What the chefs’ prefer – in-house made sauces or ready mixes?

Sauces are the melding of ingredients including stocks, wine, aromatics, herbs and dairy into a harmonious taste. Most small sauces are based on the principle of reduction; cooking down various liquids with aromatics, wine, and herbs, to meld, concentrate, and balance the flavor and consistency.
Sauces add flavor, texture, moistness, viscosity, and eye appeal to a dish. They help pull together the various elements of a plate and make it whole. Sauces add contrasting or complimentary favors and colors to a plate thereby keeping the dish interesting and appealing throughout the dining experience.

Keeping consistency is the biggest challenge of every chef. The sauce thus has an equal if not more weightage when it comes to a dish composition. Hence it is very important to get it right all the time.

Kapil Sahi, Executive Chef , Radisson Noida

Kapil Sahi, Executive Chef , Radisson Noida says, “It’s a major task as sauces are a base for any dish so keeping balance is quite essential so developing standard recipes for the same and making sure that recipe is followed throughout and prepare a balance between premix and fresh to make preparation more efficient and tasteful.”

Chef Anuraag Narsingani from JW Marriott Pune

With our cuisines being high on flavour and aroma, preparing consistent sauces is no easy task. While it’s easier to use ready-made mixes and sauces in cooking, it is very much necessary to exemplify a touch of creativity and love for cooking by self-preparation. Chef Anuraag Narsingani from JW Marriott Pune says, “Along with striving towards improving the taste and quality of their recipes, chefs should also look towards curating and implementing a good, feasible and efficient training model for the team. If the recipe portfolio is in place and is monitored regularly, achieving consistency is highly attainable.”

Arun Mathur, Senior Executive Sous Chef of Trident, Gurgaon

Arun Mathur Senior Executive Sous Chef of Trident, Gurgaon says,” Preparing consistent sauces is not a challenge because of regular training regime and standardized recipe that we follow at Trident Gurgaon and constantly do their follow-ups to update new employees joining the team.” 

Ready mixes taking the spot

The ready mixes may bring down the head ache of achieving consistency every single time to very minimal and it increases easiness of handling, production and delivery.

Soju Philip, Executive Chef, Ramada Resort Kochi

Soju Philip, Executive Chef, Ramada Resort Kochi says, “These can be handy when it comes to the challenge of keeping consistency and taste of the product as its pre set ratio helps everyone to prepare their dishes in very minimal efforts with maximum value.”

Chef Narsingani says, “Ready to use mixes is handy. Our guests have broadened their taste with the growth in fusion food cooking and knowledge of world cuisine; they expect vast range of flavours on every menu especially with cuisines like Chinese, Japanese and Italian.

Challenge will certainly be there in both the cases whether you say preparing in house or procuring the pre mixes/Sauces. To retain the consistency of an in-house produce, major challenges faced by the chefs are, quality of the ingredients, proper training and the most important issue is the retention of staff as they have number of options open in todays scenario.

Stalin Louis, Executive Sous Chef, Fortune Hotels by ITC

Stalin Louis, Executive Sous Chef, Fortune Hotels by ITC says, “The real challenge faced with premixes, bases and sauces is the “supply”. If the supply chain is strong and is able to cater the requirements on time then I am sure most of them would prefer this.”

Mayur Ramachandran, Executive Chef, Holiday Inn , Bengaluru Racecourse

Ready-to-use sauces can solve the consistency conundrum. Mayur Ramachandran, Executive Chef, Holiday Inn , Bengaluru Racecourse says, “The extent of usage of these ingredients is strictly to be governed by entities and they are responsible to ensure safe, wholesome, fresh and nutritious food is offered to all guests. These days’ guests/consumers are aware and well-travelled and demand the best to be offered to them and I believe it is also the right thing to do.”

Bidesh Biswas, Executive Chef, Hometel Chandigarh

The ready mix packets do come very handy and working with them throughout the day is much easier and economical. The best part is saving and the productivity actually increases which is more important a healthy working environment. Bidesh Biswas, Executive Chef, Hometel Chandigarh says, “A chef’s job today is very demanding and as the cost of manpower and responsibility to carry out multiple tasks at the same time may have non-uniform product whilst the same is ruled out while using a ready mix.”

Suraj Kumar Sahoo, Chef De Cuisine, Hyatt Regency Pune

Suraj Kumar Sahoo, Chef De Cuisine, Hyatt Regency Pune says, “It is not a big challenge to prepare consistent sauce every time as that is what my job entails and that where I as a chef like to practice my craft and my skills. Although, I would be honest that some of the fact that growing attrition, unskilled staff, non-standardised ingredients pose a threat to a consistent product.” At times ready to use sauces like a can of Pilati for a standardized Pizza sauce or may be Vegetarian mayonnaise sauce for a customized sandwich does come in handy.

Rajeev Janveja, Corporate Chef, Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd.

While, there is no real way to end this debate, we also need to acknowledge that people like presentable and flavorsome food. Rajeev Janveja, Corporate Chef, Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd. says, “I believe, we can earn repeat customers by offering preparations which are visually delightful and cater to the taste buds just right. These flavors eventually depend on its consistency; hence, the ready-made sauces and fresh ingredients go hand in hand.”

Although, it is challenging to prepare consistent dishes; following a standard recipe is always helpful provided the quality of raw materials remains the same all around the year. While it is not always easy to prepare consistent sauces, this is where extensive and consistent training plays a big role. Also, ensure that sauces are used only in the absence of other options, never to replace standard recipe requirements.

Each entity that is in the business should take conscious decisions to use the ingredients wisely and should use it to enhance their offerings. Common sense should prevail or we shall all be eating food out of cans in the next few years