You don't have to
be a college freshman to appreciate a fast, easy meal. Spaghetti
remains the champ of quick cuisine--the only tricky part is
choosing the right jar of sauce from shelves bulging with
brands.
Note: The excellent
Classico was left out of the survey due to a pre-existing
bias in its favor on the part of the critic.
Sauces are
available at area grocery stores. Prices are approximate.
1.
Fred Meyer Spaghetti Sauce, Original Flavor
($1.89 for 30 ounces)
FM's chunky (with diced tomatoes), leafy (with plenitudinous
basil) marinara tastes like it was left out on the kitchen
counter overnight. Still, there was a familiarity to the
flavor that conjured thoughts of family-style restaurants,
North Beach and Maria Callas twittering through flour-dusted
speakers. Sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, this
one would likely be popular with the gloriously unsophisticated
palettes of young kiddies.
2.
Newman's Own Venetian Pasta Sauce
Marinara Style Sauce
($2.39 for 26 ounces)
It isn't enough that he got to play Cool Hand Luke,
one of the baddest roles in Hollywood history. Nor is
it enough that he's as mouth-watering as a slice of pepperoni
pizza after a vegan retreat. And sure, while he's at it,
let him have big enough balls to drive Formula One race
cars at death-courting speeds. But does he also need to
make a damn fine spaghetti sauce? Apparently, yes. Listen
up, pastarians: Paul Newman's blend is fresher and spicier
than the others I tried; it also tastes more like it was
made from scratch. Not overburdened by chunks of tomato,
onion or garlic, Paul's supple sauce might manage to bridge
the divide between impish and more mature audiences. The
last time I was this pleased to find a product overcome
its suspicious name was when I saw Hud.
3.
Barilla Marinara Pasta Sauce
($2.89 for 26 ounces)
Vampires and swingers beware! This sauce is not to be eaten
just prior to heading out for a Saturday night of bloodsucking
or heavy macking--Barilla treats garlic with a level of
reverence usually associated with Jarvis Cocker fans. And
garlic is certainly this marinara's best feature. Although
its price and dignified packaging suggest a refined culinary
sensibility, Barilla fails to satisfy completely, mainly
because it is a bit too watery and bloated with sodium.
But if it's your turn to host the book club and you've spaced
on snacks, a quick treat can be made by combining thick
bread slices, this sauce and fresh mozzarella. Everyone
loves a mini-pizza!
4.
Ragu Old World Style Traditional Sauce
($2.19 for 26 ounces)
As a kid, I favored this simple, smooth red sauce. Living
with a mom who hadn't quite outgrown her hippie leeriness
of brands, I never saw it come across the threshold of our
home, and instead had to seek it out at friends' houses.
It was then, and still remains, the Big Mac of jarred pasta
sauce. I was saddened some--and forced yet again to marvel
at time's ability to rob us of all innocence--when I sampled
Ragu recently: It was tough to choke down. More like an
over-salted soup, the sauce has an unnatural, peachy hue
that contradicts the words singing from its lid: 100% Natural.
But, as was the case with the Fred Meyer mix, the sweetness
alone should make Ragu's red sauce popular with young 'uns
and friends of young 'uns.
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Willamette Week | originally
published July 14, 1999
|
