Technique
Techniques
Eight short guides on how a sauce actually comes together, each one grounded in what the catalog shows rather than a general rule of thumb.
Ratios
Why chefs ignore the 3 to 1 rule
Culinary school teaches 3 parts fat to 1 part acid. The catalog shows most chefs run sharper, and only 17% land in that band.
Emulsions
What holds a vinaigrette together
Oil and acid separate on their own. Mustard, egg yolk, and honey hold them together. Here is what an emulsifier does and why the shake matters.
Acid
Lemon or vinegar
Lemon juice outnumbers every vinegar in the catalog by a wide margin. Here is how chefs actually choose an acid, and when each one fits.
Pan sauce
Reading a pan sauce
Fond, deglazing, reduction, and mounted butter. How a pan sauce comes together, and why 95 of the catalog’s 161 are marked stove work.
Emulsion family
Mayo, aioli, and remoulade
Mayonnaise, aioli, and remoulade all start as an egg emulsion. Catalog counts by category, and what actually tells them apart.
Salsa
Salsa ratios
Fresh salsa and cooked salsa balance the same three things differently. Catalog data on 129 salsa recipes and how many ingredients they run.
The shake
The cold shake
A capped jar and a firm shake can emulsify and combine. It cannot caramelize or reduce. Where the shake ends and the stove begins.
Yields
How much sauce per serving
Catalog yields run from a tablespoon to several liters. Rules of thumb for dressings, dips, and glazes, plus how long each keeps in the fridge.
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