Why Tomato Sauce Always Splatters And How You Can Stop It

If you spend enough time in the kitchen, you'll know that tomato sauce is at the heart of many dishes — whether you're making some homemade meatballs, pasta sauce, or shakshuka. But cooking even the simplest tomato sauce (no blender required) comes with one little nuisance: tomato splatters. By the time your sauce is done, chances are your stove, backsplash, and maybe even you, need a good clean. For those of you wondering why this happens and how the heck you can stop it, here are some answers.

The reason that tomato sauce has these eruptive splatters is because it is much thicker than liquids such as water. Crushed tomatoes release something called pectin, which is one of the reasons that tomato sauce thickens as it cooks. This makes it much harder for molecules to flow through the sauce freely, creating a lot more friction. So, pressure starts to build up beneath the surface of the sauce, until eventually, a steam bubble breaks through — A.K.A, a big splatter of tomato sauce ends up on your wall (or your shirt). Luckily, there are some simple ways you can help prevent it happening.

The first solution is actually quite logical: Turn your heat down. Now this won't leave you with zero splatters, but you'll definitely have less of a mess to clean up at the end. Since the splatters happen due to steam build up, cooking your tomato sauce on a lower heat setting will essentially delay this process. As a bonus, cooking it low and slow will also produce a richer, more full-flavored sauce.

If possible, it's also wise to use a wide, deep pot rather than something shallow. This way your sauce has enough surface area to release steam from, and any splatters can be caught by the sides of the pan rather than your kitchen. You can also keep it partially covered with a lid to contain the splatters, while still allowing the steam to escape.

Stirring your tomato sauce frequently will also help, since this pushes any bubbles out sooner, rather than giving them time to erupt. And a word of safety advice: Make sure your arms are protected and you're not standing too close — because a tomato sauce splatter will burn way more than water. With these tips, you can hopefully reduce your kitchen clean up efforts. And if all else fails, there's always a good store-bought marinara sauce to save the day.