5 Common Sauce Mistakes (+ Tips and Solutions!)
It’s always good to master a small basic kitchen repertoire, and sauces are part of that too. We previously shared a long list of different sauces, and FavorFlav’s Sabina wrote about the difference between béarnaise and hollandaise sauce (and how to make them!). But mistakes are also sometimes made with a number of other commonly used sauces. Fortunately, mistakes that are fairly easy to fix…
Because a little basic knowledge can easily mean the difference between a dish that is fantastic, a bit ‘meh’, or, at its worst, a total failure. Hence these handy tips for five standard sauces, with which you might just become the savior of dinner!
Marinara sauce
One Italian tomato sauce isn’t the same as another, and every Italian will be grateful if you don’t lump them all together. Ragù, in which the meat basically cooks in the tomato sauce, needs to simmer for a very long time. The same goes for pomarola, a thick, rich tomato sauce eaten frequently in Tuscany. But marinara, the light red sauce that is so good with quick pasta dishes, should specifically not simmer for too long. Garlic, (canned) tomatoes and olive oil are essentially the perfect base, and it doesn’t need to simmer for longer than about twenty minutes.
Cheese sauce
The most important tip for cheese sauce is to use a combination of different cheeses. For example, (what older, aged) cheddar is delicious for its flavor, but although it becomes beautifully stringy (so it’s also perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches), it doesn’t melt completely. And you don’t want a stringy cheese sauce. Dutch cheese, on the other hand, melts very well, but if you use a soft young cheese, you’ll be missing some sharpness. So combine them, for the most delicious cheese sauce for mac ’n’ cheese or over fries!
Hollandaise sauce
Sabina wrote an extremely useful article about it, and Emma also knows what to do and offers tips on what to do if your sauce unexpectedly splits. Always handy, because at least this will keep your next luxurious homemade brunch with Jamie Oliver’s Eggs Benedict (and a glass of champagne?!) safe…
Gravy
Old-fashioned, velvety gravy requires quite a bit of attention. Unlike that delicious pan sauce, which can be rather rustic, with tasty bits of browned meat and, for example, a shallot, classic gravy is smooth and buttery—and that’s thanks to the roux at its base.
Roux is a mixture of equal parts fat and starch to which hot liquid is added, so the flavor of raw flour cooks out; it is then used to thicken a sauce. The most common problem is a lumpy roux and therefore lumpy gravy. You can prevent this by whisking vigorously while adding the flour to the pan with the fat, and also while adding the hot liquid. You can optionally use an immersion blender for this too.
But also be careful not to add too much flour; what seems like a good consistency at first can become so thick after a short time simmering that a spoon will stand upright in it. Such a shame. You can still try stirring in (more) hot stock. But conversely, never simply add ‘raw’ flour to hot liquid, because that will definitely give you lumps.
BBQ sauce
The problem with barbecue sauce often isn’t in making it, but in how it is subsequently used. You can easily make a tasty sauce by mixing ketchup to taste in a bowl with Worcestershire sauce, a spoonful of brown sugar, a few drops of soy sauce or tamari, and some onion and garlic powder (just taste to see what needs more).
But many people then spread that sauce on the meat before it goes on the grill or BBQ, effectively using it incorrectly as a marinade. That’s a shame, because the sugars caramelize long before the meat is cooked, causing the entire outside to burn. So make sure to spread the sauce on the meat right before the end, when the meat is about two-thirds cooked. That way you’ll get that delicious smoky flavor without any blackened mess. And since you’re doing so well, don’t make these other BBQ mistakes either!
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