Tomato based dishes taste weird in crock pot

[graciethebaker]

Hi,
I have a question. I love cooking in my crockpot, but some tomato based dishes don't taste right when I use it versus my stove. eg... chili. There is a different sort of taste. I can't even explain it Anyone know why? Is it just my crockpot? I do notice that the longer I simmer the dish in the crockpot, the stronger that "off" flavor gets. Any ideas?

You're making chili in your crockpot, at what temperature and for how long? Any particular recipe?

[Mirj]

I made Di's Chili Colorado in the crock. No tomatoes and it came out great.

[graciethebaker]

grace chang wrote:
Hi,
I have a question. I love cooking in my crockpot, but some tomato based dishes don't taste right when I use it versus my stove. eg... chili. There is a different sort of taste. I can't even explain it Anyone know why? Is it just my crockpot? I do notice that the longer I simmer the dish in the crockpot, the stronger that "off" flavor gets. Any ideas?

You're making chili in your crockpot, at what temperature and for how long? Any particular recipe?

That's bizarre, I didn't write that last line! How did it get there? can others edit my post?? I'm confused.

But in any case, I'll cook it on slow overnight. Too long? I would love to be able to make more tomato based dishes in the crockpot, it's sooo convenient, but that "off" flavor keeps me from doing so.

[Mirj]

grace chang wrote:

grace chang wrote:
You're making chili in your crockpot, at what temperature and for how long? Any particular recipe?

That's bizarre, I didn't write that last line! How did it get there? can others edit my post?? I'm confused.

The Forum Host probably clicked on Edit instead of Quote. The two buttons are next to each other and can easily be confused.

[AmyMCGS]

Canned tomatoes or fresh? I've found that canned tomatoes seem to hold up better as far as flavor and texture.

[graciethebaker]

I usually only cook canned tomatoes. I'd rather eat fresh ones raw. It seems like I'm the only one with this problem. funny.

[Folkcat]

Okay, it's been a while since this thread came up, but I think I have some relevant advice.

Recipes that use tomato sauce and/or paste and are cooked for a long time can get an odd taste to them. This doesn't just happen in the crockpot - it can happen with those simmer-all-day on the backburner spaghetti sauce recipes, too.

Add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the recipe, and that will help immensely. Most recently, I made a crock of sloppy joe that wound up with that dark, almost musty taste to it - then I remembered about the tomato products and sugar. I added two tablespoons of brown sugar to my 4-qt. crock full of sloppy joe, and all was well.

Hope this helps,

Jenny "Folkcat" Kubeck
Wilton, NH

[rickscott]

Is the taste an "acid", sour taste? If so the sugar added to the dish could be the answer. My Sicilian grandmother would always add sugar to the souga to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes.

[Folkcat]

The acid taste would be countered by the sugar, yes. Some tomatoes will have higher acidity than others. I think this may be the reason that some tomato sauce recipes include carrots - they'd have a sugar content that would help the flavor.

In the case of my sloppy joe recipe, I think part of the flavor I got was due to the tomato sauce and paste, and part was, well, it was the first crockpot recipe I'd done in years and I think I may have overcooked it a bit! Stopped short of ruining it, at least, and the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar fixed it.

[rickscott]

Grace Chang should be the judge. She knows what she's tasting. Grace, give the added sugar a try and see if it makes a difference. Let us know how it turns out.

[Folkcat]

Sorry, I thought you were adding comment to the general discussion, and not specifically addressing Grace's question. My bad.