Guide: How to Make Basic Sauces

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 10–25 minut,es depending on sauce type

Knowing how to make basic sauces transforms simple ingredients into restaurant-quality meals. A plain chicken breast becomes interesting with the right sauce. Sauces are where home cooks can easily elevate their cooking. This guide teaches five fundamental sauces that work across dozens of dishes: simple tomato sauce, pan sauce, vinaigrette, basic white sauce (béchamel), and stir-fry sauce. Master these and you'll never rely on jarred sauces again.

What You'll Need

Materials

• Medium saucepan
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Small bowl for mixing
• Storage containers with lids

Prerequisites

• Basic cooking skills (sautéing, simmering)
• Ability to whisk smoothly
• Understanding of when to use high, medium, and low heat
• Ingredients specific to chosen sauce (listed in each method)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Choose your sauce based on your meal

• Simple tomato sauce: For pasta, pizza, or baked dishes. Takes 20–25 minutes.
• Pan sauce: For chicken, pork, or steak you just cooked. Takes 5–7 minutes.
• Vinaigrette: For salads or roasted vegetables. Takes 3 minutes.
• White sauce (béchamel): For mac and cheese, lasagna, or creamy dishes. Takes 10–15 minutes.
• Stir-fry sauce: For Asian-style vegetable or protein dishes. Takes 2 minutes mixing.

Each sauce uses different techniques and ingredients.

Step 2: For tomato sauce—sauté aromatics then simmer

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add 3 minced garlic cloves and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, cook 30 seconds until fragrant (don't burn). Add one 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce thickens as water evaporates. Taste and adjust salt. This basic version works for everything.

Step 3: For pan sauce—use drippings plus liquid plus butter

After cooking protein (chicken, pork, steak), remove meat but leave browned bits in pan. Add 1/2 cup liquid (wine, broth, or water) and scrape bottom with wooden spoon to release browned bits—this is called "deglazing." Simmer liquid 3–4 minutes until reduced by half and slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in 2 tablespoons cold butter until melted and glossy. Pour over protein. This method works with any cooked meat.

Step 4: For vinaigrette—whisk acid with oil in 1:3 ratio

In small bowl, combine 1/4 cup acid (vinegar or lemon juice), 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pinch black pepper. Whisk together. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in 3/4 cup olive oil in thin stream. The mixture will thicken and emulsify (combine smoothly). If it doesn't thicken, you poured oil too fast—add another teaspoon mustard and whisk vigorously. Stores 2 weeks refrigerated.

Step 5: For white sauce—make roux then add milk gradually

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons flour and whisk constantly for 2 minutes (this is "roux"). Don't let it brown. Gradually add 2 cups milk in small splashes, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. After all milk is incorporated, simmer 5–7 minutes, whisking occasionally, until thick enough to coat back of spoon. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and pinch nutmeg.

Step 6: For stir-fry sauce—combine in bowl and add to hot pan

In small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon sugar (or honey), 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon grated ginger. This is your complete sauce. After stir-frying vegetables and protein, push everything to sides of pan, pour sauce in center, let it bubble for 30 seconds, then toss everything together. Sauce thickens instantly from cornstarch.

Step 7: Taste and adjust seasoning before serving

Always taste sauce before serving. Ask: Does it need more salt? More acid (lemon/vinegar)? More sweetness? More heat (pepper or hot sauce)? More depth (butter, soy sauce, parmesan)? Make small adjustments and taste again. Tasting and adjusting is the difference between okay sauce and excellent sauce. Never skip this step.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Adding liquid to roux all at once (for white sauce): Dumping all the milk into the roux at once creates lumps that won't smooth out. Add milk gradually in small additions, whisking constantly after each addition. Start with just a splash, whisk until smooth, add another splash, repeat. This gradual process creates perfectly smooth sauce. Once half the milk is incorporated, you can add the rest more quickly.
• Not deglazing the pan properly (for pan sauce): Those brown bits stuck to the pan contain concentrated flavor that makes pan sauce special. If you don't scrape them up with your wooden spoon, you're wasting the best part. Use the liquid to loosen them—add wine or broth, then scrape firmly. The liquid should turn brown as flavor dissolves into it.
• Pouring oil too fast into vinaigrette: Oil must be added very slowly—in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Fast pouring breaks the emulsion and you end up with separated, oily dressing instead of smooth, thick vinaigrette. If it separates, start over with fresh mustard and slowly add the broken vinaigrette as your "oil." Patience creates perfect vinaigrette.
• Cooking tomato sauce on too high heat: High heat burns garlic and makes tomato sauce bitter and acidic. Medium or medium-low heat lets tomatoes mellow and sweeten while thickening. The sauce should bubble gently, not violently. If sauce is spattering aggressively, heat is too high. Gentle simmer for 20 minutes beats aggressive simmer for 10 minutes.
• Not tasting and adjusting before serving: Many home cooks make a sauce and serve it without tasting. Restaurants taste everything before serving. Your sauce might need more salt, a squeeze of lemon, or pinch of sugar to balance flavors. Always taste, identify what's missing, adjust, and taste again. This final adjustment is what makes sauces memorable.

Pro Tips

• Add pasta water to thin out tomato or white sauce: If sauce becomes too thick, add pasta cooking water (or regular water) a tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. The starch in pasta water helps sauce cling to pasta. This also works for reheating sauce—it often thickens in refrigerator and needs thinning before serving.
• Finish every sauce with cold butter for restaurant richness: Add 1–2 tablespoons cold butter at the very end, off heat, stirring until just melted. This technique (called "mounting") makes sauce glossy, rich, and professionally delicious. Works for tomato sauce, pan sauce, and white sauce. Butter added at the end creates different texture than butter cooked throughout.
• Double or triple sauce recipes and freeze in portions: Tomato sauce and stir-fry sauce freeze perfectly for 3 months. White sauce freezes okay (may need whisking when reheated). Make large batches and freeze in 1-cup portions. Having homemade sauce ready to go makes weeknight dinners effortless. Mark containers with date and sauce type.
• Add fresh herbs at the very end, not during cooking: If using fresh basil, parsley, or cilantro, tear or chop and add in the final minute. Cooking fresh herbs too long makes them lose bright flavor and color. Dried herbs add at beginning; fresh herbs add at end. This single timing change dramatically improves fresh herb flavor.
• Master these five sauces before learning others: These five sauces (tomato, pan, vinaigrette, white, stir-fry) provide foundations for hundreds of meals. Once these feel natural, you can learn hollandaise, béarnaise, pesto, or specialty sauces. But these five cover 80% of home cooking needs. Depth beats breadth—master a few rather than attempting dozens.

Related Skills

• How to Cook Basic Proteins
• How to Boil Pasta Al Dente
• How to Season Food Without Recipes
• How to Use Kitchen Knives Properly