Campbell Soup recently acquired Rao’s Specialty Foods, makers of high-end marinara, pasta products, etc. The soup giant has vowed not to meddle with Rao’s recipes. Here’s an excerpt from an article in The Atlantic about the deal:
“We will not touch the sauce,” Mark Clouse, Campbell’s CEO, reportedly vowed. And as long as the sauce keeps tasting good, consumers will probably not notice or care about its new ownership. “Most people have no idea what kind of corporate structure exists above the products they buy,” Amanda (Mull, consumerism reporter for The Atlantic) told me. “As long as they feel like they’re getting what they expect and what they paid for, then I don’t think most of them want to know.”
The article’s author, Lora Kelley, swears by Rao’s and reports having a few jars in her kitchen. We like Rao’s well enough and will pick it up when there’s a BOGO deal, but our go-to jarred marinara is Mezzetta’s Italian Plum Tomato, which is cheaper than Rao’s but better, in our opinion.
Homemade sauce is better still. I’ve used this pasta pomodoro recipe countless times to good effect when we lack tomatoes from the garden to make a sauce. It features a big can of whole San Marzano tomatoes and other ingredients that we usually have on hand, plus some patience.
Best of all is my half-Italian mother-in-law’s sauce recipe. There’s nothing fancy about it at all, but it’s amazing, and everyone in the family loves it. She’s showed me exactly how to make it more than once, and I’ve documented the process in detail, but mine never turns out as good as hers.
It’s a bit early for tomato sauce here on the East Coast, but it’s a more pleasant topic than politics. Got any sauce boss tips to share?
Otherwise, open thread — for all topics, including politics.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊
rikyrah
Nobody believes Campbell’s😒😒
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
PBK
@rikyrah: I sure don’t. They’re going to screw up the Rao soups too which I think are even better than their sauces 😡
oldster
Tip #1:
Never show your daughter-in-law exactly how you do it.
This tip has been handed down for generations.
AnonPhenom
…it’s never too early for a tomato sauce!
Kristine
Tried a Rao’s sauce once. I honestly can’t figure out what the fuss is about.
I bought a bag of their dried pasta to see what it’s like. I’ve tried Little Italy in the Bronx dried pasta and it’s imo pretty good.
Also imo, Talenti’s gelato went downhill after Unilever bought them. Not optimistic about Rao’s chances. The search will be on for “cheaper ingredients that taste just as good all our taste testers said so.”
Honus
Oliverio’s, Clarksburg, West Virginia. I stop at their little grocery store over across the bridge and buy a case of it when I’m there, along with some of their frozen store made sausage. Occasionally the Kroger here in Charlottesville would have it, but not for a few years now.
zmulls
I swear by Marcella Hazan’s basic marinara recipe. Assuming no high end ingredients (no fresh basil/oregano, no san marzano, etc) it is a great go to.
1/3 cup of oil and some onion, then some garlic, then toss in the can of crushed tomatoes and add seasoning (salt, pepper, dried basil & oregano) and let simmer for 15 minutes until the oil floats. Foolproof.
Making it later today for eggplant parmesan.
eversor
A few years back the SO wanted carbonara. She griped it wasn’t good here (which is silly, this is DC, there are great ones, you just gotta pay) and that she had to make it with the wrong meats and cheeses. To which I laughed, mocked her to her face, then laughed and mocked again! Then laughed again. A true laughing and mocking.
Then we walked a total of five blocks. See there is a legit Italian grocery here that we have lived by for years. And they actually do have guancale (pork jowls) and pecorino romano (I know I butchered that spelling and I should be laughed at) to make a proper carbonara. Now she goes there weekly for all sorts of things.
To be sure the laughing and mocking wasn’t to be cruel. We have a running competition of who knows the best stores for things. This is sort of the victory dance! I know a great place that you don’t hahahahaha. We both do it. And it has ended up in finding more interesting stores. It’s sort of our thing. Which has lead to a well stocked kitchen. Still holding a Japanese store in my pocket for when it’s needed and I get to do the laughing dance again. The catch is if it’s your store you pay the first time, other person can get everything they want. There’s worse things in life than a running grocery store competition that allows you to make an ass out of yourself!
Dangerman
@oldster: This would appear to be in a potential collision course with the Prime Directive for the Son, i.e. “Happy Wife, Happy Life”.
JR
I’ve never bought canned tomato sauce. Like pancake mix, from scratch is so easy, it’s not worth the price difference.
Old Dan and Little Ann
Rao’s is our go to sauce. It is always tasty.
catclub
Mom’s spaghetti sauce was started at about noon for dinner around 630. It was pretty good. And better the next day.
Low Key Swagger
When we were coming up and having more mouths to feed, spaghetti was a cheap and easy meal. For years we ate the Kroger brand sauces, which were 99 cents most of the time. These days when I am in the store and see 6 or 7 dollar sauce it is hard for me to pay it, even though we are in a vastly different budget situation. I just can’t.
Llelldorin
Have to admit that I haven’t bought a pasta sauce since I realized that “chop vegetables, glaze in olive oil, cook with tomatoes, basil, and oregano, add meatballs” works really well and only takes 10-20m.
catclub
@oldster:
To whom do you hand it down? Your daughter in law?
eversor
@JR:
The catch with the premades is that they can be found on sale at CVS for a 2 bucks buy one get one free off and on. So it’s a food staple for working class types.
RedDirtGirl
Perfect place to ask this question. I have a couple of box paks of whole tomatoes that are 6 months past their expiration date. Do I have to chuck them?
eversor
@RedDirtGirl:
No. If it’s canned it’s almost immortal.
Anyway
Ob from Philly “it’s GRAVY”!!!
Argiope
@eversor: I’ll second this. Eventually things get less tasty, but the beauty of commercial canning is that it’s really a “best by” date, not an “unsafe after” date.
satby
@RedDirtGirl: no, as long as the can shows no signs of bulging or leaking (same with those aseptic boxes) that could indicate gasses in it.
