I'm new to cooking and wanna make some spaghetti on a budget. I'm concerned about the pasta sauce I'm gonna try to make. Most recipes I've seen require tomato sauce but I'd like to use just fresh tomatoes, garlic, salt & pepper. Can I just crush the tomatoes (may be add some water) with seasoning for the sauce?

@JohnZhau just tomatoes will be fine - with a few caveats.

First, get good tomatoes. if your tomatoes are bland and unripe, it’s harder to get a good flavor and they may be a bit acidic. This is a case where a can of tomatoes (note: not a jar of readymade sauce) may be a better alternative.

Second, considering peeling them, some kinds have hard peels. (Entirely a matter of personal taste.)

Third, if you have good tomatoes, cooking them is optional - chop them finely, add some finely minced garlic, salt and good olive oil. Stir, optionally let stand for a bit. Just dump the hot(!) pasta in, stir and serve. Some basil and finely grated cheese. My go-to in summer, when good tomatoes hit the market.

If you on a budget, there’s no need to buy sauce. And a can of tomatoes should be dirt cheap. Been there, done that. Still do, in fact, but because it tastes good. If your budget allows: a few herbs really go a looong way for little money.

@JohnZhau also save some of the pasta water and add it into your sauce

its magic

How do you estimate how much garlic to use? I use garlic quite a bit but I'm not sure exactly how garlic changes the flavor.

I know how it smells when sauteed but I'm not sure how to describe its affects on a dish,

:D

I'm in the "if you think you have used enough, you haven't" school of thought

That's what I often do with sugar

I've gone up to half a bulb on a single serving. Which some may consider excessive. Especially vampires :D

Do you have tricks to pick sweeter tomatos?

@JohnZhau smell. A ripe tomato will smell a bit sweet. Not much, though.

I suppose no tapping

Not if you want to come back to the seller.

They should be ever so slightly soft. Not mushy.

And no green shoulders.

@JohnZhau I have to disagree with @JourneymanGeek here. A clove per serving, or less, should be plenty. I want to taste the rest of the herbs and ingredients in my dish. (Different rules may apply for dishes where garlic is the star.)

I generally don't use herbs much though, just garlic.

That’s possibly a bit one-dimensional? Flavor-wise?

Just haven't found a herb I fancy yet I guess

I'm trying to learn to cook and find better and healthier stuff to make

So imma experiment with stuff

@Stephie which is fine 😁

Single person cooking + that was the main spice in mine 😁

Actually do you have ways to classify/describe the taste/effects of herbs? Saying "garlic is garlic-y" and "mint is minty" doesn't really help and it may help to choose some herbs if I know how to describe their effects

@JohnZhau There are books on that topic.... just a sec.

You could start here:

I like my shampoo like I like my chocolate: not minty

@JohnZhau well, there’s that chat room where people tend to hang out... ;-)

But I have to run - real life and all that.

The Seasoned Advice room seems quite inactive

thanks for your advice