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mother sauces

4K views 26 replies 15 participants last post by  kristen zalewski 
#1 ·
hello ,im looking for the same thing to , can someone help me find a restraunt that still uses the sauce tomate ,or the bechamel sauce ?
 
#3 ·
Most all of the better ones ., but not on steak.
 
#7 ·
There are a lot of places that use good ol Knorr Swiss....I guarentee that most cooks that have only qsr or chain experience could not make a hollandaise, even with a gun held to their head.

I was the sous at a seafood and banquet house in the 80's, everything had hollandaise, bearnaise or choron on it... we made 4-5 batches a day... and for banquets, it was made in large batches in the hobart with a one gallon sterno under the bowl !

I will never forget how to make hollandaise!
 
#8 ·
Find a place that makes their own Hollandaise sauce... good Luck.
You ARE kidding, right? I have always made it from scratch.
Things that I have seen in places that make me sad:

1. Breakfast shoppe that uses Hollandaise from some kind of instant mix or carton. Sad ; (

2. "Homemade Ravioli" on the menu of a "Family-owned, "Real" Italian" mom & pop joint: "We buy them in, they are home-made at the supplier's facility" WTF? Sad ; (

3. A Steakhouse that features "USDA CHOICE BEEF" or "USDA SELECT Sirloin" Sad ; (

4. Crab Salad at a Japanese place that uses FAKE crab. Sad ; (

5. Korean Sushi place that uses pre-cut/packaged/frozen fish (We're not in Seattle anymore, Dorthy) Sad ; (

What has happened to this craft? I should open a place next to college that's called "U-NUKE-IT" and there will be a microwave at each table. You order from a selection of frozen dinners and junk food; Cooked "TableSide"!
 
#10 ·
Bechemal sauce is traditionally made by whisking scalded milk gradually into a white flour-butter roux (equal parts clarified butter and flour by weight). Another method, considered less traditional, is to whisk kneaded flour-butter (beurre manié) into scalded milk. The thickness of the final sauce depends on the proportions of milk and flour. Bechemal sauce is more French than anything else I think, being a "mother sauce", but is is used in some Italian dishes.

Pete, Trooper, Buba ............... I really wanna get together with you guys if you're ever in the Chicagoland area. This stuff really cracks me up sometimes.
 
#11 ·
Mostly chain operations use packaged and frozen Hollandaise. Three big reasons are Health reasons, consistancy(same no matter who does it, and the cooks do not know how.  It is not cost because the stuff cost more then making from scratch. Many changes occured with already made foods when they came into this industry ..

It is more cost effective to purchase something already breaded then it is to have a guy stand thre and do it. I relate and compare it to gas stations .All of you older guys remember when you went into a gas station and there was always a guy to pump your gas(In fact you were not allowed to) thats a thing of the past .Look what they save by not having anyone there. It some instances it's called progress  (I did not say better)
 
#12 ·
Bechemal sauce is traditionally made by whisking scalded milk gradually into a white flour-butter roux (equal parts clarified butter and flour by weight). Another method, considered less traditional, is to whisk kneaded flour-butter (beurre manié) into scalded milk. The thickness of the final sauce depends on the proportions of milk and flour. Bechemal sauce is more French than anything else I think, being a "mother sauce", but is is used in some Italian dishes.
A traditional bechamel can indeed be made two ways, but...;

- adding cold milk to a hot roux, or, less often,

- adding crumbled cooled roux to boiling milk

Beurre manié is mostly used to bind other sauces. Bechamel is known and very frequently used in many more countries!

It's also used as a traditional base for making souflées and certainly for the following derivated sauces;

- sauce Soubise; bechamel + (cooked) purée of onions

- sauce Mornay; bechamel + grated cheese

- cream sauce; bechamel + fresh cream

- sauce Aurore; bechamel + tomato purée
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Mostly chain operations use packaged and frozen Hollandaise. Three big reasons are Health reasons, consistancy(same no matter who does it, and the cooks do not know how. It is not cost because the stuff cost more then making from scratch. Many changes occured with already made foods when they came into this industry ..

It is more cost effective to purchase something already breaded then it is to have a guy stand thre and do it. I relate and compare it to gas stations .All of you older guys remember when you went into a gas station and there was always a guy to pump your gas(In fact you were not allowed to) thats a thing of the past .Look what they save by not having anyone there. It some instances it's called progress (I did not say better)
This is a whole new topic in itself. The pricepoint of a place that does everything by hand is much higher than an AppleBees. Not everyone wants to pay $75 minimum for dinner.

what is really sad; Not everyone can tell the difference (nor do they care) between a hand-made ravioli and packaged re-boil ravioli; A sauce from scratch or one from a can/box/powder; Fresh pasta or dry; Prime steak or Choice; Fresh chicken and frozen/breaded . . . And on the other side of that are owner-operators that are seeing food and labor costs climb faster than their price-points in the marketplace.

You end up with a short-order model or a fine dine model, or some niche (like BBQ) in-between. I always wanted to open a tapas bistro. There is no way I could turn a profit the way I want to run it. sad.
 
#16 ·
That is why I classify   Olive Garden as Italian fast food. and Red Lobster fast seafood restaurant.
 
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#17 ·
The problem with making items from scratch is consistency. Some items ARE cheaper to make by hand then purchase. Hollandaise is not one of those, but Bechamel certainly is.

I don't like going out to eat for that very reason. Most places do not cook from scratch and I can taste that. Unless you spend an awful lot of money, your not going to get from scratch cooking that is any good. Even something as innocuous as a hamburger can be screwed up by a convenience food.
 
#19 ·
From what I am told Michelins is very insider and politically motivated.
 
#22 ·
Politicss Does not mean Governmental type, but like here in US is a figure of speech that means the underlying factors, between restauranteurs.
 
#24 ·
I'm with you on this, Ishbel. Haven't a clue what Ed means.

The only place where Michelin inspectors act differently is in France, itself, where the standards are different. But that's the only "political" consideration I'm aware of----the assumption that French cooking is automatically better, so has to be held to a higher standard. Within that framework, however, the mechanics of inspection and rating are the same everywhere.

As a general rule, when people complain that awards such as Michelin stars are politically motivated or based on other influences it usually means that the complainer hasn't made the cut---so, obviously, the problem lies with those doing the judging. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif
 
#26 ·
The gentleman who I know is French and does not own a restaurant and has nothing to gain . He is in food service there. He claims it has a lot to do with where your place is located and who you know and who knows you..He only knows personally  of one place that is rated and he says that they walk and talk to everyone else with thier noses held high. Take it from what he has said,   my opinion is not voiced. I have been to France and have eaten in many places and rated or not they were in my opinion (and I am the one paying )all fantastic, in particular the service.
 
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