Is My Grandma’s Method for Spaghetti Sauce & Meatballs Safe?
Q: I recently moved into my very first apartment post-undergrad, and my mother and grandmother have been stopping by to teach me family recipes and I am so grateful.
However, there is some tension over the proper way to make spaghetti sauce. Help!
My grandmother puts her raw meatballs and sausage in the sauce that simmers on the stove for hours. My mother on the other hand says that’s terrible for my health, and all meat should be cooked prior to adding into the sauce. I like my grandmother’s way better, and granted neither of them will be there when I make it so I could just do what I want.
I was just wondering if what my mom says is true. Nobody has ever gotten sick using my grandmother’s recipe. Is my mom just being too cautious?
Sent by Melissa
Editor: The meatballs are simmering on the stove long enough that anything harmful in either the meat itself or in the sauce will be cooked away, so I think you’re fine following your grandmother’s method! We actually do them both ways here on The Kitchn:
Readers, what do you think? How do you cook your meatballs?