Subject: / Key information:
Sauces: / Are used:
-To add texture
-To add colour
-To add interest
-To add nutritional Value
-To bind ingredients
-To enhance flavour
Types of sauces: / Starched based sauces:
  • Starch from wheatflour, arrowroot and cornflour is used to thicken a liquid. When the mixtures are heated they become thick- gelatinisation.
Fruit or vegetable sauce:
  • Cooked or raw fruits or vegetables can be pureed to produce a smooth sauce.
Egg based sauces:
  • When eggs are heated they coagulate and thicken a sauce.
Oil/water emulsions:
  • If oil and water are mixed, they become dispersed in each an form an emulsion.
Cream:
  • Cream can be mixed with flavouring e.g mustard and peppercorns.

Types of Sauce: / Roux Sauce:
- Flour or cornflour
- Milk or stock
- Soft spread or butter
  • Thickness depends on amount of flour and liquid
  • Equal amounts of fat and flour
  • Used to pour, coat and bind
  • Traditional Method
  1. Melt fat and stir in flour
  2. Cook for 1min and take of heat
  3. Add the liquid slowly and stir continuously
  4. Heat slowly to thicken, stirring all the time.
All-in-one sauce:
- Flour or cornflour
- Milk or stock
- Soft spread or butter
  • Same ingredients as the roux
  • Quick and easy
  1. Add liquid, flour and fat to saucepan
  2. Heat slowly whisking all the time
Blended sauces:
- Cornflour or arrowroot
- Liquid-fruit juice
  • Simple sauce to make
  • Poring consistency
  1. Blend starch with a small amount of liquid
  2. Heat the remainder of the liquid
  3. Sir liquid into blend the starch
  4. Reheat, stirring all the time until it reaches boiling point.

Function of Ingredients: / Flour:
  • When mixed with a liquid and heated the starch granules thicken- gelatinisation.
Salt:
  • Improves the flavour
Fat:
  • Adds flavour which is absorbed by the flour when the sauce is heated
Liquid:
  • The main ingredient
  • The liquid is needed for the gelatinisation of starch.

Faults when sauce making: / The sauce is too thick:
  • Inaccurate weighing of thickening agent
  • Inaccurate weighing of liquid
The sauce is lumpy:
  • The mixture wasn’t stirred continuously
  • Liquid added too quickly
  • Heated too quickly
The sauce is a poor colour:
  • Flour has burnt at the bottom of the saucepan
  • Metal spoon used in a metal saucepan resulting in grey sauce
The sauce is a poor flavour:
  • Insufficient flavouring
  • Mild cheese used