Sauce is the most pertinent part of most meals. Fernand Point, the father of modern French cuisine said it best: "It is the sauce that distinguishes a good chef. The Saucier is a soloist in the orchestra of a great kitchen."
A superb sauce balances diverse flavors, brings out ingredients, and can alleviate dryness. Sauces literally make or break meals. So here are six bottled sauces and condiments that you have probably never tried and will most certainly rock your saucy world.
Hellman's Creamy Balsamic Mayonnaise
Mayo is always a nice way to upgrade and saturate a sandwich, but it can be mundane. Enter the ubiquitous Hellman's to zest up pedestrian mayo with a great balsamic vinegar flavor. It has the same creamy taste as mayonnaise but with a soothing balsamic layer. This will definitely enhance your grilled burgers.
Mike's Hot Honey
Honey is sweet, healthy, and immensely underutilized. Mike's Hot Honey adds a solid kick with chiles and vinegar to its Brooklyn honey. It will work exquisitely on ribs and chicken wings. It also works majestically on pizza. I know spicy honey on pizza sounds absurd, but try it and you will always crave it.
Mr. Yoshida's Marinade
Mr. Yoshida's Marinade is a versatile, sweet-and-savory sauce that can be used for all types of cooking. Making chicken with this sauce is so freaking good. It is like an amped up version of a sweet soy sauce but the mirin and garlic balance it out. Your chicken is begging for some Yoshida.
Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing
Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing actually tastes like the nectar of a deity. The base is an interesting twist on a tahini dressing with apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and lemon juice, among other ingredients. It will turn any humdrum salad into a tasty bowl of addiction. It is truly versatile and a welcome addition to falafel, chicken wraps, and sandwiches.
Great Value Southwest Spicy Mustard
Great Value Southwest Spicy Mustard is one of my favorite mustards ever. Complain all you want about Walmart, but they pay higher wages than Target and make this exquisite mustard. Great Value is the Walmart-made line of products. This mustard blend's ingredient list of sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, red and green peppers, paprika, and turmeric does not look like anything special, but, oh, it truly is. The way they are thrown together adds a dash of spice that goes sensationally well with hot dogs. A pro tip is to add it to tuna fish with your mayo. You will never ever make tuna again without this mustard.
Old Fashioned Sauce
Peter Luger Steak House is a New York institution. This iconic Brooklyn place still grills some of the best meat around. So thank the Lord that Publix carries their phenomenal Old Fashioned Sauce. It is a delectable mix between cocktail and steak sauce with vinegar, horseradish, molasses, anchovies, and tamarind. This sauce is so tasty that I literally drink it straight from the bottle.
I would love to hear about your favorite sauces and condiments. Tweet me at @Aricurian.
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