# Alfredo Sauces



## letscook (Oct 28, 2013)

I always make my own sauces , tomato, alfredo etc.
But sometimes time isn't on my side and I always have a jar sauce on hand that i doctor up. It took me many of trial to find a jar pasta sauce that We liked.
I love alfredo pizza with artichoke, spinach and chooped tomatoes, but sometime don't feel like making the sauce

Now, so I don't have to do that again if possiable and shorten my list of brands, does anyone  have a already made jar Alfredo sauce that you like. I looked at the grocery store and there is at least 8 different brands. 
thanks


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## pacanis (Oct 28, 2013)

Just to say...
I'm all in favor of doctoring up a tomato sauce and did so myself for years, but that's because making a decent sauce takes a bit of time. Alfredo sauce is so quick it would probably take just as long to gently heat up the jar.
Here's the recipe I use (more or less) Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce Recipe - Allrecipes.com

So let me be the first to answer your question with something you aren't looking for


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## Andy M. (Oct 28, 2013)

Let me jump in and not answer your question too.  I learned to make Alfredo sauce from a woman I was dating back in the late 90s.  I asked her if it froze well so I could make a large batch and freeze meal-sized portions.  Her response was, "It's too easy to make.  Always make it fresh.".

I just use butter, minced garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano and heavy cream.  Season with black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.


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## letscook (Oct 28, 2013)

thanks --- 
I do make my own the way andy M does.  but sometimes I just want to throw and go so to speak and opening a jar would be nice but if there isn't any good ones out there I can surely live without a jar or premade and make it myself


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## Andy M. (Oct 28, 2013)

If no one can recommend a brand, pick one and give it a try.


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## Dawgluver (Oct 28, 2013)

Hmm.  I had a jarred Alfredo once that was great straight out of the jar.  Which is actually how I ate it, with a spoon, straight out of the jar....

Prego, Bertolli, Classico, Trader Joe's, shoot, I don't remember the brand.  Maybe check out the ingredient lists and see which ones you like the best?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 28, 2013)

I've used the Bertolli and was happy with it.


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## letscook (Oct 29, 2013)

thanks princessfiona  I will give it a try .


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## salt and pepper (Oct 29, 2013)

Simple sauce, I take 2 cups of heavy cream, bring it to an almost boil, add 1/2 cup of siffted graded cheese,wisk until cheese melts then add 2 egg yokes to thicken,garnish with peas.
  I sift the greaded cheese to get the fillers out.


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## jabbur (Oct 29, 2013)

I usually get Bertolli's alfredo sauce for jarred.  Prego has little flavor, Classico tasted "off" kind of "fake".  Have never had Trader Joe's.  But Bertolli's is pretty good.  When I want to pick up a jar that's what I get.  I've not used it on pizza but it makes a good pasta side dish with angelhair pasta.


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## Alix (Oct 29, 2013)

Another vote for the Bertolli's. If you're using it for pizza, any of the thicker jarred sauces will do.


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## letscook (Oct 29, 2013)

Thank you everyone


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## Grill with Bill (Jan 16, 2014)

*Homemade Alfredo*

My homemade alfredo gets great reviews from everyone.  The key is that I make it with Romano cheese instead of Parmesan.  Romano is generally aged longer, so it has a stronger aged cheese flavor.  It is saltier though, so I compensate by using unsalted butter.  The recipe is very simple, but the attached file is wordy because I've used it as a teaching recipe.

Most importantly, do NOT use Romano or Parmesan from a shaker container.  They frequently contain an anti-caking ingredient that prevents the cheese from melting smoothly, resulting in lots of micro-lumps.

-Bill


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## Roll_Bones (Jan 19, 2014)

salt and pepper said:


> Simple sauce, I take 2 cups of heavy cream, bring it to an almost boil, add 1/2 cup of siffted graded cheese,wisk until cheese melts then add 2 egg yokes to thicken,garnish with peas.
> I sift the greaded cheese to get the fillers out.



Sifted? What do you mean by this?  Fillers? What do you mean by this?


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## CraigC (Jan 19, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> Sifted? What do you mean by this?  Fillers? What do you mean by this?



