Basic Mother sauces

[jennerose]

Sauce:Sauce is a thick consistency liquid wtich is made with the combination of stock and roux with puree of the vegetables.sauce is made to enrich the food items as an accompaninent.
Mother sauces are bechamel,hollandaise,mayonnaise,espangole,tomato,veloute are the six basic sauce.

Some examples are
Roast lamb-Mint Sauce
Roast Trukey-canberry sauce
Roast Beef-apple sauce
Roast chicken-bread sauce.

 

[cjs]

Mayo is not a mother sauce - otherwise, you have the five mother sauces correct.

Personally, I prefer this definition of 'sauce' - "...a flavored liquid designed to accompany food in order to enhance or bring out its flavor." from A Food Lover's Companion.

 

[ironchef]

jennerose, it's cool that you like posting informative threads, but at least make your posts accurate and current. Many people refer to this site for educational and informative purposes. Not only do we already have accurate, and informative threads on the FIVE mother sauces (yes, mayonnaise is not a Mother sauce), the definition of sauce that you posted is out of date. These days, anything can be a sauce beit a reduction of some sort, a nage/consomme, a vinaigrette, any liquid mounted and thickened with butter, etc., etc.

 

[Constance]

Excuse my ignorance, Iron Chef, but if Vinaigrette can be a sauce, then why not mayonaisse?

 

[ironchef]

Excuse my ignorance, Iron Chef, but if Vinaigrette can be a sauce, then why not mayonaisse?

They can both be sauces but neither is one of the five mother sauces.

 

[Caine]

My mother never made ANY of those sauces, except for the tomato.

 

[Yakuta]

I agree with ironchef, that any reduction can be a sauce. Also mother sauces as you classify them differ from cuisine to cuisine.
For example in Indian cooking none of the above are considered mother of sauces. I would assume it would be the same for Chinese cooking, Middle Eastern cooking etc.

 

[black chef]

IMHO, referring to sauces as "mother sauces" should be prefaced by stating that you're talking about french cooking, right?

 

[Fisher's Mom]

What is a mother sauce? Is it like a base from which all more complicated sauces start?

 

[Andy M.]

What is a mother sauce? Is it like a base from which all more complicated sauces start?

Yes, that's it.

 

[KitchenSally]

My mother never made ANY of those sauces, except for the tomato.

 

[wysiwyg]

Constance... Mayonaisse and vinaigrette are part of the so called small sauces, derivatives of the Mother sauces.
Black Chef.... Indeed, when talking about "Mother Sauces" is in reference to French cuisine. This is due to the designation that I believe Careme gave to them.
Fisher Mom... you are correct, the Mother Sauces are the base for all other sauces called small that can be Hot, Cold and Butter Compounds as classified by Escoffier. I believe he identified approx. 120 small sauces and I am sure there are many, many more now. Sorry if I am not 100% accurate, my PC is in the basement and I am too lazy to go and check the Escoffier book in the kitchen.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

[wysiwyg] Mother Sauces are the base for all other sauces called small that can be Hot, Cold and Butter Compounds as classified by Escoffier. I believe he identified approx. 120 small sauces and I am sure there are many, many more now. [/QUOTE]

This is all new to me! Of course, I have eaten meals out that had these sauces but never really considered all the knowledge and skill behind just the sauce. (Sometimes my own ignorance astounds me!) Since we're discussing this, do all accomplished cooks learn to make these 5 Mother sauces? I mean, is it sort of like learning to play piano or some other skill - you need to master the basics of these sauces as a foundation for learning other things? Or are these the types of things that one learns and attempts only after becoming proficient in preparing the foods they will enhance?

 

[wysiwyg]

Hello Fisher's Mom,
You couldn't stated better... just as you must master very early major scales in piano or pizzicattos in the violin, you must master these Mother Sauces since they are the foundation of many more and others that you may create yourself. Like learning letters, then words, sentences to express yourself.

I am not a professional cook, but I can speak from what I've seen in France thru friends who are professional cooks. Perhaps is different in USA (I doubt it), you learn this very early, it is not something you attempt to do after you are very proficient in your trade. Sauces are an integral part of cooking.

As Fernand Point (famous French restaurateur) said it: In the orchestra of La grande Cuisine, the Saucier is the Soloist.

 

[ironchef]

A more informative thread regarding the five mother sauces is here:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f19/what-are-the-basic-mother-sauces-21001.html

 

[TheBrainchildGroup]

My mother never made ANY of those sauces, except for the tomato.

LOL!!! Mine too

-AS

 

[LEFSElover]

Sauce:Sauce is a thick consistency liquid wtich is made with the combination of stock and roux with puree of the vegetables.sauce is made to enrich the food items as an accompaninent.
Mother sauces are bechamel,hollandaise,mayonnaise,espangole,tomato,veloute are the six basic sauce.

Some examples are
Roast lamb-Mint Sauce
Roast Trukey-canberry sauce
Roast Beef-apple sauce
Roast chicken-bread sauce.

is it me or is someone trying really hard to confuse the heck out of me?
apple sauce, cranberry sauce, these are examples of what exactly?

 

[stassie]

is it me or is someone trying really hard to confuse the heck out of me?
apple sauce, cranberry sauce, these are examples of what exactly?

Examples of sauces... I guess?

But apple sauce with roast beef? (Or is that just a cultural thing we don't do over here? Pork, yes: beef, not so much).

 

[LEFSElover]

Examples of sauces... I guess?

But apple sauce with roast beef? (Or is that just a cultural thing we don't do over here? Pork, yes: beef, not so much).

pork yes, apple, no, not here in Los Angeles either far as I know and I've lived here all my life

 

[DannoDog]

I think of mayo as the paste in a sandwich. Otherwise the five are correct as CJS said.