Edit: those dates are as much for store product rotation as they are about “safety”. We waste millions (more likely billions) of $$ per year on canned goods discarded past the sell by date that are perfectly fine to eat. And food banks can’t use them either for fear of liability claims, so it’s all just wasted.
montanareddog
@RedDirtGirl: @eversor:
Pretty much – though the smell test should always be applied too
eclare
Betty Cracker, the recipe sounds great, but I’m cooking for one. Do you know if it reheats well? I’m not sure it would.
eclare
@eversor:
That’s a great competition!
Suzanne
So I like Rao’s all right, but I don’t use sauce out of a jar very often. They sell Rao’s in a large two-pack at Costco, and it takes me a long time to get through it.
My favorite way to make red sauce is a variation. Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta from Bon Appetit. I came upon this recipe while trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of cherry tomatoes from various packages that had been purchased for my kids, since they like them a lot. I cook it down a bit longer than the recipe calls for, so it really comes together as a sauce, and I don’t put in any sugar because fuck you, that’s why. I like it with fusilli col buco or some other big spirally noodle.
p.a.
Try making it using her pot. I know it shouldn’t matter. But it can. I have my “grandma pot”, and it may be all in my mind but it makes a difference. Maybe I’m just used to whatever leaches out into the sauce 🫨 from the cast aluminum pot since I grew up eating tomato sauce (GRAVY!) from it.
ETA: When it comes to commercial sauces I generally read the label. The fewer ingredients the better. And then it depends on the quality of the tomatoes, which will vary year-to-year no matter the company.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Kristine: I can never get the Talenti carton open, so I gave up on it.
Geminid
@eversor: The Stanardsville grocery store carries “Sliced Pepper Jowl.” I think it’s a country thing, probably goes with beans or greens, but my friend Debbie is half-Sicilian and she’ll buy some to make Carbonara.
I tried cooking Spaghetti Carbonara last year. My recipe was (1) Fry 2″ pieces of sliced pepper jowl until smoke detector goes off. (2) Figure out another dinner.
eclare
@RedDirtGirl:
Prob ok if canned. I deploy the smell test if there is any doubt.
ETA> glad to see I’m not the only one who uses a smell test!
Suzanne
@zmulls: Agreed, Marcella’s marinara is a good basic.
I really like fresh basil, tho!
I am a big Costco fan, and they sell the Cento canned San Marzanos there. I do a lot of tomato-based dishes, so I keep some in the pantry. Costco is my favorite store.
satby
@montanareddog: smell is unreliable and lots of people don’t have a sense of smell at all (even before covid). Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and people still canned a lot, you learned the signs of cans gone bad: bulging indicating microbial activity off-gassing, signs of mold or bubbles in the opened can, lack of a pressure pop or air intake indicating the seal had failed, lastly an off or spoiled smell.
Edit: obviously applies to canned jars as well.
MazeDancer
@zmulls:
Didn’t know there was an oil version of Marcella’s sauce. Have to try it.
The one I’ve seen is all butter.
It is delicious.
Apropos Anne Laurie’s and oldster’s DIL experience maybe there is a reason if you search “Marcella Hazan’s Sauce”, you do get variations. But it is usually the amount of butter.
PBK
@Suzanne:
@zmulls:
Love that cherry tomato sauce. Bon Appétit has a great recipe for a no cook tomato sauce also…
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pasta-with-no-cook-tomato-sauce
ETA: I’ve used cherry tomatoes for this with no problems.
Mathguy
My brother worked for a company acquired by Campbell’s. The moron MBAs eventually ruined everything with their “tweaks” and “suggestions “ to improve profitability. This will not end well.
Raven
We’re on our way from Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejune) to the Cedar Island Ferry to go to Okracoke Island and then Cape Hatteras. We have time to kill so we blindly went to Atlantic Beach and found a beach where the girls could get their morning walk. Last night we found a funky dog friendly eatery and ate looking over a worn out marina. The food was fine and they loved Artie
https://flic.kr/p/2oXdQXh
Suzanne
As for canned vs. fresh….. I have tried, multiple times, making sauce from fresh tomatoes. Honestly, the sauce from good-quality canned is better. My grandfather used to grow tomatoes that smelled just incredible, but the commercially available tomatoes, even from somewhere like Whole Foods, don’t smell like that. And I am a working mom and everything is a cost vs. benefit tradeoff. So I usually will go with canned for this purpose, or do the burst tomato pasta I linked above.
Mr. Suzanne and I joke that we are bad Italians. I am really meh on pizza, he is really meh on lasagna, manicotti, shells, etc. But a good bowl of pasta is absolutely my favorite food in the entire world. I am always trying to be good about carbs, but I cannot give up pasta. I try to keep it to once a week, or every other week…. and then make it top-notch.
eclare
@Raven:
Sounds like a great trip!
Have you heard about the water at Camp Lejune? \s
Percysowner
I love Raos, so I’m hoping they don’t change it at all, but I don’t really believe them not changing. I know homemade is better, but I’m old and I work and coming home and just throwing a bottle of sauce and some frozen meatballs in a pot and making some noodles is about all I’m up to some days. Plus I have almost no freezer space so I can’t even cook in advance and freeze.
JPL
@rikyrah: They’re going to decide it needs more salt. 🥶
Ken
@Mathguy: Are you suggesting that Campbell’s tomato soup isn’t a substitute for fresh tomatoes as a base for manufacturing pasta sauces?
Which reminds me of one of my own food-industry suspicions: That the appearance of new juice blends, like orange-pineapple or strawberry-kiwi-mango, is because the manufacturers decided to save money by not cleaning the juicers between runs. I think I’m joking….
Jeffro
@zmulls:
This is what I do (well, with a little less oil and a little more onion)
So easy and so much better for you than jarred sauces!
