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
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.
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.
"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)."
Instead, the pectin polymers will bind to each other, giving the cranberry mixture more and more structure. The sweet sugar-water molecules get trapped in between the pectin chains, resulting in a tasty cranberry sauce!
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.
Cranberries contain natural pectin and will gel without any additions. Cook until the berries pop to release the juices and then simmer another 5 minutes or so. It will not seem thick then but will thicken as it cools. If you really want it thicker, you can add additional pectin with a product such as Sure-Jell.
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 you don't have maple syrup (pancake syrup WILL NOT do, y'all), try honey or a more neutral sweetener like agave syrup, brown rice syrup, or even simple syrup. All of these syrupy ingredients are a perfect quick fix for bitter cranberry sauce.
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.
Baking soda is very alkaline, which is a good way to correct overly bitter dishes. Sprinkle just a pinch into your food and mix it in well to see if that helps.
Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.
But why? Ocean Spray says this is to get the cranberry sauce out in one intact piece. “The rounded part of the can that looks like the bottom has an air bubble in it,” Ocean Spray's representative explains. The bubble is there so you can “break the seal the sauce makes with the can.”
First, most traditional cranberry sauces have lots of added sugar, so offer to make it yourself for the holiday gathering so you can control how much is added. Or, only take a small amount, about one or two tablespoons, and pair it with the turkey or other vegetables for a balanced meal.
The major variation you're likely to come across is "whole berry" versus "jellied." The only difference between them is that the jellied sauce is cooked until the berries have completely broken down. They both slide out of the can as a wobbly red cylinder.
Cranberry sauce can be served either as a gooey liquid or as a solid jelly. The jellied version is solid enough to retain the shape of the container in which it's placed whereas the sauce version is much more fluid. The difference between the fluid sauce and the jelly versions comes down to pectin.
Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools. To store, let cool completely, then transfer to a resealable container and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
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.
You can remold the jelly into an attractive side dish for your holiday meal with a little effort. Dump the cranberry sauce into a small pot and melt, stirring occasionally, over low heat until soft and smooth.
Unopened canned cranberry sauce can last a year in the pantry but make sure to check the "best before" date to make sure it hasn't expired, and once open, it can be stored in a container with a tightly fitting lid for up to two weeks.
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