Three bases. Many good sauces.
Learn three bases and make many sauces without starting again each time. Choose the liquid, add one main flavour and adjust the finish. Find specific quantities, variations and help when your sauce needs rescuing.
AI-generated illustration.
One base. A few choices. A new sauce.
Choose the base first, then the liquid and one main flavour. Finish with salt and, if needed, a little acid or fat. Quantities are starting points for about four people; taste and assess consistency after heating.
Base 1 · flour roux
30 g butter + 30 g plain flour + 5 dl liquid. Heat butter and flour together. Add liquid gradually and whisk smooth. Simmer for 5–10 minutes. Use milk for white sauce, mild stock for a light stock sauce, or meat stock and a browned roux for brown sauce. See the methods below.
Base 2 · stock and cream
1 small shallot + 1 tbsp olive oil + 3 dl stock + 2 dl whipping cream. Gently cook the finely chopped onion until soft, add stock and simmer for a few minutes. Add cream and simmer gently until the flavours combine. This is a sauce base; cream does not guarantee thickness. Thicken cautiously if needed.
Base 3 · tomato
1 small yellow onion + 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 garlic clove + 400 g chopped tomatoes. Gently cook the finely chopped onion until soft for 5–10 minutes. Add finely chopped garlic for the final half-minute, then the tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for 15–25 minutes and add a little water if needed. Season with salt. The final yield depends on reduction.
The 5 dl for the roux can be milk, prepared stock or a mixture. For the stock/cream base, choose beef, chicken or vegetable stock to suit the food. Replacing cream with stock gives a lighter base that often needs thickening. Dilute stock concentrate first.
Turn the base into a new sauce.
The additions below apply to one whole base from the overview above. They are suggested starting quantities. Begin with small amounts of strong or salty ingredients and taste before adding more.
| Base | Variation | When to add it | Result / serves with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roux + milk | 75–100 g grated cheese | Stir in a little at a time off the heat. Taste before salting. | Cheese sauce · pasta, cauliflower and gratins |
| Roux + milk or mild stock | 1–2 tsp Dijon mustard | Stir in towards the end, starting with 1 tsp. | Mustard sauce · fish, chicken and pork |
| Roux + chicken or vegetable stock | ½–1 tsp curry powder | Warm briefly in the fat before the flour, without scorching. | Mild curry sauce · chicken and vegetables |
| Roux + mild stock | 1–2 tbsp chopped parsley or dill, optionally a little lemon | Herbs at the end; lemon drop by drop to taste. | Herb sauce · fish and vegetables |
| Browned roux + meat stock | Replace up to 1 dl stock with strained pan juices | While adding liquid. Taste the pan juices first; they may be salty. | Brown pan gravy · roasts and Norwegian meat patties |
| Stock and cream | ½–1 tsp coarsely crushed black pepper | Warm briefly with the softened onion before adding liquid. | Pepper sauce · steak and pork |
| Stock and cream | 250 g browned mushrooms | Brown mushrooms separately and add before simmering. | Mushroom sauce · meat, chicken and pasta |
| Stock and cream | 1–2 tsp Dijon mustard + 1 tbsp chopped tarragon | Towards the end. For dried tarragon, start with ¼ tsp and let infuse for a few minutes. | Mustard and tarragon sauce · chicken and pork |
| Tomato | ½–1 tsp dried oregano | Simmer with the tomatoes. | Oregano sauce · pasta and meatballs |
| Tomato | A small pinch of chilli flakes | Add with the tomatoes and taste before increasing. | Chilli tomato sauce · pasta and barbecued food |
| Tomato | 1 dl whipping cream | Stir in towards the end and heat gently through. | Creamy tomato sauce · pasta and chicken |
Try one change at a time. For example, make the stock/cream base with chicken stock and mustard first. Next time, add tarragon. You will learn what each variation does instead of losing track among many flavours.
Allergens depend on your choices: a roux contains wheat and butter; milk, cream and cheese introduce milk, and mustard is a separate allergen. Stock may contain celery. Pure cornflour (cornstarch) is gluten-free, but check the rest of the sauce too.
What should the sauce do?
Around 4–5 dl finished sauce is a practical starting point for four people. Adjust for the accompaniments: potatoes and rice often call for more sauce than a small steak dish.
| Food | Suitable sauce | Flavour foundation |
|---|---|---|
| Steak and fried meat | Pan gravy, pepper sauce or mushroom sauce | Browning, stock and optionally cream |
| Norwegian meat patties and roasts | Brown sauce | Nut-brown roux and meat stock |
| Fish and vegetables | Light stock sauce, white sauce or hollandaise | Mild base and a gently acidic finish |
| Chicken | Light stock sauce, mushroom sauce or mustard sauce | Chicken stock, herbs and suitable body |
| Pasta | Tomato sauce, cheese sauce or sauce bound with pasta water | Let the sauce cling to the pasta rather than pool at the bottom |
| Stewing meat | The casserole’s own sauce | Stock, vegetables and the meat’s pan juices |
Build flavour before adjusting thickness.
Save the browned flavour
After browning, set the meat aside and pour off excess fat. Add a little water or stock to the pan and loosen the brown deposits. If they are black and bitter, start with a clean pan.
Choose suitable stock
Use lightly salted stock if the sauce will reduce. Prepared stock and stock concentrate are different products; dilute concentrate according to the label. See the stock guide.
Taste with the food
Try a little sauce with meat, potato or pasta. Adjust salt gradually. A few drops of lemon or vinegar can lift a heavy sauce, but add a little at a time. See the flavour balance guide.
A thick sauce can be tasteless. Thin pan juices can be full of flavour. Aim for a consistency that suits the dish and assess the sauce at serving temperature.
Choose a thickener for what the sauce needs.