RevRick
My wife uses Rao’s to make a keto friendly pizza. She toasts a low carb tortilla in a fry pan, then applies the Rao’s, some reduced fat mozzarella cheese, turkey pepperonis, and bakes them in the oven. She makes four for the both of us. That, and a tossed salad makes a quite satisfying dinner.
Kristine
@Suzanne:
I agree. I think it’s because the canning tomatoes are allowed to ripen longer on the vine—it doesn’t matter if they’re soft or damaged because they’re processed within hours after picking. Also, wondering if their genetics haven’t been borked yet to improve shipping integrity, so they taste better? Even the fresh tomatoes I grew myself didn’t compare.
RevRick
@PBK: If they do, they’re idiots. The surest way to tank a brand is to mess with its signature ingredients. Just ask New Coke.
Jeffro
Ok, this might get me sent to the penalty box for a
n hourday or two but I just gotta: today’s edition of That Paper has a lengthy transcript from a recent GOP focus group (of course) that they hosted.Gift link here
Read it for the laughs, read it to cry over the state of education and/or reporting in this country, or read it just because, but it’s really amazing stuff. You can take away almost anything you want from it, but the easiest takeaways sure look to me like
DeSantis doesn’t have a prayer
The GOP/Fox’s constant “Biden is old and incompetent” drumbeat really has worked against them…their voters think literally ANY of the GOP contenders not only can, but will, beat Biden in 2024.
The fact that most of these folks just gloss right over trumpov’s 90+ felony indictments blows. my. mind. It’s one thing to think about it in the abstract, or to look at polling numbers that tell us “most Republicans are fine with a criminal president as long as it’s their president”. But to see people ‘say’ it is just wow.
Let it all be a motivating force for this year and next!
eversor
@Suzanne:
Canned food is not all the same. In a lot of places the canned costs more than the fresh because it’s 1.) fucking immortal it can’t go bad in your life, 2.) often canned fresh at the source so it’s a better quality, and 3.) if it’s something like Spanish seafood already flavored and the canned is better.
In the US this is not the case as we tend to can shit food and sell it to the poors. In other countries a quality canned sardine can run you 20 to hundreds of dollars a can. It’s another mindset. Google canned Spanish seafood and prepare to freak out. Try the mussels!
Frozen food is also oddly fresher than fresh food. As it’s harvested, then flash frozen, and then shipped off. It does break down so there is that. But if you’re like me and just blends your daily fruits and veggies in the morning who cares!
eclare
@Jeffro:
Thanks for reading it so I didn’t have to.
Baud
@Jeffro:
41 focus groups? Their diner tab must be huge!
eclare
@eversor:
I pretty much buy only frozen fruits and veggies at this point, I was tired of the waste that I had from throwing out fresh. I make exceptions for pineapple, watermelon, and asparagus.
Jeffro
And on the heels of that NYT GOP focus group piece, here’s this in the Post: you can’t beat trump for the nomination if you can’t say why he should lose
So…if they won’t disavow him as a loser, criminal, or both…why would primary voters go with someone with less name recognition, with less of that pure ‘hate-hit’?
I’m surprised more of them (any of them?) don’t make the argument that trump’s win in 2016 was a fluke, a lucky shot, an accident of the Electo…oh wait…never mind.
Percysowner
So, onto my personal life. Last week I talked about how my AFAB grandchild has made it clear that he is a boy and my SIL’s parents did not react well, leading to a bit of split in the family. Yesterday, the results started to show. My grandson in starting kindergarten and they had an ice cream social last night. My grandson has badges with his preferred pronouns on them, he is waffling between he/him and they/them. He happily wore his he/him badge during the day but when it came time to go to the party he took it off because “what if the teacher tells him he can’t wear it and that he’s not a boy?” It broke my heart and makes me want to shake other Grammy and ask her what the HELL does she think she is doing, hurting a child that I know she loves. All I can do is tell my grandson that I know he is a boy and I love him not matter who he is. It is a tragedy.
Kay
Campbell has a big production plant in NW Ohio and they’re a good employer- United Food and Commercial Workers union, good wages, good benefits etc. so hopefully they won’t ruin the brand and you-all can keep buying it :)
oatler
American company so they’ll add HFCS.
eclare
@Percysowner:
I’m glad your grandson has you to comfort him.
KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))
My tip for good marinara is to taste it, and if it’s too acidic, add just a pinch of baking soda. Regardless whether it needs baking soda, always add a dash of good quality balsamic vinegar. It will make your sauce, even if it’s doctored sauce from a jar, sing.
Baud
@Jeffro:
But not Fort Lee commuters.
MattF
My usual is a bottled sauce plus something— current preference is Rao’s or Classico. Fact is that my aging tastebuds got dull so I need to spice things up, eggs now taste better with sriracha. The main requirement for me in a bottled tomato sauce is zero added sugar.
ETA: Talenti double dark chocolate still tastes good to me. I have a special tool to get the top off, but still a struggle.
zhena gogolia
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Haha, same here.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Percysowner: How sad. Give the kid a hug for us.
lowtechcyclist
@Argiope:
My wife and I joke about the “best by” date, followed by the “still pretty good by” date, then the “still passable by” date, then finally the “still edible and won’t poison you by” date.
Dagaetch
Another vote for Mezzetta over Rao’s, here. Their marinara sauce, and the parmigiano reggiano variation, are staples for me. That said, I also make my own sauces occasionally. A tip – after you saute your veggies, before adding the canned tomatoes, put a tablespoon or two of tomato paste into the pan and saute that for a minute, until it smells divine. You’ll notice it in the final product. Also when you’re tasting at the end, if you think it needs a little salt, add some fish sauce instead (unless avoiding meat of course). Salt and umami in one!
Soprano2
@Mathguy: It’s so crazy to buy a brand like that and then ruin it all to save a few pennies. Just charge a little bit more – if it’s good, people will pay for it! Morons…..
