With different textures and flavors, food is not only essential for living but is also an experience. There are many ways you can liven up your food, but the most extensively used one is a sauce. Be it a little drizzle of maple syrup on pancakes or a béchamel, sauces can elevate your cooking to a whole other level. 

Sauce (ซอส ปรุง รส, which is the term in Thai) is a multidimensional concept. Mainly, it provides flavor, moisture, and texture. It can be a container of food (like a veloute) or acts as seasoning or ingredient (fish sauce, soy sauce, etc) in cooking or as a condiment.  

Essentially, a sauce is a liquid and a thickening agent (a roux) and flavorings. Derivatively, it is a French word, taken from the Latin word salsa which means salted. As there are so many types of sauces out there in the world, we will focus on the mother sauces or bases for most of them. Let’s get started, shall we?

There are five sauces which are generally considered as mother sauces:

• Béchamel

Also known as white sauces, is made of a roux of flour, boiled milk, and butter. Béchamel is popularly used to add a creamy and smooth texture to dishes with white meat such as chicken, eggs and also vegetables. 

• Veloute

This is also known as fat or rich white sauce. They are blondish in color, and usually have the base of white stock (maybe veal, chicken or fish). This sauce can be thickened with a white roux (similar to the béchamel).

• Brown or Espagnole

This is a reduction of a dark brown roux, veal stock, meat, bones, vegetables, and seasonings. Traditionally, tomatoes are added as well to get a thick, flavorful sauce. It is rarely used directly on food, and hence is used as a derivative. These sauces are used mainly more meat dishes, but a vegetarian version can be made.

• Hollandaise 

Made from egg yolks and butter, the thickening agent is emulsification. Clarified butter can also be used instead of butter. 

• Tomato 

This is the classic sauce found on everything we eat. Being tomato-based, the most commonly known sauce is the marinara sauce. It’s used as a base in cooking, in pasta and pizzas, etc.

Learning how to make these delicious creations can bring depth to your cooking. Learn the basics first for terrific results. Remember: don’t hesitate to play around and see what suits you best!