The quantities below apply to 5 dl sauce or sauce base, not the volume of a whole casserole containing meat and vegetables. These are starting points: ingredients and desired thickness vary.
Potato or vegetable purée
Mash a couple of cooked potato pieces with a little sauce and stir back in. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Particularly suitable for casseroles that already contain potato, such as 1021. Vegetable purée also adds body but can alter flavour and make the sauce more rustic.
Cornflour: adjust at the end
Begin cautiously with 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) + 1 tbsp cold water. This provides a small adjustment; a very thin base may need more. Stir the slurry again and pour gradually into simmering sauce, stirring. Simmer for 1–2 minutes before considering more. Use corn starch, not whole corn flour or polenta. Do not sprinkle powder directly into the sauce.
Roux: build the sauce from the start
30 g butter + 30 g plain flour for 5 dl liquid is a practical starting point for a medium-bodied white sauce. Heat butter and flour together before adding liquid gradually. Brown the roux for brown sauce. Flour thickening needs simmering and stirring, not just a quick boil.
Reduction: when flavour is weak too
Simmer uncovered. Taste as you go: salt becomes more concentrated too. Remove fully tender meat before prolonged reduction. If the sauce is already salty enough, choose a different thickening method.
Cream and butter are not universal thickeners. Cream adds roundness but may initially thin the sauce. Cold butter whisked in at the end adds gloss and a little body. Avoid vigorous boiling afterwards. Potato starch behaves differently from cornflour; follow a recipe designed for potato starch instead of substituting one for one.
Five sauces to know.
These are Sapidus’ suggested basic quantities. Adjust flavour and consistency for the dish; these variations are not recorded as home-tested recipes.
White sauce · béchamel
30 g butter, 30 g plain flour and 5 dl milk. Melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook gently for 1–2 minutes without browning. Add milk in several stages, whisking smooth between additions. Simmer gently for 5–10 minutes, stirring along the bottom. Season with salt, pepper and optionally a little nutmeg.
For cheese sauce: take the pan off the heat and stir in grated cheese in small batches. Start with 75–100 g. Taste before salting; cheese adds salt. See the cheese guide.
Brown sauce · for meat patties and roasts
30 g butter, 30 g plain flour and 5 dl meat stock. Heat butter and flour together, stirring, until the roux is nut-brown without burning. Gradually add stock and whisk smooth. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, and season. A little strained pan juice can replace some stock. A darker roux may require consistency adjustments.
Simple pan gravy · without wine
Browned pan deposits and about 5 dl lightly salted stock. Deglaze with a little stock, strain if needed and add the rest. Simmer uncovered until flavourful; the final yield will be less than 5 dl. For more body, use a little cornflour following the method above. Remove from the heat and optionally whisk in 10–20 g cold butter in small pieces. Season at the end.
Pepper sauce · stock and cream
1 small shallot, 1 tbsp olive oil, ½–1 tsp coarsely crushed black pepper, 3 dl meat stock and 2 dl whipping cream. Gently soften the finely chopped onion in the oil. Add pepper and warm briefly without scorching. Add stock, simmer for a few minutes and add cream. Simmer gently until flavours combine and adjust thickness if needed. Start with the smaller pepper quantity and taste before increasing.
Mushroom sauce · brown the mushrooms first
250 g button or chestnut mushrooms, 1 small shallot, 1 tbsp olive oil, 3 dl stock and 2 dl whipping cream. Slice the mushrooms and brown in batches. Add the onion towards the end and soften. Add stock and loosen the browned deposits, add cream and simmer until the mushrooms are tender and the flavour is good. Season and adjust thickness. See the mushroom guide.
Tomato sauce: let onion, tomato and your chosen cooking time guide the style. For a quick meal, use the recipe search and search for tomato sauce. Taste the tomatoes before deciding whether the sauce needs sweetness or acidity adjustment.
Hollandaise and béarnaise need gentle heat.
These sauces are emulsions: fat is dispersed in a water-based mixture with the help of egg yolk and whisking. Hollandaise usually has lemon notes; béarnaise uses an acidic reduction and tarragon. Use a dedicated detailed recipe the first time you make them.
Heat the egg mixture gently over a water bath and whisk in butter a little at a time. Excessive heat can coagulate the eggs and split the sauce. Do not let the sauce boil vigorously. Make it close to serving.
If the emulsion splits: remove it from the heat. If the eggs have not become grainy, a fresh egg yolk in a clean bowl over a gentle water bath may help: whisk in the split sauce very gradually. See TINE’s detailed method in the sources.
Rescue the sauce, one adjustment at a time.
Too thin
Taste first. Good flavour: adjust with a little thickener. Weak flavour and little salt: reduce. In potato casseroles, mash some potatoes before considering extra starch.
Too thick
Add a little water, milk or unsalted stock suitable for the base. Add a tablespoon or two at a time, heat through and taste again.
Lumps
Whisk thoroughly or strain. A hand blender can help with a smooth sauce, but first remove meat and any pieces you want to retain. Next time, add liquid to the roux gradually or dissolve cornflour fully in cold liquid.
Too salty
Stop reducing. Increase the quantity with unsalted sauce base or mix with a fresh unsalted batch. Sugar may hide some saltiness but does not remove salt. A potato does not selectively extract salt either.
Fat floats on top
Skim excess fat from stock sauces and casseroles. Butter-and-egg sauces may have a broken emulsion; use the method above. Different sauce types need different help.
Burnt flavour
Pour carefully into a clean pan without scraping the bottom. Taste before continuing. A distinctly burnt flavour can rarely be repaired with spices or cream.
Make one change, heat through and taste again. You will know what actually helped.
Sources and further reading
Source research is AI-assisted. Kitchen examples, proposed tests and troubleshooting are Sapidus’ practical applications of the source material.