Kay
I still grow some tomatoes although I’ve moved mostly to growing flowers but I don’t can anymore. I think canned plum tomatoes are better than my canned tomatoes. I preserve some tomatoes (not a lot) by slicing then roasting them in a low heat oven which I learned from an Anne Laurie post.
I did enjoy canning though – the chopping and timing and water bath etc. I ran across the tool you use to handle the hot jars the other day and was a little sad about it.
p.a.
Any *meh* sauce can be helped by simmering with a glug of Dago red. Tomatoes have some flavor compounds that are only alcohol soluble, per Alton Brown.
Since we’re talking food
https://nchfp.uga.edu/#gsc.tab=0
The National Center for Home Food Preservation represents a decade of USDA-funded research carried out at the University of Georgia. The USDA has offered home canning and other home food preservation recommendations since the early 1900s.
Honus
@Llelldorin: no garlic?
Jeffro
I do these (one or the other, not both) from time to time after making that basic sauce noted above. Good tips!
Suzanne
@eversor: It is probably a leftover of me being a daycare kid, but I love frozen mixed vegetables. (Costco sells a large bag.) I can nuke a bowl for three minutes and I just love it. I have seen no issues with quality as long as I don’t let the bags hang out in the freezer for a while!
Betty Cracker
@eclare: I’ve eaten it reheated plenty of times, but it’s never quite as good as it is when fresh made because it clumps up when stashed in the fridge. The best reheating technique is to add a little water to it in a sauce pan (or microwaveable bowl) and stir frequently when reheating.
Soprano2
@eclare: I make a bowl of mixed fruit, mostly from fresh, that I keep in the refrigerator. I add some canned, like pineapple or mandarin oranges. If you don’t care that your pineapple chunks are red from being with the strawberries, it’s good. When I put it in the small bowls, I put a little orange vodka on it, or some other type of liquor. Amaretto is good for that.
eclare
@Betty Cracker:
Thanks!
R-Jud
@Percysowner: My cousin is in the same boat with his mother (my aunt) re his AMAB daughter. It’s made even tougher by the fact that my cousin and his family live in Texas (Austin, but still). My cousin’s daughter has been helped a lot by her supportive set of grandparents, though. Keep on keeping on.
eclare
@Soprano2:
Interesting last tip! I usually have fruit for dessert, so a spritz of liqueur would be ok. I am partial to Franjelica, myself.
How was the dr appt yesterday?
Jeffro
It’s a
dirtydangerousok, hysterical job but someone’s got to do it!Two of the GOP numbnuts in the group – the Delusional Trumpkins – really stand out. ‘Ryan’ and ‘Charlene’.
Here’s Charlene’s reason why she won’t support DeSantis:
Here’s Ryan on why trump is totes awesome:
I still can’t believe his schtick actually. works. on these folks!
Central Planning
We are big into Rao’s Garlic Marinara right now, but we also like all the others.
Over the summer we did a marinara taste test (just marinara, not garlic, vodka, spicy, etc). We got all the different brands that Wegmans carried. I don’t remember all of them, but generally Wegmans Marinara won, and there were some that were definitely bad that we all agreed on. The panel was about 8 teenagers/young adults that like to cook, my lovely wife, and me.
As you might imagine, we had a ton of marinara left over. We threw it all in a big container and made shakshouka. I don’t know what recipe we based our version on, but we are using burrata and some mix of middle eastern spices. It is delicious!
Frankensteinbeck
@Jeffro:
No surprises in that quote. They’re the heroes and we’re the bad guys, so their guy must have succeeded, our guy must be pathetic and incompetent, and It’s Okay If You’re A Republican. And as we knew, the competition is just… sad. Utterly pathetic. One wimp who made Trump look good by taking all the punches and never hitting back, and a bunch of “Oh, yeah, I think I’ve heard of him”s. Without hardcore minority oppressing cred, none of them will even scratch Trump, and they’re all wimps anyway, if not as bad as DeSantis.
Suzanne
@Percysowner: UGHHHHH. I am so sorry.
I don’t know why so many people need to make the personal political. Like, this is a kid. Treat them with love and compassion and respect. Stop making their life difficult because you want to show allegiance to your political cohort!
Barbara
@Jeffro: Well, of that bunch, I know which one I would vote for if I had to choose between them, but all that tells me is that there is a near certainty that candidate will not prevail. It’s Christie, by the way.
P.S. I think Rao’s is okay, but not generally better than other brands that don’t include sugar as an ingredient. I tend to use jarred sauce only as a starting point, adding sauteed onions, wine or other ingredients, including, if I have them, Roma or similar tomatoes. I never buy the “specialized” sauces, e.g., arrabiata, because it isn’t hard to make once you have the base sauce.
eclare
@Jeffro:
I really don’t give a damn what or how his supporters “think” at this point. It would make me happy if there no more fucking focus groups, etc. It royally pisses me off.
Kay
We had a couple of new people at the county Dem meeting last night, brought in by the Issue 1 campaign in Ohio. One a firefighter. I had to restrain myself from saying “oh, hi! We haven’t seen you guys since we saved your wages and pensions in 2011”
Be NICE, we’re a big tent, so I said NOTHING but I think my stern look when he said “I’m a firefighter” spoke volumes – he’s probably still smarting :)
JPL
@eclare:😉
Baud
@Kay:
“Welcome back!”
evodevo
@zmulls:
Add a splash of red wine (any wine, the cheaper the better) – somehow makes it richer tasting…
eversor
@Suzanne:
This is the way. I just blender up the mixed fruits in the AM and slug them. We use the other mixed for stir fry.
Jeffg166
As a kid in the 50s I loved Campbell’s chicken noodle soup. When I was in my 30s I bought a can. What I remembered as a kid was very good. What tasted in my 30s was rancid chicken. Never bought a can of Campbell’s again.
