Several years ago, I posted (here) about using baking soda to neutralize acids in fruit when making fruit pies or sauces. Doing so means that I can use less sugar in these fruity dishes and desserts.
It's now rhubarb season in my area. This week, I made 2 batches of rhubarb sauce and 1 rhubarb pie. All 3 times, I used a bit of rhubarb (about 1/4 teaspoon soda for a quart of rhubarb), then reduced the sugar in those recipes by about 1/3 cup.
1/4 teaspoon baking soda per 1 quart of tart fruit to reduce sugar by 1/3 cup
If you're trying to conserve on sugar in homemade fruity recipes, such as pies, crisps, cobblers, sauces, and syrups, tiny amount of baking soda will spare quite a lot of sugar over the course of a season.
In addition to using baking soda with rhubarb, I also use it in desserts, sauces, and syrups made with berries, tart apples, and sour cherries.
Interesting! While I don't grow, cook with, or eat rhubarb (may have tried it once as a kid), I find tidbits like this interesting. Growing up, my mom always used baking soda in her spaghetti sauce, but no sugar, and I do the same. Same principle, I guess. Cuts the acid a bit and we like the way it tastes. Oftentimes, other people's tomato sauce tastes a bit strange to me without the baking soda effect.
ReplyDeleteGood idea! We are carefully nurturing our rhubarb. We have had unusually cold temperatures this spring and need to protect the rhubarb from freezing. Enjoy your tasty treats!
ReplyDeleteOops, that was me, Kris.
ReplyDeleteHi Cat,
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try the baking soda in tomato sauce. I usually use a bi of sugar to cut the acid, but neutralizing the acid might taste better. Thanks for the tip.
Also, the baking soda thing works with fruits other than rhubarb. I use it in apple pie, blackberry cobbler, and plum pie.
Hi Kris,
ReplyDeleteI hope your rhubarb has survived well in this unseasonably cold spring. I can relate - we had some warm-ish weather, then it turned cool and slowed everything. I worry for the blossoms on our fruit trees when we have springs like this.