[eugene]

There are so many prepared sauces in the supermarket that I don't know wether I should learn how to make sauces or not. I am very interested in learning how to make very diverse food, yet do it fast, and sauce making is a tiresome process.

However my concern is mainly price. Prepared sauces are usually expensive, and when you cook a dish you wouldn't want to empty a whole bottle of barbeque sauce in the pan.

Being a beginner I may be getting it all wrong. I don't even know dishes that need sauce in the cooking process. Until now I used sauces only for serving.

If you can explain me the role of sauces and the necessaty of learning how to make them, I'd appreciate it. Maybe internet links will help too.

Thanks.

[Suzanne]

Many of the bottled and jarred sauces you see in the supermarket are just versions of ones you can make easily; some are better when commercially produced. If you are talking about sauces such as Worcestershire, soy, HP, hoisin, oyster, ketchup -- flavoring sauces, then no, you don't want to make those. Trust me -- the commercial stuff is easier and usually better than any homemade version. (Homemade ketchup might be better than bought, but that's not quite what you are referring to, is it?)

However, sauces like spaghetti/tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, turkey gravy, etc. -- those are actually all easy to make, and don't really take all that much time, even if they have to cook for a long period. And the great thing about, say, spaghetti or barbecue sauce, is that you can make a big batch and then freeze it in portions, so you have it to use at a moment's notice.

Some folks may talk about the whole science of French sauce-making -- the five mother sauces, the umpteen variations -- but don't let them scare you. Many of the sauces we use for everyday cooking can be simple and even quick to make. In fact, just by making some dishes -- stews and braises, for example -- you are making sauces. And the neat thing is that if you have more sauce in the dish than you need, you can always keep it and use it on something else. How cool is that? (as RR would say )

Let me give you an example: I'm having meatloaf tonight (to be honest, leftover meatloaf ). If I don't have any appropriate sauce in my freezer -- other than the spagetti sauce with fennel and mushrooms, because I used that last night -- I will probably just make some "beef gravy" with some fat, flour, beef stock, and flavorings. If I bought a jar of it, it would cost, what, $3? It will cost me pennies.

To finish my rambling: Start looking for recipes and try them until you find ones you like: learn to make basic barbecue and tomato sauces, and also white sauce. You can add all sorts of things to tomato sauce to vary it, and the technique for making white sauce will allow you to make many different sauces (my "beef gravy" is made exactly the same as a white sauce; just different fat and liquid).

Oh, yeah, one more thing: don't worry, it's almost impossible to get something "wrong" when you're cooking. Burning something is about the worst that can happen; everything else is just "inventing." Have fun!

[AprilB]

Oh, and what type.

Pros of homemade: For the most part you can divide the recipe depending on need. You don't have waste when you have an open jar of something that is growing fuzz after a year because you only needed it once.

You can tell mass-produced stuff. I don't care what you do to it, it still tastes like packaged or canned.

Cons: time. If you have the time definitely make fresh. If you don't, find a reliable shelf sauce and use that. Or you can combine: use canned/packaged and add your own little tweeks to make it your own.

Things like demi-glaze/au jus/stocks - I definitely make fresh. They don't need much baby-sitting. They're happy to simmer quietly doing their thing. Just come by once in awhile and say "Hi" and give them a stir.

Hollendaise/Bernaise...egg or cream sauces...mixed opinion on this one. Bechamels are ok, BBQ's are ez, things that are sensitive like Hollendaise...there are a number of pretty good subs out there. Like Knoors. (at least they used to be)

On the other hand, I would sincerely suggest that you learn how to make these, regardless of whether or not you intend to routinely use them.

At least you'll know the result you're looking for.

April

[Suzanne]

I think it's funny that when I just looked at April's post, the advertisement under it was for a bottled barbecue sauce.

ETA: but the one I see under this post is for something sort of French -- maybe the system recognizes the "frenchness" of my name???

[HotChef]

i know it is timeconsuming ( and you need fairly big pots / pans) to make a good demi glace. which is the basic for most other DARK sauces you will use.
Tomato based sauces are easy, NO fresh tomato will give you the color and consistency that GOOD canned / chopped / peeled tomatoes will do.
and for white sauces / bechamel, well the biggest hassle might be that the sauces burn so easy.
so use at home a method that combines fresh products and basic prep with commercial products.
Roast your bones for demi glace and than add a little bit Knoor / Maggi or whatever the products are being called.
As long as you just don't open a packet, add water, cook and, presto, ready.. there is nothing wrong with combining home made and commercial products.
happy cooking,

[Austin_]

It depends. If you are just using a little bit of Worchester to give an extra layer of flavor to a meat loaf- I think it's just a waste of money to make it homeade. If you are making a pasta sauce like puttanesca, (tomatoes, garlic, olives, anchovies), that is the main ingredient in a pasta dish, it may be hard to find in stores and it would probably taste better homeade. I would always make my own salad dressings, however. Some dressing recipes say things like "add a cup of mayo" or "1/2 cup of hot pepper jelly", and I wouldn't reccomend making those homeade because again, it would be a waste of time. I usually like to make my own stocks and broths for soups, but if it calls for "2 tablespoons of vegetable stock" for 8 cups of tomato soup, homeade might be a waste. A minor ingredient should most likely be storebought, and a major ingredient should be homeade. That's my interpretation. But if you find a canned sauce that you absolutely love, you can feel free to use it at any time you want. Like I am a huge fan of Marie's Salad Dressings- Their Balsamic Vinagrette tastes better than anything I can create in my kitchen!

[deltadoc]

I make my own sauces. Never would I use a packaged sauce product (with one exception: Hoffman House Shrimp Cocktail Sauce).

I make my own ketchup, my own worcestershire, and my own mustard. I do break down and buy Kikkoman Soy Sauce.

I make stock, espagnole, bechamel, etc. regularly. I make my own demi-glace per Escoffier's time tested method.

I make my own Glace de veau Viande.

The time my wife and I spend in the kitchen together is quality time and I wouldn't trade it for any commercially prepared sauce to "save time". What better time is there than spending it doing something you love together with the one you love?

doc

[eugene]

Thank you for the answers. Very enlightening.