Jeffg166
@Kay: I do small batches of jam now. Things that aren’t available.
Soprano2
So my husband’s appointment with his doctor went ok. The doc says hubby had two strokes in the cerebellum, one on each side, but he couldn’t tell us what he thought might have been impacted, if anything. Hubby says he never had any symptoms of a stroke, and I believe that. Doc says they could have happened years ago, he doesn’t really know. He also says there is some staining from bleeding in the brain that was probably caused by high blood pressure. That might have happened a long time ago too, because hubby has been taking meds for high blood pressure for over 20 years (it used to be really high, he started taking meds for it when the dentist took his blood pressure and refused to work on him because it was 210/180!) As for the memory loss, the doc says it’s most likely vascular dementia, although he can’t rule out Alzheimer’s. This is what I thought it would be, vascular problems caused by poorly-controlled diabetes. (His blood sugar is a lot better since I’ve been involved with helping him control it.) The doc also thought we should have gotten a phone call from the neuro/psych doctor to discuss the findings of that test with us. I think there was a message on the answering machine at home that I erased because I thought it was old, so I called them yesterday afternoon. They’re supposed to call back later this week.
Last night we talked about the dr. appointment some. Hubby wanted to know what did we learn, what was the point of it. To sum it up, he of course doesn’t think he has any memory problems even when I give him examples of things that have happened (the latest is that on Saturday morning he went to get a haircut but never actually made it there, instead he drove around for about 30 minutes. He says he “got distracted”, without realizing that never would have happened before). I only know where he went because of the GPS, but of course he doesn’t know it’s in his vehicle. *sigh* Doc said it’s important for hubby to take his meds to prevent further strokes and damage from the diabetes, as well as having a better diet and exercising, which will be a challenge. We did a normal amount of walking this weekend, but when I asked hubby about it he said we walked miles and miles (we did not)! I’m glad to know my suspicions were correct; now I can do some research. I need to go to the Alzheimer’s Association office sometime in the next few weeks, because I know they have a lot of resources there as well as online. It’s a relief to have a diagnosis, even if the plan is basically “try to stay healthy”.
evodevo
@satby:
Yep…botulin organisms don’t necessarily leave a smell…but a swelled can would be an indication. Boiling the contents destroys the toxin, however…
JPL
@Central Planning: The four year old grand imp loves the Rao’s Garlic Marinara.
Baud
@Soprano2:
Strength to you.
mrmoshpotato
What about The Boss? Bruce is back on tour this week in Massachusetts after having to postpone his Philly shows due to having an undisclosed illness.
schrodingers_cat
I make the basic Italian pasta sauce but with more spices. I add turmeric, cayenne. It forms the basis of many dishes I make. I make it with 3 cans of tomatoes. So it lasts me for about a month.
JPL
@Soprano2: You’re a good person.
Soprano2
@eclare: I actually got that idea from my husband. I need to get some cheap amaretto when I run out of the orange vodka. As for the dr appointment, I did a post above this one. Not terrible, but not great, about what I expected actually.
KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))
@Dagaetch: Oooh! Yes to fish sauce! I use this in chili and black bean soup too!
My husband had a heart attack in the middle of a stent procedure last month, so we are watching our diet even more carefully these days. One of the issues is salt; I’ve been careful about salt for years, but I’m trying to cut back even more now, without losing all flavor. Fish sauce (which, yes, is salt, but in dilute form), mashed anchovy (ditto), lemon juice, and vinegar are helpful in bringing out flavor where salt used to do the job.
Barbara
@Soprano2: Wishing you the best. I imagine your husband’s reaction is par for the course — there was an article in the NYT Magazine a few weeks ago about a large family with a high genetic chance for early dementia. It was achingly sad, but one of the family members portrayed was clearly in denial even though she KNEW that she had the gene for early dementia and was well past the onset date for the rest of her siblings.
I hope you can find resources to help you.
Soprano2
@Jeffro: I can’t believe they think things would be cheaper now if only Trump had been president, as if through his will alone prices would stay low. No matter about those pesky market forces, Trump is all we need to make things better. *rolleyes
Kay
@Jeffg166:
Yum. I love those. I love the peach blends. I buy them at the farmers market from this really dour lady who has zero patience with customers, which cracks me up. She’s like “they’re labeled- if it says ‘strawberry” it’s strawberry”. Customer control. I admire that.
I worked so hard at making crunchy pickles when I was canning – I like pickling cucumbers as a cucumber too- but high quality commercial pickles were still better :)
Soprano2
@Suzanne: I think it’s more that these people truly believe transgender people have a mental illness, and need treatment.
Baud
@Soprano2:
That was what they said about gay people for a long time.
evodevo
@Jeffg166:
and WAY too salty…I guess I liked that as a kid…
Soprano2
@Barbara: I hope so too, at least now we have a diagnosis so there’s that. I have a friend whose mother and father both developed Alzheimer’s. I can’t imagine how terrified she is about her future with those kind of odds.
eclare
@Soprano2:
Thanks for letting us know. That sounds challenging if he doesn’t think there is a problem.
MattF
@Jeffro: Started reading the article, then gave up. Just too far from reality in too many ways.
Suzanne
@Soprano2: Hugs. The denial is difficult to deal with. Hang in there, and come unload stress here when you need.
Jeffro
I can’t believe someone thinks milk is $6-7 a gallon and a dozen eggs are $6. Has he been to the supermarket anytime in the past six months? They are practically giving eggs away.
Anyway, they just want that good feeling back. The feeling of having someone in the WH whose #1 priority every day is to loudly go after the folks that they hate. Everything else is just sad rationalizations.
Uncle Cosmo
Homemade spaghetti sauce stored in the fridge reaches its peak quality when the spices have had as long as possible to soak through the goo. IOW, roughly 10 minutes before white fuzzy stuff starts to show up on the surface. Admittedly, timing that can be just a tad problematic….
