Home made cranberry sauce vs Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce

Well, I had hoped to do a lot more Thanksgiving recipes, however since I got behind schedule when I moved and didn't get articles written every 2-3 days this will be the last of the Thanksgiving recipes this year. But I will continue to do other “Holiday” recipes throughout the rest of this year.

If you haven't made or eaten homemade cranberry sauce, you don't know what you're missing! It has so much more flavor and since you can adjust the sugar you can make it as tart or as sweet as you like. I prefer a more tart flavor, but realize that most people like a more sweet sauce – this recipe to me has an in between sweetness – if you like a more tart taste, start with ¾ cup sugar and taste it, adding sugar as you go. If you like it sweet, start with 1 cup and add more a ¼ cup at a time.

Now I also like a sauce with whole berries in it. So, I withhold about a cup of berries – the recipe calls for withholding a ½ cup of berries. Again, adjust this as you like it. If you like a less berry texture, put all the berries in at the same time – they will almost all burst and it well end up more “saucy”.

If you want to get more fancy – you can add chopped pecans or walnuts to this recipe too. I've done it in the past and it is good – but I prefer it without the nuts.

Home made cranberry sauce
1 12 oz bag cranberries, withhold ½ cup
1 c sugar
1/3 c water or orange juice
½ c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1-2 strips of orange zest (optional)
½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
¼ tsp nutmeg (optional)

Empty most of the bag of cranberries into med size pot. Add water, sugar, spices, nuts and zest. Stir to blend, bring to boil over med-high heat until most of the cranberries burst, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the remainder of the cranberries, cook another 5-10 minutes. Cool to room temperature and serve.

Comparison
Price for plain home made cranberry sauce (no spice or nuts): 8 servings/$3.16 or .40 cents per serving
Price for Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce: 6 servings/$2.25 or .38 cents per serving

Ingredients for home made cranberry sauce: cranberries, sugar, water
Ingredients for Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce: cranberries, high fructose corn syrup, water, corn syrup

Preparation time for home made: About 15-20 minutes
Preparation time for Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce: 1 minute to open can and pour

O.k., it costs slightly more to make home made, by about .02 cents per serving and takes you about an extra 15 minutes. But once you make it, you'll never go back to canned, and no HFCS...

Nutritional Data for home made cranberry sauce
Calories 211
Total Fat 0 g
    Saturated Fat 0 g
    Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 g
Sodium 3 mg
Total Carbohydrates 45 g
    Dietary Fiber 9 g
    Sugars 22 g
Protein 9 g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 5%
Iron 10%

Nutritional Data for Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce
Calories 110
Total Fat 0 g
    Saturated Fat 0 g
    Trans Fat 0 g
Sodium 10 mg
Total Carbohydrates 25 g
    Dietary Fiber <1 g
    Sugars 21 g
Protein 0 g

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