I think they meant sifted, fine grated cheese. Probably run through a flour sifter. Man, I'd hate to clean that sifter afterwards!

I hope they aren't talking about the dreaded Green Can!


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## Addie (Jan 19, 2014)

CraigC said:


> I think they meant sifted, fine grated cheese. Probably run through a flour sifter. Man, I'd hate to clean that sifter afterwards!
> 
> I hope they aren't talking about the dreaded Green Can!



Yup! Read the ingredients of that green can. It is not just cheese. 

I realize it will add time to your shopping experience if you stop and read the labels on your purchases. But it is amazing what they add to your food. Some day when you are going to shop alone and have time to spare, make it a point to find out what is in your food. Quite an education. 

Remember Hunt's Ketchup? They took out the corn syrup. Even made it a point on their label. Then they got sneaky and put it back in. I don't know about organic ketchup, but the only one I can now find that doesn't have the corn syrup is the "Simply Heinz." 

You HAVE to read those back labels. 

I have had several folks recommend Bertolli's also.


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## salt and pepper (Jan 19, 2014)

Most jarred or canned grated cheese has fillers in it. When you sift it, you leave behind the course fillers that will effect the melding of cheese and cream. Egg yokes are for color and thickening and must be tempered into the mixture. I don't use a flour sifter, but I use a wire mesh colander There is no clean up as the fillers left behine are hard as a rock, so just dump them into the trash. If your using fresh chees there is no need to sift!


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## Andy M. (Jan 19, 2014)

I keep a wedge of parmigiano reggiano and one of pecorino romano in the fridge at all times.  You can get a giant pile of grated cheese from a small wedge of cheese and it tastes great and has no fillers.  No fillers/Tastes great.  

You can grate it fine or coarse, peel off curls with a vegetable peeler or cut slices for nibbling.

...and no back labels to decipher.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 19, 2014)

or even break a chunk off for erudite mice...


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## Andy M. (Jan 19, 2014)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> or even break a chunk off for erudite mice...



...not at those prices!


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## EternalRos3 (Feb 11, 2015)

I have found I am not a fan of jarred alfredo sauces. There's an aftertaste in most that I've tried that just puts me off, and I can't describe it.

If I find myself reaching for a jarred alfredo for a specific recipe/time, I almost always spruce it up - mostly with whatever herbs I feel go with the particular dish, or some sort of vegetable.

When I cook alfredo sauce I took a tip from Wikipedia and warm my milk up with a bay leaf, so perhaps you could start off warming up your sauce with herbs and a bay leaf or whole clove?


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## Andy M. (Feb 11, 2015)

Not to beat a dead horse, but it will take much longer to boil water and cook the pasta than to make the real deal Alfredo sauce. 

BTW, the original recipe consists of fettuccine, butter and Parm Reg. cheese.  A little pasta cooking water, salt and black pepper and you're done.


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## Selkie (Feb 12, 2015)

Alfredo sauce consists of 3 ingredients: butter, cream and Parmesan cheese.


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## medtran49 (Feb 12, 2015)

I'd never buy jarred and I always ask how it's made if in a restaurant.  I usually end up ordering something else since even in supposedly 'real' italian places it's nearly always a flour-based sauce


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## taxlady (Apr 3, 2015)

medtran49 said:


> I'd never buy jarred and I always ask how it's made if in a restaurant.  I usually end up ordering something else since even in supposedly 'real' italian places it's nearly always a flour-based sauce


Thanks for the tip. I only had it in a resto once. It was actually at a food court. The chef made it while we sat at the counter and watched. He used fresh pasta that had been made on the premises. It was really good.

Stirling made some for the first time a couple of weeks ago. He was surprised how easy it was to make. I had micro-planed the cheese for him. It turned out great.


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## Cheryl J (Apr 3, 2015)

My daughter buys Bertolli and they really like it. It's pretty good, but I like homemade much better. 

I make my own with butter, heavy cream, garlic, and fresh grated Parm. So easy and very good. 