Ken
Maybe he’s one of those traditionalists, and his wife does all the shopping with the money he gives her. Maybe she’s been padding the bills and setting the money aside for her escape…
…play golf and watch TV.
Suzanne
@Soprano2: Yeah, they think that trans people are mentally ill because that’s the political message that they’re hearing.
What is considered a variation in human experience well within the range of “typical” vs. what is a “mental illness” has long been socially constructed.
Geminid
@Barbara: I wonder how Christie will do in Virginia. Primaries are open here, and he might pull in some Independents.
Suzanne
@Jeffro:
Honestly, in my highly specific grocery shopping, the only area that I notice a big price increase is on prepared foods. Everything else seems to be within normal variations. Maybe this dude should eat more kale.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Suzanne: Even if this was mental illness, this isn’t the 18th century were public humiliation is the acceptable treatment. They dump on the Trans crowd because they are an easy target to bully.
Kay
@Suzanne:
I think it’s failing as a political gambit though. In terms of actual votes, not “number of Bud Light cans riddled with bullet holes”. The whole Christopher Rufo/mainstream media “anti woke” campaign sort of tanked in terms of getting people elected.
I think it’s because it’s actually an “elite” obsession. I don’t think most people are as afraid “wokeness” or change as our rigidly conventional media/political people are afraid of it. I don’t actually think it bubbled UP from the public. I think influential people tried to convince the public “wokeness” was a huge problem and most of the public didn’t buy it.
DeSantis downplays the Disney fight on the campaign trail now – he’s no longer proud of it.
Soprano2
@eclare: It is, but my understanding is that it’s not uncommon for people with this kind of problem to not realize they have a problem. To them, everything still seems normal.
Kay
@Suzanne:
It’s because they were counting on “inflation!” being something to pummel Democrats with and now that’s slipping away too, leaving them with…what? How much they hate Target – a fine Minnesota company?
Uncle Cosmo
Dad grew up poor in Appalachia, and for most of his childhood pasta made with flour in Federal relief sacks was what was for supper. The only time he yelled at Mom was when she made it more than once a week: I make enough money to put real food on the table!
For diabetics looking to cheat occasionally: Cook the pasta al dente and immediately douse it in cold water to arrest the unzipping of the starch polymers into its component glucose. Use a sauce without added sugar (e.g., Hunt’s Garlic and Herb, which is pretty inexpensive to boot) and double down on the spices.
Soprano2
@Jeffro: I think he’s heard this on some right-wing network or read it on a blog, so he believes it. I bet his wife does all the shopping. Although if he lived in Hawaii those prices might not be far off the mark.
eclare
@Soprano2:
That makes sense, the truth is too scary. As others have said, hugs to you and come here and unload as needed. Sounds like a lot of people have been in your shoes.
My mom had what sounds like what your husband does, although she was never formally diagnosed.
Ken
DESANTIS: “Let’s just put that unpleasantness behind us, shall we?”
DISNEY CORPORATION: “After we finish crushing you utterly and make you a sick joke for the next ten generations. Here, look at these sketches for the villain’s idiot sidekick in our next animated feature. Like the white boots?”
Anonymous At Work
I’ve always treated jarred/canned sauces as a base rather than the show. I’ll add lots of onions, maybe extra tomatoes, sauteed peppers, mushrooms, basil, garlic, oregano, etc. to make it thicker. And that’s not talking meats.
The only issue I have is that I also love a good protein pasta, usually Explore’s black soy or chickpea stuff. And so, I lack starch. Any ideas from the peanut gallery for starching up starchless-pasta to stick to the sauce better?
eclare
@Ken:
And I bet that sidekick will be sporting a pair of white boots!
You edited and beat me to it!
Suzanne
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Agreed 100%. They’re targeting trans people because they’re squicked out.
Some nonsense I saw last week…. The Whatever Chess Federation will not allow trans people to compete in whichever division with which they identify. Like, IT’S CHESS, THEY’RE NOT CHANGING CLOTHES. It’s not about “safety of cis women in locker rooms” or “not wanting to see a penis” or “effects of testosterone on the body during puberty”. It’s just to be mean because they can. To flex on others because that’s a social dominance ritual.
KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))
@evodevo: and WAY too salty…I guess I liked that as a kid…
I think we didn’t know any better as kids. Wasn’t everything that salty? When I look at recipes from my mom’s old church cookbooks, the amount of salt in the recipes is … whew! Some of the recipes are good, if you cut the salt by about 3/4. Some of them are just cute – jello with all kinds of stuff in it, and “exotic” recipes made with Campbell’s soup. But I can see why our dads all had high blood pressure.
lowtechcyclist
@Percysowner:
The answer is, the fundagelicals believe in their rules, and their rules define what love is, which means their definition of love is so twisted into a pretzel that in many situations (like this one) it doesn’t resemble normal human love at all.
Her rules say she’s got to save that little boy’s soul, and her rules say his soul will be in danger if he doesn’t stick with his assigned-at-birth gender, so to her, he’s a she, even if being told that is hurtful to him. Tough love, you know.
That’s a long way from burning people at the stake to save their souls, but it’s on that road.
Evangelicalism will eventually die out because they’re driving their own kids away, and it can’t happen soon enough for me.
eclare
@Suzanne:
I know, that was ridiculous and just plain mean. Honestly I don’t know why there are different divisions for different genders in chess anyway.
Suzanne
@Kay:
I think that’s because most families are like mine: we have some interracial marriages, we have some biracial kids, we have LGBT people, we have old people, we have various addictions and depressions and neurospiciness, and we have divorces and low-level brushes with the law and the occasional college dropout and all the same bullshit. And we all just get over it, even if we don’t think it’s necessarily awesome, because that’s just what you do. Life is hard enough without additional stress.
eclare
@Suzanne:
Very well put.
zhena gogolia
@Soprano2: I’m so sorry you and your husband are dealing with this.
