Chefs explain why adding just a pinch of baking soda to tomato sauce can stop heartburn before it starts

The smell hits first: garlic softening in olive oil, a splash of red wine, and crushed tomatoes hissing as they hit the pan. You rip off a piece of bread, dip it in something, and taste it. It’s perfect. An hour later, you’re in bed with a burning chest and wishing you hadn’t eaten that heavenly tomato sauce. You say you’ll “eat lighter next time,” but we both know what happens when someone brings up lasagna.

Some people who cook at home have quietly figured this out. The recipe doesn’t change much. They don’t switch to bland, sad sauces. They only add a tiny bit that you might miss if you blink.

Why so many people get heartburn from tomato sauce

You shouldn’t feel like you’re swallowing lava when you eat tomato sauce. But for a lot of people, eating anything with marinara, Bolognese, or a quick pomodoro makes them reach for antacids. It’s not all in your head. Tomatoes are naturally acidic, and sauces that cook for a long time often get splashed with wine, vinegar, or citrus, which makes the acidity even stronger.

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This is something chefs know. A lot of people who work in restaurant kitchens love red sauce, but they don’t want to get hurt by it while they’re working. So they’ve figured out some tricks to tame the acid without losing the taste. One of the most surprising things comes from the pastry side of the kitchen, not the stove.

Think of a small Italian restaurant on a Friday night when it’s busy. There are a lot of tickets and pans clattering, and a big pot of tomato sauce is bubbling away in the back. The chef tastes a spoonful, frowns, and then instead of sugar, he grabs the baking supplies. He adds a tiny bit of baking soda, waits a few seconds, tastes it again, and nods.

People in the dining room don’t notice anything different. The sauce still tastes rich, bright, and tomato-y. The line cooks joke that this is the ‘no-heartburn batch’ because they can eat staff meal and still be able to stand up two hours later. They’ve tried it on themselves many times. It’s hard to miss the pattern.

The logic is simple science mixed with cooking that most people do every day. Baking soda is alkaline, while tomato sauce is acidic. When they touch, they neutralise each other just enough to make the acid less sharp. There is a small reaction that happens in your pot, and you can sometimes see it as a short foam. The main thing is how much. Soda makes things taste flat and metallic when you drink too much of it. A small amount, used like a spice instead of a main ingredient, lowers the acidity to a level that is much easier on your throat and stomach.

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The little pinch that can change your pasta nights

Chefs say that the sweet spot is about 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda for a standard pot of tomato sauce that serves four people. That’s not a mistake. Not a tablespoon, not a teaspoon. A real pinch between your fingers. They put it in at the end of cooking, when the sauce has thickened and the flavours have become stronger. They stir it quickly, hear a little fizz, and then taste it.

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They might add another tiny pinch if the sauce still hurts the back of the throat. Always add things slowly and taste them in between. It’s more like tuning an instrument than following a strict rule.

A lot of home cooks use sugar first to “cut the acid.” Sugar doesn’t lower acidity; it just makes your tongue feel better. Baking soda really does change the pH of the sauce, and it makes a difference. One woman I talked to said this trick saved her Sunday dinners. She loved her grandma’s tomato sauce, but it always made her reflux worse.

She tried the idea on a small batch after hearing a TV chef talk about baking soda. She was afraid she would ruin a valuable pot. She didn’t tell her family anything, just served it like usual and waited. No one said their chests hurt that night. The same recipe, but no soda, the next week brought back the familiar fire. She didn’t need a lab study to change her mind.

From a more technical point of view, tomatoes usually have a pH of 4.2 to 4.9, which means they are acidic. When stomach acid rides back up with food, your oesophagus doesn’t like it. Sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, brings the sauce closer to neutral, which makes it less likely to irritate. You’re doing a very small version of what over-the-counter antacids do, but earlier in the process.

Of course, there is a limit. If you use too much, your sauce will taste bland and soapy. The best thing about this method is how simple it is. A little chemistry goes a long way.

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How to add baking soda to tomato sauce without ruining dinner

The best way to make your sauce is to cook it exactly how you like it, according to chefs. Put your onions in a pan and sweat them out. Brown your meat. Cook your tomatoes until they are thick and shiny. You should only reach for the baking soda when the sauce is almost done. Add a small amount (about 1/8 teaspoon) to the surface, mix it in well, and let the sauce bubble for 2 to 3 minutes. There might be a light foam when the acid and soda mix.

Then, try it again. Not in a hurry. A slow spoonful that hits the back of your throat. That’s where you’ll notice the most difference.

Chefs often say, “Don’t get rid of all the acidity.” If a tomato sauce doesn’t have some bite, it will taste flat and muddy. It’s not “no acid,” it’s “no burn.” If you keep shaking baking soda in hopes of getting a sweet taste, you’ll end up with something that tastes like canned soup that went wrong.

Adding soda too soon, before the sauce has thickened, is another common mistake. As it cooks, the flavours get stronger, including the acid. This means that what tasted balanced at first might taste harsh at the end. You want that last touch, like adding salt, to be close to the end.

If you have bad heartburn, chefs say that baking soda is only one part of the puzzle. Eating too much, eating late at night, and lying down right after a big meal all make it harder for your stomach. *Your habits can still hurt you, even if your sauce is milder.

One chef from Rome who now works in New York says, “Baking soda is a tool, not magic.” “I add a little bit to the sauce, keep an eye on how much fat I’m adding, and tell my staff to eat before service.” It’s about putting together small benefits so that food feels good, not bad.

1. Start with a small amount, like 1/8 teaspoon per pot, and taste it before adding more.
2. Add it late: After the sauce has thickened, stir it in near the end of cooking.
3. Keep an eye on the foam: a little fizz is normal, but if it keeps bubbling, you added too much.
4. Balance the flavours: After the acidity is under control, you might be able to taste garlic, basil, or olive oil more clearly.
5. Use this trick only on sauces that are heavy on tomatoes and take a long time to cook.

Red sauce that you don’t have to pay for later

It’s almost revolutionary to be able to eat spaghetti, wipe the bowl clean with bread, and not feel that familiar burn. Social media doesn’t go crazy over small changes like this in the kitchen like it does over crazy recipes. They move more slowly, going from line cook to line cook, parent to child, and neighbour to neighbour.

Let’s be honest: no one really weighs and writes down every ingredient on a weeknight. That’s why a little bit of baking soda is such a forgiving trick. It likes your “close enough” approach and still gives you a good chance of getting a gentler plate.

Some people will always be more sensitive to acid than others. This method won’t get rid of all of their symptoms, so they may still need to see a doctor if they have reflux often. But for a lot of people who love tomato sauce, changing the pH a little bit is all it takes to make a food that hurts into a food that comforts. And that changes more than one meal. It changes how easily you agree to pizza night or a big batch of lasagna for friends.

Knowing that you’ve done one small, smart thing for your own comfort without giving up the dishes that feel like home gives you a quiet sense of confidence.

You might remember that little white box behind the vanilla extract the next time you stir a pot of sauce. You will pinch, sprinkle, wait, and taste. Then you can eat without that little knot of worry in your stomach.

If this works for you, you’ll probably tell someone else about it in a casual way, like how good kitchen advice spreads. Someone said, “Oh, and I add a pinch of baking soda.” It helps with heartburn. This short sentence could change a lot of dinners without anyone noticing.