By Brian Hernandez

This is part 1 of a three-part series on the secrets of making a better pizza sauce.

Pizza sauce: the unsung hero of our favorite culinary creation. It’s the bridge between the dough and toppings, the glue that holds the whole operation together. But a debate has simmered for years among pizzaioli—should pizza sauce be cooked before it graces the pie, or is raw the only righteous path?

Today, we’re diving into the science behind the downright feisty online skirmishes between the Tomato Torchers and the Naked Sauce Nation (yes, we’re giving them fun team names). Let’s get saucy.

Related: Squash blossoms and edible flowers as pizza toppings: Bold move or bloomin’ disaster?

What Heat Does to Each Ingredient
To be as neutral as possible and present both sides to the Simmer Squad and No-Cook Collective alike, we need to lay out all the raw facts. Cooking, after all, is both an art and a science, and the way heat interacts with the components of your sauce can profoundly affect the flavor, texture and overall pizza experience. By understanding the chemistry, you can decide which method aligns with your pizza philosophy.

Let’s start with three key questions:

1. What happens to the sweetness of tomatoes when they’re exposed to heat?

2. Does cooking enhance or diminish the delicate notes of extra virgin olive oil?

3. What’s the difference between the sharpness of fresh garlic and the mellow sweetness of roasted garlic in a sauce?

These are the kinds of culinary riddles that keep hardcore pizzaioli awake at night (or maybe that’s just the espresso). Understanding these nuances can help you tailor your sauce preparation to match your pizza style, elevating each pie to its fullest potential.

Here’s the lowdown on how cooking affects common pizza sauce ingredients:

Tomatoes:

Cooked: Heat concentrates the natural sugars, enhances umami and reduces acidity, leading to a sweeter, richer taste. Cooking also thickens the sauce by evaporating water.
Raw: Offers a bright, fresh and tangy flavor. Maintains the raw vibrancy of the tomato.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO):

Cooked: Heat can break down its delicate flavor, diminishing its fruity and peppery notes.
Raw: Retains its complex profile, adding a luxurious, uncooked drizzle vibe.

Salt:
Cooked: Dissolves evenly, melding into the sauce and intensifying the overall flavor.
Raw: Can sometimes feel more pronounced in isolated bites.

Fresh Basil Leaves:

Cooked: Releases oils and flavors into the sauce, but prolonged heat can dull its aromatic punch.
Raw: Adds a fragrant, peppery burst. Best used as a garnish or in raw sauces.

Dried Oregano & Basil:

Cooked: Heat unlocks essential oils, amplifying their potency.
Raw: Adds a more subtle, earthy note.

Garlic Powder:

Cooked: Blends seamlessly into the sauce, mellowing sharpness.
Raw: Tends to stay more potent and gritty if not mixed thoroughly.

Fresh Garlic:
Cooked: Sweetens and softens, adding depth.
Raw: Bold and spicy, with a sharper, fresher edge.

Onions (White and Red):
Cooked: Sweetens and caramelizes, adding complexity.
Raw: Maintains crunch and sharpness. Best used sparingly in raw sauces.

So now you know a little more about how cooking—or not cooking—this complex and heady brew of tomato-juicy goodness can affect the final product. Still undecided? You’re not alone. In a past PMQ Pizza article (and we’re talking many years ago), Jeff Zeak of the American Institute of Baking added his two cents’ worth and reached no hard and fast conclusions. But he offered a balanced view that might help you make your decision. You can click here to read that article.

Got all that? Good! In part 2 of this series, we’ll take a closer look at the key ingredients to a perfect pizza sauce.

Brian Hernandez is PMQ’s associate editor, test chef and director of the U.S. Pizza Team.

Food & Ingredients