Ready-made sauces - both in powder and in a jar - enjoy unflagging popularity among consumers. All thanks to the quite acceptable taste and speed of preparation. Until recently, only instant products intended mainly for pasta were on store shelves.
Currently, we can easily find sauces for roulades, meatballs and even roasts. Tomato, roast, garlic, mushroom and mixed. Spicy, mild and herbal. In bags, jars, bottles, cans and even pouches. The multitude of solutions means that you can easily diversify any dish with them. It is estimated that in just one year Poles spend over PLN 500 million on ready-made sauces - regardless of their type. Wet solutions are in the lead in this respect, followed by dry solutions.
A few words about ready-made sauces in a jar
Garlic, mushroom, tomato or cream - wet jar sauces are an addition to a dish in many Polish homes. You can read about what is inside on their packaging or labels. However, there is nothing to hide - products of this type are not the healthiest. Of course, each of them has an admixture of something natural, for example in the case of tomato sauce it will be tomatoes. This handful of vegetables doesn't make them eco-treats.
The long expiry date of the sauces in the jar shows that they contain many preservatives and thickeners. The most popular of them - guar gum and xanthan gum - in larger amounts cause bloating, diarrhea and nausea. The ingredient of most instant products - glucose-fructose syrup - promotes overweight and obesity. It is worth noting that 100g of ready-made tomato sauce in a jar (about 4 tablespoons) contains up to 90kcal. Cream-based products have up to 120kcal per serving, and Chinese and Thai solutions over 230 / 100g.
What do powdered sauces hide?
While we can talk about any nutrients in the case of wet solutions, powdered sauces have nothing healthy about them. Most of them are based on hardened fat - most often palm oil. This, in turn, is responsible for the increase in bad cholesterol in the body, as a result of which it is easier for a heart attack, stroke or atherosclerosis.
Do ready-made sauces have any advantages?
Of course! And lots of it! First and foremost - ready-made sauces save time in the kitchen. This is especially important for those who prefer home-cooked meals, but are not always able to do everything at a specific time. Properly selected products contribute to the creation of unique dishes from the cuisine of virtually every corner of the world - especially Asian.
Instant sauces do not clump together and do not spoil the texture of the dishes. Used in the right amount, they additionally improve the taste, color and aroma of the dishes. It cannot be denied that their preparation is much easier than making a similar sauce completely from scratch. Occasional consumption of these types of supplements is not as harmful as their daily consumption. So you can allow yourself a little slack in cooking once in a while.