What We Talk About When We Talk About Sauces

Oil meets vinegar—and with just a little coercion, they do mix.

Any sauce you put on salad.

Chunky sauces made with fruits, vegetables, and/or aromatics.

Relishes, in Mexican cuisine (they're not all spicy).

The embodiment of indulgence: egg yolks, butter, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Cool, creamy, tangy sauces.

Herb-based purees that aren't necessarily made with basil.

Pasta's perfect match can be made with fresh or canned tomatoes.

Searing something? These will put those flavorful browned bits in the pan to work. Pan sauces are named because you make them right in the pan after searing a protein. The flavorful browned bits left in the pan, called fond, are what give pan sauces their flavor.

See how pieces of meat and vegetables are married in the pan by stir fry sauces.

Boldly flavored simmering sauces hailing from India and Thailand.

The unexpected marriage of chiles and chocolate makes an amazingly complex simmering sauce.

Regional sauces with plenty of hometown character.

A deceptively simple fruit puree that can make any dish seem like it came from a restaurant kitchen.

Sugar, water, and cream come together to create this great topper for ice cream, cakes, and pies.