitter? Never. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/9 "2015-04-15T04:22:16Z")
Yeah, when I makea my marinara, first thing I do is sauté some tomato paste in olive oil, then add some herbs and spices and sauté a little more, then hit it with red wine and cook it some more, then put in the rest of the tomato and let er simmer and simmer. The sauté makes the sauce richer. Never bitter. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/10 "2015-04-15T06:20:57Z")
You don’t have to cook tomatoes - it would be possible to make a sauce out of pureed raw tomatoes, and it would be perfectly edible. Tomato sauce goes through a few changes as it cooks. First (and most obviously), the water is driven off, concentrating the flavor and thickening the sauce. Second, the sauce becomes less acidic as it cooks - a long simmered sauce loses a lot of its tartness, and tends to taste sweet as a result. Third, the sauce tends to darken over time. As for your enchilada sauce, it’s a chile-based sauce (as has already been mentioned). The word “enchilada” has the word “chile” as its root. I can imagine that cold enchilada sauce would be pretty bad - it’s not intended to be used that way. Enchiladas are usually baked or simmered in the sauce. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/11 "2015-04-15T09:35:11Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > You don’t have to cook tomatoes - it would be possible to make a sauce out of pureed raw tomatoes, and it would be perfectly edible. Yep, the tomato salsas served in restaurants around here are about %50 cooked, %50 raw. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/12 "2015-04-15T14:08:28Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > As for your enchilada sauce, it’s a chile-based sauce (as has already been mentioned). The word “enchilada” has the word “chile” as its root. I can imagine that cold enchilada sauce would be pretty bad - it’s not intended to be used that way. Enchiladas are usually baked or simmered in the sauce. While this is most likely correct for the OP, there are some brands (like Old El Paso) where tomato is the main ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/13 "2015-04-15T14:27:24Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Hey! What about Sicilian-American, Brooklyn-style Sunday Gravy? > > I simmer that for several hours with beef meatballs, Italian pork sausage, and maybe a chicken thigh or two. Bitter? Never. Yo! I said “can”, okay? Whaddya lookin’ for, a fat lip? I’ve rarely had the problem either, but it happens. A bit of sugar added to the sauce cures it. My Sunday gravy also has a piece of cheap beefsteak and also pork, so it braises longer until it falls apart. Meatballs go in for the last 20 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/14 "2015-04-15T14:40:38Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Cooking tomatoes overly long can make them somewhat bitter. My experience has been that bittering comes with cooking them too hot, not cooking them too long. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/15 "2015-04-15T15:31:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > While this is most likely correct for the OP, there are some brands (like Old El Paso) where tomato is the main ingredient. Thanks for the info. That’s one brand I’ll never buy. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/16 "2015-04-15T16:17:46Z")
> [@jeff lichtman](#): > > thanks for the info. That’s one brand i’ll never buy. “New York City?!” ETA: The freakin’ no-all-caps function has to be the most annoying thing on this message board (barring some Dopers)… ---
**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:** [April 15, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/17 "2015-04-15T16:20:58Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Thanks for the info. That’s one brand I’ll never buy. To be fair, I once made a tomato-based enchilada sauce when no red peppers were available. It contained garlic, olive oil, and basil, and was more than serviceable. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/18 "2015-04-15T16:25:49Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > To be fair, I once made a tomato-based enchilada sauce when no red peppers were available. It contained garlic, olive oil, and basil, and was more than serviceable. The Old El Paso brand does contain chiles–it’s just that tomato is the base. Can’t really have an en-chil(e)-ada without chiles, by definition. (That said, yeah, I’d still call it an “enchilada” because what else would I call it?) I know there’s some other brands that have tomato as their first ingredient, too, but chiles are down the line somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/19 "2015-04-15T16:30:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > (That said, yeah, I’d still call it an “enchilada” because what else would I call it?) Entomatada? Doesn’t really _flow_, does it? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691/20 "2015-04-15T16:47:30Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Entomatada? Doesn’t really _flow_, does it? Plus it sounds like insect casserole. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-about-tomato-based-sauces/717691.md?page=2)