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If I canned tomato sauce and all the jars sealed perfectly, can I open them, cook the sauce a little more, and do the process over again?

I had some of the sauce today and I think it needed a little more cooking.

moscafj
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Lucia
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2 Answers2

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We make a lot of sauces every year. I wouldn't try to do it over. If you know what its lacking just add it to your sauce as you use it. Sometimes bland sauce can be a good thing and offers you an open door to add what you want. If you're missing some flavors you like or don't have enough of it just add it for now with seasonings. Make a mental or written note for next year to try and zero in on what exactly you want to produce.

NKY Homesteading
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    My mom kept copious notes in her cookbooks -- when she first made it, what the family's opinion was, and any changes that were made over the years. I wouldn't recommend just trying to remember things. – Joe Oct 09 '15 at 15:27
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    I agree. If you're really going for a good recipe you have to write it down and make changes each year till you get it right. Even the type of tomato is important. – NKY Homesteading Oct 09 '15 at 19:14
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Basically, every time you open the jars you are exposing the food to the risk of contamination. If you are planning on storing the sauce for only a few weeks it doesn't really matter, but if you plan on storing it for several months its important to heat the sauce on a high heat to make sure nothing can live there. Even more important is to clean and sterilize the jars before re-sealing them with the new sauce.

Yaron Idan
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