I've been told that the fastest way to better your cooking is to learn
how to make sauces.
Ok. I know of a few, hollandaise, white & brown gravy, marinara. I
understand there are seven 'mother' sauces, yes?

How do I learn how to make sauces?
Any really good books about it?

"Pringles CheezUms" > wrote in message
...
> I've been told that the fastest way to better your cooking is to learn
> how to make sauces.
> Ok. I know of a few, hollandaise, white & brown gravy, marinara. I
> understand there are seven 'mother' sauces, yes?
>
> How do I learn how to make sauces?
> Any really good books about it?

Well I suppose a basic cookbook is a start. I don't know how many sauces
are but I rarely make any sauces! Exception perhaps being spaghetti type
sauce. I can't even put a label on mine. Just some form of tomato product.
Whatever I have in the house. Sauce, chopped, could even use paste and
water. Might add onions and peppers. Some black pepper, parsley, oregano.
Maybe a squirt of lemon juice.

White sauce is dead easy to make. Some form of fat and some form of
thickener. Amounts vary depending on how thick you want it and what you use
could vary depending on what you are doing with it. Add some salt and
pepper. Cook it until bubbly for about a minute, particularly if you are
using flour as your thickener to get rid of that raw flour taste. Then
slowly add your milk, stirring or whisking to prevent lumps. Once you get
the thickness that you want, take it off the heat. If you want a cheese
sauce, add your shredded cheese to it and stir or whisk until melted.
Reheat on a low heat if necessary.

If I want a gravy, I merely add thickener to my meat once it is cooked, then
add either milk or broth slowly until I get what I want. If I don't want
meat in the gravy then I start with fat, preferably fat that came from the
meat I will be stirring. In this case I will mix the thickener with some
cold water to make a paste then slowly add that and thin down as above.

I suppose that I have made other sauces over the years. I did make
hollandaise a time or two for asparagus but don't remember the particulars.
My family prefers pretty plain food so no need for sauces most of the time.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 05 Sep 2013 02:03:41 -0500, Pringles CheezUms wrote:
>
>> I've been told that the fastest way to better your cooking is to learn
>> how to make sauces.
>> Ok. I know of a few, hollandaise, white & brown gravy, marinara. I
>> understand there are seven 'mother' sauces, yes?
>
> There's 5.
>
6 if you add a can of condensed mushroom soup to the list{:-)
Graham

On Thu, 5 Sep 2013 06:39:19 -0600, "graham" > wrote:

>
>"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
>> On Thu, 05 Sep 2013 02:03:41 -0500, Pringles CheezUms wrote:
>>
>>> I've been told that the fastest way to better your cooking is to learn
>>> how to make sauces.
>>> Ok. I know of a few, hollandaise, white & brown gravy, marinara. I
>>> understand there are seven 'mother' sauces, yes?
>>
>> There's 5.
>>
>6 if you add a can of condensed mushroom soup to the list{:-)
>Graham
>

Which I never would!

John Kuthe...

On 2013-09-05, graham > wrote:

> 6 if you add a can of condensed mushroom soup to the list{:-)

Somehow, I can't quite bring myself to see carrageenan as a sauce.

nb

On 9/5/2013 7:39 AM, graham wrote:
> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Thu, 05 Sep 2013 02:03:41 -0500, Pringles CheezUms wrote:
>>
>>> I've been told that the fastest way to better your cooking is to learn
>>> how to make sauces.
>>> Ok. I know of a few, hollandaise, white & brown gravy, marinara. I
>>> understand there are seven 'mother' sauces, yes?
>>
>> There's 5.
>>
> 6 if you add a can of condensed mushroom soup to the list{:-)
> Graham


Graham, you are just asking to get THWACKED! lol

Becca

On Thursday, September 5, 2013 3:03:41 AM UTC-4, Pringles CheezUms wrote:
> I've been told that the fastest way to better your cooking is to learn
>
> how to make sauces.
>
> Ok. I know of a few, hollandaise, white & brown gravy, marinara. I
>
> understand there are seven 'mother' sauces, yes?
>
>
>
> How do I learn how to make sauces?
>
> Any really good books about it?

_Sauces_ by James Peterson will keep you busy for a while.

--
Silvar Beitel

Pringles CheezUms wrote:
>
> How do I learn how to make sauces?
> Any really good books about it?

I've got an autographed copy of this book and it's pretty good for
ideas.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-.../dp/B00D1GFGEK
I worked at her house for a week and she very nicely gave me 2 signed
books of hers....this was maybe 15 years ago.

G.

Pringles CheezUms > wrote:

> I've been told that the fastest way to better your cooking is to learn
> how to make sauces.

It depends on the kind of cooking you are interested in.

> Ok. I know of a few, hollandaise, white & brown gravy, marinara. I
> understand there are seven 'mother' sauces, yes?

It seems, it is French sauces you have in mind. Depending on the source
- Carême or Escoffier, for example - and point of time, there are three,
four, or five (and possibly even six) sauces mères.

> How do I learn how to make sauces?
> Any really good books about it?

I find the chapter on sauces in La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange
to be really illuminating, as it provides not only instructions but also
very good explanations as to the purpose of each sauce - and a seamless
transition to traditional French recipes using them. The book is
available in English translation.

Victor

On Thu, 5 Sep 2013 13:23:10 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

> I saw the previous edition of this textbook at Half Price Books this
> morning

No one cares, **** off and die.

On Thu, 5 Sep 2013 02:15:59 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

> There's 5

....reasons to put you in a landfill, neeedle dick.

Emeril did a show on mother sauces, if you can locate it. Youtube maybe? Otherwise, good old Joy of Cooking.


I love a good mornay, but it's not exactly American Heart Association approved.