# Norpro Sauce Master help



## Tucker (Jul 15, 2010)

Has anyone used the Norpro Sauce Master to make tomato sauce? I only have the screen that came with the unit. If you heard a LOT of cussing tonight, that was me.  

I could not get the paste tomatoes through the unit for the life of me. I cooked them until they were soft and then tried saucing them. My husband finally came to my rescue (eg he took over) cause I was getting so frustrated. Because that part of the task took so long, I probably won't be finished with the tomato sauce until 1am. vract:

Do I need the salsa screen? TIA.


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## AdmiralD7S (Dec 6, 2012)

I've used one for years with very few problems, and I just send raw tomatoes through the regular screen. Here are some things that could be happening:

1. Is it assembled correctly? Recheck just to be sure.

2. Turning the handle the right way?

3. Are you cutting the tomatoes before putting them in? If I don't, I get a splat that makes a mess, but might also cause a feeding problem.

4. Same idea - are the tomatoes small enough to feed through properly?

5. Is it just getting jammed with too many tomatoes? I'd send one piece at a time and make sure those are feeding well before filling the hopper.

6. Are you using the red Hammer of Thor to push them through or just letting them fall in and hoping the auger catches them?

7. Have you tightened the two screws for the screen all the way?

8. There is a spring that goes on the steel shaft. If that's missing, then you would definitely have problems.

9. Is this a new or used unit? Also, have you used it (or a similar product) before, or is this the first time?

10. Can you describe in more detail exactly what's going on? That might help us diagnose the problem.


I can't think of anything else right now. If I do, I'll post again. I'll also keep a closer eye on this thread for a few days. I can't think of anything much worse than if my sauce master wasn't working (50 tomato plants this year, 100 planned for next year), so we'll try to get you squared away ASAP.


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## AdmiralD7S (Dec 6, 2012)

11. Just reread your post. Have you sent raw ones though? Maybe cooking them makes it too mushy.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I checked their website and according to their .pdf, ripe tomatoes do not need to be cooked or cored or anything ... 

See page three of the attached (added bonus to the .pdf are some more recipes to try!) .


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## Tucker (Jul 15, 2010)

You both ROCK! Thank you for chiming in!

1. Is it assembled correctly? Recheck just to be sure.
I've used it for other products but not for tomatoes. 

2. Turning the handle the right way?
This one threw me for a loop. So the directions say to run it counter clockwise if it jams. I've always pulled it towards me but I'm not sure which direction that is! I tried it the other way (once) and it didn't work so I figured that I was doing it correctly.

3. Are you cutting the tomatoes before putting them in? If I don't, I get a splat that makes a mess, but might also cause a feeding problem.
Yep.

4. Same idea - are the tomatoes small enough to feed through properly?
Yep!

5. Is it just getting jammed with too many tomatoes? I'd send one piece at a time and make sure those are feeding well before filling the hopper.
I tried seemingly everything - just a couple, adding many - both of which were troublesome. 

6. Are you using the red Hammer of Thor to push them through or just letting them fall in and hoping the auger catches them?
Funny!! Yes, I was using Thor after just feeding them in wasn't working.

7. Have you tightened the two screws for the screen all the way?
They were tight.

8. There is a spring that goes on the steel shaft. If that's missing, then you would definitely have problems.
Spring is there.

9. Is this a new or used unit? Also, have you used it (or a similar product) before, or is this the first time?
I bought the unit about 3-4 years ago but this is the first year I've used it.

10. Can you describe in more detail exactly what's going on? That might help us diagnose the problem.
When I fed grapes through it, the system worked great! When I tried the tomatoes, it just wouldn't feed properly, thus the reason I was wondering if the salsa screen was required. NaeKid has pointed out that this device doesn't require the tomatoes to be cooked so that could be one problem. Looking back, when I cleaned it, the screen was really packed. I'm wondering if the cooked skins were clogging it. IF I get brave enough, I'll try it again with tomatoes. I need to chill a while first (I'm having to buy the paste tomatoes from a restaurant supply store so I can get more at any time).

Thank you both!


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