Texas Valley Sauces & Marinades

A Quick Guide to Buying Sauces and Gravy

Nothing makes or breaks a dish like the right sauce and gravy. Read through this buying guide and let Sam's Club find the perfect gravy and pasta sauce for you.

How to make gravy

The typical stovetop homemade gravy recipe involves:

• Browning a thickener (flour or cornstarch) in pan drippings from meat over medium to medium-high heat.
• Adding water, broth or stock (such as chicken stock or beef stock) over low heat. Constant whisking is needed to thicken gravy without sacrificing consistency.

Sam's Club takes the work out of gravy prep with ready-made gravies and just-add-water mixes.

How can I add more flavor to my gravy?

Home cooks looking to take their gravy to the next level have several easy recipes to try.

• White wine can brighten up lighter poultry gravy, while red wine deepens pork or beef gravy
• Fresh-ground black pepper adds an edge in taste and appearance
• Olive oil can make gravy creamier
• Throw in some herbs, onions and other produce. Mushroom gravy is popular
• Add some pan juices from your meat
• Fix salty gravy by adding unsalted butter

Can you store gravy?

Gravy is perishable, so it will only last 2 days in the refrigerator. If you boil your gravy before serving it again, you can eat leftover gravy for up to a week after you first open or prepare it. A flour-based gravy can keep for 4 months in the freezer.

Is gravy safe for my diet?

Although gravy is a roux made from fat and starch, many of the gravies we sell still keep your health in mind. Heinz HomeStyle Roasted Turkey Gravy, which uses real turkey stock, is low cholesterol and contains no sugar, saturated fats and trans fats. McCormick Poultry Gravy Mix, which contains real chicken broth and wheat flour, is free of artificial flavors and MSG.

Sam's Club does not carry vegan nor gluten-free gravy. Always check the nutrition facts label on packaging for specific details about ingredients.

What's the best way to serve gravy?

Sky's the limit when it comes to pairing gravy with food. You can use gravy to top mashed potatoes and other side dishes at the table. Or you can top turkey and even pork chops, as well as meatballs, noodles, and as a filling for pot pies.

All about sauce

From meat sauce and hot sauce to soy sauce, Sam's Club carries several varieties of sauces for your cooking and serving needs. Another area where Sam's Club really excels? Our selection of pasta sauce.

What kinds of pasta sauces does Sam's Club sell?

For starters, Sam's Club offers several tomato sauces:

• Prego Traditional Italian Sauce
• Prego Italian Flavored Meat Sauce
• Ragu Old World Style Traditional Pasta Sauce
• Ragu Chunky Garden Combination Pasta Sauce
• Goya Tomato Sauce
• DeLallo Pomodoro Fresco Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

Non-tomato-based sauces include:

• Member's Mark Pesto
• Bertolli Alfredo Sauce

How do you cook pasta sauce?

You can easily make your own pasta sauce for your favorite pasta with Sam's Club's Member's Mark Tomato Paste. It's made with non-GMO California grown fresh tomatoes canned within five hours of being sourced. Keep your pasta sauce recipe simple by adding Italian spices like fresh basil, oregano and a bay leaf, or throw in some ground beef for a hearty bolognese sauce.

How do I choose which pasta sauce to use?

A good way to decide which pasta sauce to use is to look at the shape of your pasta.

1. Tubes: If you have a tubular pasta like penne, opt for a hearty, thick sauce like ragu. Penne rigate is ridged to capture even more sauce.
2. Ribbons: Wide, flat pasta like pappardelle works best for sopping up creamy sauces. The wider the noodle, the heavier the sauce.
3. Rods: Long, round pasta like spaghetti is best with olive oil and tomato-based sauces that coat each strand evenly.
4. Funky shapes: Short pasta in shapes like sea-shells (conchigliette), domes (orecchiette) and corkscrews (cavatappi) have plenty of crevices perfect for trapping many different kinds of sauces, but especially chunky vegetable sauces.

What's the difference between marinara and spaghetti sauce?

Marinara sauce is a tomato sauce with only seasonings, while spaghetti sauce generally includes meat and other vegetable ingredients. Spaghetti sauce is the name commonly assigned to what is known in Italy as Bolognese sauce.

How long is pasta sauce good in the fridge?

Homemade pasta sauce can last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, while pasta sauce in an open bottle will keep for 7 to 10 days continuously refrigerated. It will keep even longer if you freeze it. Also, don't store pasta sauce in opened metal cans; transfer it to a glass or plastic container after opening.

What other sauces does Sam's Club sell?

Meat flavoring sauces:

• A.1. Sauce
• Terry Ho's Yum Yum Sauce
• Buffalo Wild Wings Sauce

Hot sauces:

• Frank's RedHot Original Hot Sauce
• Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
• Thai Kitchen Sweet Red Chili Sauce

Other:

• Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• Deluxe Pizza Sauce from Kagome