1/4 cup butter 
1 cup heavy cream 
1 clove garlic, crushed 
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Usually I halve that because just for me, that makes too much.


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## Dawgluver (Apr 3, 2015)

Thanks for the recipe, Cheryl!  

I've had Bertolli Alfredo sauce, I liked it.


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## taxlady (Apr 3, 2015)

This is the recipe we use: Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe | SimplyRecipes.com. We have tried both versions, but prefer the creamy one. The recipe is very much like the one Cheryl posted, but uses less cream and more cheese. I measured out the 2/3 of cup finely grated parm and it weighed 30 grams. Then I don't have to worry about how hard to pack that cheese into the measuring cup. I'm fairly sure it's having freshly, finely grated, Parm, that makes this work so well.


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## Andy M. (Apr 3, 2015)

taxlady said:


> This is the recipe we use: Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe | SimplyRecipes.com...



The first version of the linked recipe is the real deal.  butter, cheese and pepper.  The addition of cream and nutmeg is an Americanization of the recipe.


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## taxlady (Apr 3, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> The first version of the linked recipe is the real deal.  butter, cheese and pepper.  The addition of cream and nutmeg is an Americanization of the recipe.


I gathered that from the stuff the author wrote before the recipes. We tried both and like the second one better, but it's good to know that the classic one can be made when one doesn't happen to have any cream in the house. BTW, we skip the nutmeg.


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## Cheryl J (Apr 3, 2015)

Dawgluver said:


> Thanks for the recipe, Cheryl!
> 
> I've had Bertolli Alfredo sauce, I liked it.


 
You're welcome, Dawg.  It's pretty standard, I don't remember where I got it...probably from Allrecipes since that's been my go-to for forever.


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## Andy M. (Apr 3, 2015)

taxlady said:


> I gathered that from the stuff the author wrote before the recipes. We tried both and like the second one better, but it's good to know that the classic one can be made when one doesn't happen to have any cream in the house. BTW, we skip the nutmeg.




We use cream too.  That's how I learned the recipe before learning more about its origin.


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## alucy0210 (Apr 3, 2015)

Thanks for your recipe.


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## jude6272 (Apr 11, 2015)

I use cream cheese when i make it from scratch. When it comes to a jar, i haven't found anything that beats Bertolli.


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## taxlady (Apr 12, 2015)

By the time you are using cream cheese in the sauce, I think you have deviated so much from the original recipe that it needs a new name. I am not saying it won't taste good with cream cheese.


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## jude6272 (Apr 12, 2015)

taxlady said:


> By the time you are using cream cheese in the sauce, I think you have deviated so much from the original recipe that it needs a new name. I am not saying it won't taste good with cream cheese.



I started one night because i had milk but no cream and cream cheese was a helped thicken. It's definitely easier to add parmesan without cream cheese, though. It just doesn't melt the same.


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## letscook (Apr 12, 2015)

Thanks everyone for their post. Update, I have tried Bertolli and it isn't bad. I use that when I am making white pizza with veggies.  I have tried some recipes with the cream cheese, all I taste is cream cheese in it, so won't be doing that again. I stick to making my own with heavy cream, butter and parm /romano cheese. 
Making the sauce takes about as much time as opening a jar and heating it up, but I do keep a jar on hand for pizza or to add to something here and there. 
I don't always have heavy cream on hand either, but after doing little trial and error I found I can freeze it in a ziplock bag in 1 cup portions and  lay it flat to freeze. Then when I go to use it - take it out of the baggie lay in the sauce pan on low thaws out very quickly , little whisking and comes back in a second. 

Thank you all for your ideas


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## di reston (Apr 12, 2015)

Here, Fettuccine all'Alfredo is made with butter, parmesan, fresh chopped sage and black pepper.

di reston


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## taxlady (Apr 12, 2015)

di reston said:


> Here, Fettuccine all'Alfredo is made with butter, parmesan, fresh chopped sage and black pepper.
> 
> di reston


Adding chopped sage sounds delicious.


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## taxlady (Apr 12, 2015)

I find the creamy, North American version works fine with 10% cream. If I didn't have any spare cream, I would make the traditional, Italian version.


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