Your Complete Equipment List for Tomato Sauce Season

For a lot of Italian families, August marks the start of sugo season. Sugo means sauce in Italian — and while it can be made fresh anytime, late summer is when many households come together to batch-make and preserve tomato sauce for the months ahead. It’s a tradition rooted in making the most of peak-season tomatoes, often passed down through generations.

Making tomato sauce in bulk is a full-day process that turns bushels of tomatoes into neatly lined jars for the pantry. It starts with washing and sorting, followed by blanching and peeling to remove the skins. The tomatoes are then cooked down and passed through a food mill to get that smooth, seed-free texture. From there, the sauce simmers until it’s just right — then it’s ladled into hot jars, sealed, and left to cool, ready to be stored for the months ahead.

Whether it’s your first time making sugo or you’re just looking to stock up on fresh equipment, having the right tools can make all the difference. We’ve put together a handy list of everything you’ll need to prep for sauce season — from tomato squeezers and sauce pots to funnels and more — so you can get started with confidence.

Checklist

Sauce Making:

• Fresh tomatoes (Roma/plum tomatoes work best)
• Large stockpot
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Slotted Scoop (for blanching and collecting tomatoes)
• Large mixing bowls
• Tomato squeezer (to crush and separate skins/seeds from the flesh)
• Wooden spoon or stirring paddle
• Garlic, onions, herbs, salt, olive oil (optional, depending on your recipe)

Canning:

• Canning jars
• New lids and bands
• Funnel
• Clean damp cloth
• Stockpot for canning (water bath canning)
• Tongs (for handling lids or rings)

Optional:

• Food scale
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Ladle
• Cooling rack or towel-lined counter (for jars to rest after processing)
• Timer to track processing time
• Labels and markers to mark the date and contents

Tips for Success

• Choose your tomatoes: Pick ripe Roma or plum tomatoes—meaty with fewer seeds.
  
• Prepare your workspace: Set up stations for washing, blanching, peeling, crushing, cooking, and canning.
• Wash and sort: Remove any bruised or soft tomatoes.
• Blanch tomatoes: Boil for 30–60 seconds, then plunge into ice water to loosen skins.
• Peel and core: Use your hands or knife to remove skins and cores.
• Crush/separate pulp: Use a tomato squeezer to remove skins and seeds, leaving smooth pulp.
• Cook sauce: Simmer crushed tomatoes with optional garlic, herbs, salt, and olive oil until thickened.
• Prepare jars: Warm jars and lids in hot water before filling.
• Fill jars: Ladle hot sauce into jars, leaving about ½ inch headspace.
• Remove air bubbles: Gently tap jars or use a chopstick to release trapped air.
• Wipe rims: Clean jar rims with a damp cloth to ensure proper sealing.
• Seal jars: Place new lids and screw on bands firmly (not too tight).
• Process jars: Use a water bath canner to boil jars for recommended time (usually 35–45 minutes).
• Cool jars: Remove jars carefully and let them cool undisturbed on a rack or towel-lined counter for 12–24 hours.
• Check seals: Press lid centers to confirm seals (should not pop).
• Label jars: Write date and contents on each jar for easy identification.
• Store: Keep jars in a cool, dark, dry place away from heat and sunlight.