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

The classic vinaigrette ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part acid. Across 660 chef recipes the median is 2.4:1, and only 17% land near 3:1.

Emulsions

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 juice is in 609 of 2,599 chef sauces, 2.4 times the top vinegar. Which acid suits which sauce, and when one can stand in.

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

Mayonnaise, aioli, and remoulade all start as an egg emulsion. Catalog counts by category, and what actually tells them apart.

Salsa

Chef tomato salsas use a median of 5.2 parts tomato to 1 part onion by weight and about 1.25 g of salt per 100 g. Ratios from 53 recipes.

The 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

Plan on 2 tablespoons of dressing, dip or barbecue sauce per serving and 1 of mayonnaise, the FDA label amounts, and see how far a chef recipe goes.