MattF
@Suzanne: FIDE’s leader is Russian, so he and his pals make the rules in the Russian fashion.
Scout211
@Soprano2: Your update sounds really tough. I think there are probably more resources for treatment options and family support when it comes to Alzheimer’s than vascular dementia. It’s such a broad and diverse diagnosis with so many difference treatments. I am sending you strength and also understanding and empathy. It’s a challenge and such a strange and odd adjustment to a different life than we expected for this stage of our life.
I hope your husband eventually understands that he is not just distracted and this is not normal aging. My husband has finally accepted his diagnosis. That has been extremely helpful for our daily life together.
I wish you strength and many moments with laughter and joy. They may be few and far between, but embrace those moments because they mean so much right now.
Kay
@Suzanne:
I went sailing with rich Chicago Democrats this past week – I’m living part time in a Lake Michigan resort town so I meet a lot of well-off Chicagoans. These people are “mainstream upper class Dems” – so they don’t like the new Chi mayor, who they say is a “Leftist” but they do like most national Democrats. I was talking about the meanness on the Right (they live part time in FL) . How it’s so nasty, in that very specific Trumpian way, where they go after people with these fucking insane nuclear blasts as if everything is an existantial threat to civilization and the rich Dems really liked that frame, in the way people do when they repeat what you just said. I think that’s a good approach for us w/mainstream Dems – portray the Right as haters – it has the benefit of being true and I think it feels “safe” for people who are normies, that criticism.
eclare
@MattF:
I wondered if there was Russian influence, thanks.
Trivia Man
@eversor: there was a story last year in frozen food. I think it was a lost cache of supplies from one of the early Antarctic expeditions. 100+ years and still in A-1 condition. Totally edible, quality like the day it froze.
also, honey found in Egyptian tombs has been eaten – apparently it is also immortal.
Anonymous At Work
@Trivia Man: “All mushrooms are edible. Some are only edible once.” Pratchett. My version: “Most foods are immortal. The same isn’t true for the person eating the food.”
Suzanne
@Kay: They are such haters, such bullies.
Like, the aspect of it that just blows my mind is how they just insert themselves into everyone’s business. There is plenty of behavior that I witness that I don’t really think is “okay” or “acceptable”. I see people throw garbage on the ground, or be rude to retail workers, or cut people off in traffic, or block aisles with shopping carts, or not keep their front yard clean, any number of things. But, when I am out in the world…. I do not bring it up. I do not complain or make an issue of it. It is not my business. Like, even if you think being trans is a bad thing (and it is certainly your right to think so)…. it is not your business. Your opinion of someone else’s life is not needed or wanted and so you should just leave it alone. Nowhere is it written that the world and all the people in it will conform to my expectations.
I remember being bullied when I was little by much older kids, and I would come home and be upset about it, and the advice I was always given was to stop drawing attention to myself, to stop doing something to make the bullies want to pick on me. I knew that was bullshit then, and it is bullshit now. Someone doing their own thing, living their own life, is not anyone else’s business. You don’t wanna see a Pride parade? Please don’t attend one. Totes fine.
dnfree
This is an awesome raw tomato sauce for late summer’s ripe juicy tomatoes. I have discovered that a few red pepper flakes, not overwhelming, add a nice bite to tomato recipes like sauce and ratatouille.
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pasta-with-no-cook-tomato-sauce
Lyrebird
They make some of the only no-sugar-added sauces around, and they have a no-onion variety that everyone in the family not only can and will eat but LIKES. We buy it by the case. If Campbell’s messes this up I will be up a creek. Fody makes a no-allium sauce but it is not nearly as good.
Marcella’s recipe in her book uses a whole stick of butter, last I looked.
Suzanne
@dnfree:
Fuck yes. It is probably all the years I spent living in Arizona, with the influence of fantastic spicy Sonoran food on my palate, but I don’t generally care for pasta sauces that have sugar in them. I do red pepper flakes every time I make pasta sauce.
Sure Lurkalot
Maybe too late but this cookbook by Patricia Wells is wonderful for its simple, few ingredient recipes. Recommend!
https://a.co/d/bZzURTz
Soprano2
@Scout211: I hope you’re right. He’s pretty stubborn, though. Right now he thinks it’s my problem, that I worry too much and I’m trying to ‘infantilize’ him by helping him too much. The truth is that I try to let him do as many things for himself as possible, but things like taking his meds are absolutely necessary and I can’t let him skip multiple doses. I keep telling him that if I don’t put his meds out every morning most of the time he doesn’t take them, and I know this because I counted the pills in one of the bottles for multiple days. Every day the number was the same. That’s also why I mostly give him insulin these days, because every time he takes it he only takes 7 units. Somewhere it got stuck in his brain that this is the correct amount, when the truth is that it varies a lot.
Soprano2
@Suzanne: The advice I got was to quit being so tenderhearted and crying, that if I didn’t cry they would leave me alone. That’s terrible advice for a young child, although when I became an adult I learned that if I laughed at myself it wasn’t fun for other people to laugh at me.
Mai Naem mobileI
I didn’t realize Raos was a big deal. I picked up some Raos when they had it on sale at Costco(the monthly sale items at Costco are usually really good deals) and it is pretty good. I also don’t believe Campbells won’t mess with it. I’ve actually used it more as a base to make a veggie soup rather than a pasta sauce. Trader Joes has some decent bottled pasta sauces but pasta sauce isn’t all that hard to make.
eversor
@Trivia Man:
Honey cannot go bad. It can turn into a rock, but it can’t go bad. So yes it’s immortal.
laura
The farmer’s market has been awash in tomatoes and I’ve been making the FTFNYT fresh sauce: cut tomatoes in half around the circumference. Grate on a box grater. Chuck into a hot shallow pan. Add a tbl of olive oil, a grated garlic clove and a sprig of basil and pinch of salt. Cook 10 minutes or so. Toss with a sketty shape of your choice. It’s damn fine- and then, because there’s a container in the fridge, a couple few spoons of ricotta cheese.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Ken: You come for the mouse, you best not miss.
