How To Make Tomato Sauce The Old-School Way (No Blender Needed) - Tasting Table

"Start with fresh, ripe tomatoes - the best types of tomatoes for making sauce are Roma, plum, or San Marzano. Score each tomato with a paring knife and blanch them in boiling water for about a minute. Immediately put them in an ice bath and peel off the outer skins. You can then chop the tomatoes, crush them by hand, or use a potato masher to make it easier."

"Next, put your fresh, mashed tomatoes into a pot and simmer them with olive oil, basil leaves, and finely chopped garlic. If you're making heirloom tomato sauce, you'll saute your garlic and chile flakes in olive oil, then add your tomatoes. Let everything simmer for long enough that the tomatoes break down further and the sauce becomes thicker. If you're making a fresh, chunky salsa, all you need to do is add the rest of your ingredients to your crushed tomatoes and stir."

"Alternatively, you can use the box grater method for prepping tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half and rub the cut ends along a box grater to turn each tomato into pulp. If you have cans of whole tomatoes, the process is even easier. Just dump the tomatoes into a bowl and use your hands to crush them up into a sauce-like consistency."

Use fresh, ripe tomatoes such as Roma, plum, or San Marzano. Score and blanch tomatoes, shock them in an ice bath, then peel and chop, crush, or mash by hand or with a potato masher. Simmer mashed tomatoes with olive oil, basil, and garlic for a smoother sauce. For heirloom-style sauce, saute garlic and chile flakes in olive oil before adding tomatoes and simmer until thickened. For chunky salsa, combine crushed tomatoes with other ingredients. For soup, add broth and simmer until tomatoes break down, then add meats and vegetables. Box grating or crushing canned whole tomatoes offer quick blender-free options.

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