What is this, you say? You've only had cranberry sauce out of a can? Sorry, friends, you've been missing out. Nothing beats the vibrant red hue and sweet-tangy flavor of homemade cranberry sauce. Sure, the canned stuff is convenient, but cranberry sauce is easy to make at home—plus you can (and should) make it ahead so you can focus on your other Thanksgiving dishes during crunch time. For those of you thinking outside the can this year, here are four possible cranberry sauce pitfalls and how to fix them.
Pictured recipe: The Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Mistake #1: Your Cranberry Sauce Is Too Thick
Thick versus thin cranberry sauce is really a matter of textural preference—there is no right or wrong here. Those who favor the kind that slips neatly out of a can may not mind a cranberry sauce that's semisolid, but if you prefer a looser sauce and you've wound up with something more like Jell-O, you'll need to do some troubleshooting. If your cranberry sauce is too thick, it's most likely overcooked. When you cook cranberries (or any berries), they burst, releasing pectin—a natural thickener. The key to a perfect consistency is to allow some but not all of the cranberries to split open—something you'll achieve with less time on the stove. Cranberry sauce is also best served after it's cooled, which will thicken it further. If your cranberry sauce is too thick while it's on the stove, then it will be way too thick when you serve it. To fix a cranberry sauce that's too thick for your liking, add a splash of water or orange juice to loosen it up before you take it off the stove—it's as simple as that!
Healthy Cranberry Recipes
Mistake #2: Your Cranberry Sauce Is Too Runny
On the other end of the spectrum, you might end up with a cranberry sauce that won't thicken. Nobody really wants to dine on cranberry soup, so to combat this issue, you'll have to cook it more to release that all-important pectin. But what if you've been cooking it forever and it's still not right? You may have added too much liquid to the cranberries. In addition to pectin, cranberries contain water, which means you only need to add a splash of liquid to get the cooking going. Add too much and you'll be stirring at the stove much longer than expected. Again, more time on the stove will fix this problem. Another possible blunder that can cause cranberry sauce to be too thin is using too little sugar. Sugar helps the thickening process, and while it's nice to try to keep your cranberry sauce from being too sugary sweet, you will need at least some sugar to make it work well (about 1/2 cup sugar per 12-ounce bag of cranberries).
The turkey is resting and you've almost pulled off Thanksgiving dinner, only to realize you forgot to make—you guessed it—the cranberry sauce. You've got 15 minutes. Do you whip out a saucepan and start cooking? You could, but how many steaming pots of hot cranberry sauce have you seen lately? Not many. Cranberry sauce is at its best when it has cooled, which, unless you live in the Arctic, takes about two hours. Instead, you can make cranberry sauce ahead of time and save yourself the last-minute panic. Cranberry sauce can hold in the fridge for over a week, so you can fix it and forget it (hopefully until dinnertime). But, back to our original scenario, what should you do? You can make a cranberry relish instead. Think of it as a raw cranberry sauce—no cooking required. A food processor can make quick work of all the chopping. Let the cranberries macerate with a touch of sugar and voilà! You've got yourself cranberry sauce (ish).
Pictured recipe:No-Sugar-Added Cranberry Sauce
Mistake #4: Your Cranberry Sauce Is Too Bitter
Cranberries are bitter, tart and vibrant by nature, so cranberry sauce is sweetened to help balance their tartness. A basic cranberry sauce has only three ingredients: cranberries, water and sugar. Obviously, we can't lose the cranberries, but you can swap out the water for orange juice, apple cider or grape juice. The sugar, while necessary, doesn't need to be granulated. Maple syrup, brown sugar and even honey can make your cranberry sauce more dynamic. And don't forget the spices! Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, citrus zest and star anise all work well with cranberries and can be added while the sauce cooks to infuse your sauce with flavor. And one last overlooked remedy for cranberry sauce: a pinch of salt. While you won't taste it, salt helps equalize the sweet-tart flavor of your cranberry sauce while making it a better pairing for the rest of your savory sides and, of course, the turkey.
The Biggest Thanksgiving Mistakes Everyone Makes at Least Once—and How to Fix Them
My cranberry sauce is too sweet now that I taste it. How do I fix it? Add a splash of red wine or apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt to lessen sweetness.
My cranberry sauce is too sweet now that I taste it. How do I fix it? Add a splash of red wine or apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt to lessen sweetness.
Try reducing the sauce down even further so more of the liquid cooks off and the mixture thickens. If that doesn't work, add a thickener like gelatin, pectin or a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch whisked into juice or water). Let the sauce cool before refrigerating to completely set.
"Instead, start by stirring in one tablespoon maple syrup and one teaspoon of a sweet drink like apple juice, orange juice, or fruity white or red wine.Add more to taste.Sprinkle with a pinch of salt (in small amounts, it intensifies sweetness)."
Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor.
Maple syrup, brown sugar and even honey can make your cranberry sauce more dynamic. And don't forget the spices! Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, citrus zest and star anise all work well with cranberries and can be added while the sauce cooks to infuse your sauce with flavor.
While citrus is a natural pairing for cranberry sauce, bright, savory vinegars like sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar play well with the bitter-tart berries. Start with a little, then add more gradually. It's easy to overdo it when in comes to bold vinegars.
How to Thicken Cranberry Sauce. If you prefer thicker cranberry sauce, simply simmer the sauce a little longer on the stove – but keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools.
You must cook the sauce for at least 10 minutes at a full boil for the pectin to react with the sugar and create the proper gelled texture. It is also important to let the cranberry sauce cool at room temperature. Moving it to the refrigerator too soon may also affect the gel.
If your cranberry sauce has an odd flavor, consider checking the quality of your cranberries, the amount of sugar and water used, and the cooking time and temperature. Ensure you're using fresh cranberries and following the recipe for sugar and water measurements.
Is cranberry sauce supposed to be hot or cold? Either! Some prefer to have it served fresh and warm, straight out of the pot, while others need it completely cooled down to enjoy the flavours. Personally, we prefer cooled sauce.
If the can were stored with the air bubble on the bottom for an extended time, the cranberry sauce would “crush it,” rendering it useless. By turning the can upside down, meaning that Ocean Spray attaches the label upside down, consumers will store the can with the air bubble at the top.
Cranberry sauce is supposed to be a balance of sweet and tart. The sauce acts as a cleansing port in a tumultuous storm of fat and salt, but the effect is lost if the sauce is too sweet. Luckily, there is a very easy way to fix an over-sugared homemade sauce: You just need a little citric acid.
How Do You Neutralize Sour Taste in Food? If a dish is too sour, add a little bit of sugar! Sweetness balances out sour flavors, so if something makes your mouth pucker, a dash of sugar may help soften the blow of the sour food.
Regardless of a can's date, toss out any cranberry sauce cans that are leaky, rusted, bulging, or severely dented. If the top of the can is rounded instead of flat, the cranberry sauce has most likely gone bad. If you open the can and anything is brown or black, toss the can and its contents ASAP!
It's perfectly fine to serve up cranberry sauce — whole berry or jelled — straight out of the can. But in my experience, heating the canned sauce up takes its flavor to the next level. Plus, it becomes a little more aesthetically pleasing.
As long as an unopened can of cranberry sauce is stored in a consistently cool pantry, it'll keep and taste good for at least a year beyond the date stamped on the can. (That date is the manufacturer's estimate of how long the cranberry sauce will remain at peak quality and is not a safety-related expiration date.)
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