WhatsMyNym
@oatler:
Regarding HFSC –
Please check the company website before making comments like this.
You can always check the can.
Carlo Graziani
“Pommarola” is a Neapolitan tomato sauce for pasta that has become one of the ubiquitous classics of Italian cooking. It combines the standard “soffritto” of olive oil, chopped onion, celery, carrots and garlic with canned tomatoes, and the lot is ground or blended after cooking down and combined with some fresh basil. It ought to be made in large amounts, because it can be stored 2 cups per lot in quart freezer ziploc bags, and once frozen is an immortal source of easy midweek meals.
These the deets:
Ingredients (scale as desired, or to the size of your cookware)
3 Tbsp or so Extra virgin olive oil, saute’ grade
Two sweet onions, coarsely chopped
Two medium carrots, coarsely chopped
Two celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 28 oz cans of decent-quality peeled tomatoes
A small can of tomato paste (optional, adds tomato flavor)
Fresh basil, 6-12 leaves, depending on the size.
Grated parmesan cheese, better if grated on-the spot (Costco has great and reasonably-priced Reggiano).
2-3 tablespoons of dressing-grade extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
Prep
Smash the tomatoes in a large bowl using a potato masher, or alternatively by stabbing them with a fork while slicing with a kitchen knife (the potato masher method is more efficient).
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or high-sided frying pan or a wide pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and stir, cooking until translucent. Add the chopped onion and celery and stir, cooking until softened. Add the garlic and stir. Allow 30-60s to go by, then add the tomatoes (and the tomato paste if you so choose). Salt to taste (moderately, you can always add more) and add a few grinding of peppers.
Allow the lot to cook down, until the water is mostly gone (Marcella Hazan calls this “the oil floats free” stage, but really what is happening is the water is evaporating, and one doesn’t want such sauces to be too watery, what with all the water in the tomatoes and vegetables). This should take about 30 minutes or so, depending on how much you made and how wide your pan/pot (wider = faster evaporation).
Now the sauce needs to be ground. You can use a food mill, which is the classic Italian method, although years ago I concluded that life is too short for this laborious procedure. A food processor or blender is better, processing by stages if you made a lot so as not to flood the processor bowl or pop the blender top. Best is an immersion blender directly in the pan/pot, although you should do this in the sink unless you happen to like sauce flecks as attire accents (with the immersion blender, using a high-sided pot is probably a better idea than a pan).
I use about 2 cups per pound of pasta. Toss it with the basil and about a quarter-cup of grated parmesan. You can also add a few tablespoons of dressing-grade EVO olive oil before tossing if you like. Serve with extra grated parmesan at the table for people to sprinkle on top, if they so choose.
Don’t add the basil or the cheese to the sauce that you freeze as a gift to future-you. These should always be last-minute additions to hot sauce and pasta.
This sauce can go on about any pasta shape, clinging nicely to spaghetti, but also filling shells or penne, etc. with lovely sauce payloads.
prostratedragon
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I recently had occasion to learn that there are actual youtube videos on this. It is indeed a screw (you) cap, of which I hadn’t been sure. Work a flat head screwdriver or table knife between the lid and jar in several spots.
Mel
@Suzanne: Such a good recipe! We made this with our Veranda Red cherry tomatoes last week, and it was a real treat.
Has anyone else found their tomatoes ripening much more slowly this summer? I wonder if the wildfire smoke particulate is blocking out just enough of whatever UV wavelength signals the tomatoes to ripen, and is slowing things down. My neighbor noticed the same issue with her peppers and tomatoes.
BruceFromOhio
Whenever this goes on sale we stock up with multiple jars.
https://midssauce.com/home/products/pasta-sauce/tomato-basil
Rob in CT
I am a Bad Italian (to be fair, I’m of mostly English extraction) but I’ve made sauce with San Marzanos and honestly didn’t notice a difference between that and when I make it with regular store brand tomatoes. My mother swears they matter, but I dunno. And SM’s are like 5 bucks a can now.
La Nonna
Dead thread, but I make sugo 2 x a month, starting with a fresh soffrito, olive oil, crushed garlic. Sweat the soffrito n garlic, the sear or brown equal amounts of cheap beef, cheap pork, a sausage or 2, some veal, one at a time, adding extra olive oil if the meat does not render enough fat to keep the meat from sticking. Remove everything from the saute pan into a larger stockpot type or or slowcooker, take red wine and deglaze completely the saute pan, putting the liquid into the stockpot. Add canned peeled tomatoes, a bottle or 2 of passata (tomato puree), a few Tbs of tomato paste, half bottle of the red wine used to deglaze, lots of dried oregano, some fresh/idried basil, black pepper and some peperoncino if you want heat, bring to bubble, and cook on low for up to 8 hours, I use a slow cooker overnight. When done, remove and shred all the meat, reheat, adjust for salt and piquancy, freeze half, use the rest in pasta, bakes, meatballs, pizza, etc. Next week, use the other half. Takes 1 hour to prep and finish all told, worth every second of prep. My family has done this forever, I spent many a Sunday prepping with my Nonna and loving the result.
zmulls
@evodevo: Shoot. I often do but forgot to think about it this time!
RaflW
A bit late, but my addition: If you see Pomi crushed tomatoes or sauce on sale, give it a try. At least some Natural Grocers stores carry it.
It’s just tomatoes, no herbs or other additions, but it makes a fantastic base for sauce, I think. Italian, and from what we can tell comes from actually ripe San Marzano tomatoes.
JAM
I like Mezzetta’s Spicy Marinara better than Raos regular, but that is the only kind I’ve tried of either brand.