SAUCES

OBJECTIVES
• Define Sauces
• List uses of sauces
• Explain the classification of sauces
• Explain the ways is which sauces can be thickened.
 SAUCES
A sauce is a thickened , flavoured liquid
which can be added to a food or dish.

Sauces should be carefully flavoured and

tasted before serving, so that
adjustments can be made. A sauce can
be served as:
A coating – for vegetables, meat, or fish

Part of a meal: e.g. a casserole of meat

An accompaniment to a meal: e.g.
Cranberry sauce with Roast Lamb
 Uses of Sauces
• To enhance the flavor of the food which it accompanies.
• To provide a contrast flavor to a mildly flavoured food, e.g. cheese sauce with
steamed cauliflower.
• To provide a contrasting texture to solid foods, e.g. poultry or fish.
• To bind ingredients together for dishes, e.g. fish cakes, or croquettes.
• To add colour to a dish, e.g. jam sauce with a steamed sponge pudding.
• To contribute to the nutritional value of a dish.
• To add interest or variety to a meal.
• To reduce the richness of some foods, e.g. Orange Sauce with Roast Duck, Apple
Sauce with Roast Pork.
Classification and Consistencies of Sauces
Classification of sauces Consistencies of Sauces

Pouring Sauce At boiling point should glaze the back of a wooden spoon or
plastic spoon.
Should flow freely when poured.

Coating Sauce At boiling point should glaze the back of a wooden spoon or
plastic spoon.
The sauce should be used as soon as it is ready, to ensure even
coating over food.

Binding Sauce/ Panada This sauce should be thick to bind dry ingredients together, for
easy handling and able to be formed into rissoles
Thickenings for
Sauces
Starch: in flour corn flour,
arrowroot, etc.

Protein: from eggs

Emulsification: of oil and water

Pureed: vegetables or fruits

 Sauces Thickened
Starch
• When preparing this type of sauce, it is important
to blend the liquid with the starch component
before cooking. If this is not done, lumps of starch
granules will form, which will not cook properly
and will give the sauce an uneven texture
• Examples of sauces thickened by starch include
roux sauces, corn flour sauces, and arrowroot
sauces.
Protein
• Eggs are used to thicken sauces in this way. Egg white
coagulates at a lower temperature than the yolk, it is
better use the yolk alone to prevent spoiling the sauce
by overcooking the white.
• If the yolk or whole egg is used as the only thickener,
as in egg custard, it should be well mixed with the
liquid and cooked gently (e.g. a pan with boiling
water)to prevent overcooking, and cooled rapidly as
soon as it has thickened to stop the coagulation.
• NOTE: If the egg yolk is used as an additional
thickener for sauces that contain starch, it should be
added after the other ingredients have been cooked
and cooled to below boiling point, but not less than
the coagulation temperature of the yolk (70 degree C)
 Sauces Thickened

Emulsification Pureed
• Egg yolk contains a substance called lecithin which • Cooked or raw fruits or vegetables can be pureed
acts as an emulsifier. E.g. in mayonnaise to prevent to produce a smooth sauce, by rubbing the them
the separation of the oil and water (in the vinegar). through a sieve or processing in a blender.

• When the emulsion is stabilized by the lecithin, it • Fruits which is get enzymatic browning should be
thickens. The thickness can be adjusted by the cooked or mixed with an acid (e.g. lemon juice), to
amount of vinegar added to the mayonnaise. inactivate the oxidase enzymes that cause the
browning when the fruit is cut.
 References
• Food and Nutrition (pgs. 216-218) – Anita Tull
• www.TheFlirtyBlog.com
• www.Bing.com
 Assessment - 1
• Define sauces (1 mk.)

• List five (5) uses of sauces (5 mks.)

• Explain the classification and consistencies of sauces. (6 mks.)

• Explain four (4) different ways is which sauces can be thickened. (8 mks)

• (Total Marks – 20)

 Assessment - 2
• Write TRUE (T) or FALSE (F) after each statement.
• Sauces can enhance the nutritional value of a meal.
• A binding sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
• Sauces can be part of a meal e.g. stewed chicken.
• A custard sauce is thickened with corn starch.
• Lecithin stabilizes the emulsion (e.g. mayonnaise) causing it to thicken.
• A panada should coat the back of a wooden or plastic spoon and should be used immediately.
• Pouring sauces are used as an accompaniment to a main meal.
• Roux sauces are made of corn flour, margarine and water.
• Fruits and vegetables are blended or passed through a sieve to make pureed sauces.
• Egg Custard Sauce should be cooked in a saucepan over gentle heat.
THE END!