Sauces & Marinades

We put the two thickeners to the test to see which one made the smoothest, best-tasting gravy.

Maybe you’ve heard of harissa, but have you ever tried it? If you love condiments and adding a kick of spice to your meals, you’ll want to check this out! Harissa is a spicy and aromatic chile paste that’s a widely used staple in North African and Middle Eastern cooking. Harissa recipes vary between countries and regions, but a standard version includes a blend of hot chile peppers (which are often smoked), garlic, olive oil and spices, like cumin, coriander, caraway and mint.

Going to culinary school in France meant that our main focus was, of course, French cuisine. And as I quickly learned, French cuisine is all about sauce. At the end of each day, we nervously brought our version of what had been demonstrated earlier to our chef for critique. It was usually a composed plate of protein and sides, but what did the chef always taste first? The sauce.

These are the two best ways to do it!

Here's everything you need to know about marinating meat, seafood, and more.

Add one simple ingredient for guaranteed success.

Use it to make a French dip, noodles, and more!

No blanching required.

Keep this flavorful ingredient on hand for more than teriyaki and miso soup.

Do not waste that dirty pan!

It's a game-changer for weeknight dinners.

You're one ingredient away from the umami-packed pesto of your dreams.

Skip this step to save time and make your pesto taste even better.

Can frozen peas become dinner? Béchamel them. What can I do with chicken, cheese, and a box of pasta? A béchamel, my friends.

It's just three ingredients dumped into a mason jar and shaken, but it's pure genius.

See you later butter and cream.

It tastes *much* better than what comes out of a jar.

Buying a whole ham for Easter, Christmas, or a special occasion is one of the easiest ways to serve an entree for a large crowd. Even though the ham is already pre-cooked, you can still brush it with a homemade glaze as you’re heating it up to add some sweetness and punch. Here are five easy glazes you can throw together from mostly store-bought condiments to make the ham your own! The glaze: Each recipe will make about two cups of glaze.

Meal prepping? You might be leaving it too long.

This old-school method makes mouthwatering chicken and steak.

Dear Kitchen,What makes pesto turn brown? This weekend I bought a ton of basil from the greenmarket and made a nice green pesto, but within a minute of being exposed to the air it turned a deep unappetizing shade of brown. What did I do wrong? I used basil, olive oil, walnuts & pine nuts, and garlic. (I left out the parma). This happens when I make guacamole as well. Is something wrong with my water?Thanks,M (To All Good Questions)Dear M,There is nothing wrong with your water.

Simmer sauces are an easy and healthy way to make a quick, delicious meal for your family. It’s simple – add your choice of vegetables, tofu, meat, chicken, or seafood to a pan, add a jar of simmer sauce, cover, and cook over low heat. While that’s cooking you can prepare a salad, fold the laundry, or catch up on your email.We love simmer sauces, particularly ones that have a foreign flavor. Pictured here are Persian and Indian simmer sauces.

Pasta with basic tomato sauce is a weekly — ok, sometimes nightly — occurrence in our house. To keep things interesting, I’ll finish the sauce off with…well, whatever happens to be in the fridge! Here are a few of my favorite finishing touches for a simple bowl of pasta. I use these add-ins to finish quick stove-top tomato sauces all the time, but they can work well with just about any sauce you’re making, or even become the sauce itself.

Q: Last summer I made a ton of green enchilada sauce for my freezer. Turns out, I don’t make enchiladas that often. I’m making an effort to clear out my freezer for this summer’s bounty. What else can I do with green enchilada sauce besides enchiladas?Sent by MeganEditor: Megan, I like using leftover sauce like this for cooking pulled pork or chicken. Just dump it over the meat in a slow cooker and cook on low all day, or until the meat is tender and can be shredded.

Timing a meal so that everything is ready at the same time isn’t easy, especially when you are serving a delicate sauce that needs to be kept warm. Sometimes there isn’t enough space on the stove or you need to commandeer the saucepan for another dish, so here’s an easy solution to keep your sauces piping hot using something you probably already have in the kitchen cabinet.

When it comes to making tomato sauce everyone has their own favorite method. It can vary between fresh tomatoes and canned, a sauce that simmers for hours to one that’s ready in 20 minutes, or your Italian great-grandmother’s recipe that strictly forbids oregano. The point being is that there’s no right or wrong way to make tomato sauce. What’s most important is that your sauce is packed with flavor so amazing you want to spoon it from the pot straight into your mouth.

I honestly can’t remember the last time my fridge was yogurt-less. Greek yogurt is great for breakfast parfaits and smoothies, and a spoonful of this essential ingredient is also the perfect way to add creaminess (without the actual cream!) to salad dressings. Here are five of our favorite salad dressings that are made more magical with Greek yogurt.

Salmon is full of good fats and is easy and quick to cook, making it a great choice to have in your regular dinner rotation. But just having a plain piece of seared, baked, or grilled salmon can get boring quickly, so here are five easy ways to jazz it up! Herbs add a ton of fresh flavor that enhance the fish without overpowering it. Toss whatever herbs you have on hand with a little oil and citrus juice and you’re golden. Don’t have the time? A store-bought pesto is just fine too.

Today’s Topic: Sauces The Goal: 20 lessons, 20 days to become a better cook at home Enter to win The Kitchn Cookbook: Simply share and tag photos of your Kitchn Cooking School progress on Instagram and Twitter with #kitchnschool to enter for a chance to win. We’re giving away one copy for every homework assignment during The Kitchn’s Cooking School. See rules and regulations.

I have to confess that I’m a shrimp cocktail lover, retro and old school as the appetizer is. It’s so simple and elegant at the same time, and it’s light enough that I don’t feel like I’m spoiling my dinner if I help myself to one more shrimp. While the classic ketchup-and-prepared-horseradish cocktail sauce will always have a special place in my heart, there are tons of other easy, delicious sauce combinations out there for shrimp cocktail.

Q: I love to roast a nice chicken about once every two weeks, and then add wine and lemon to the drippings to make a lovely sauce, or add flour to make a gravy. The only problem is that my boyfriend and I have moved in together (that’s not the problem), and he’s allergic to gluten and alcohol, even if it’s cooked down! Help! I’ve been just using the chicken jus as is, but it doesn’t last long enough to encompass all the servings of chicken.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 18: All about essential dessert sauces. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments From carefully measuring ingredients to the way we gently fold our delicate egg whites, much about pastry has a lot to do with attention to detail. These practices should not be lost by the time we get to the presentation.

Q: I made a salad dressing a couple of days ago from lime juice and zest, olive oil, shallots, garlic, and cilantro. I used some on a salad and stored the rest in a Mason jar in the fridge. Today it’s solid on the top and liquid on bottom — it that the olive oil? Is it safe to eat? If so, how do I make it into a dressing again? Shaking the jar is doing nothing. Sent by Gail Editor: Don’t fret.

This past summer I had the opportunity to step behind the doors of a restaurant kitchen. This is a place I don’t venture often, but when I do get the chance to sneak inside, I am eager to grasp onto any little chef’s trick or tip I may come across in this uncharted territory. And on this particular occasion, I hit gold. The chef was preparing baby potatoes for our dinner that evening.

When smooth and creamy homemade mayo enters your life, it’s easy to say so long to that jiggly store-bought stuff. And for all that rich flavor, it takes no more than a handful of basic ingredients and a quick whirl with a blender. Even with its simplicity, there are a few important essentials to know before getting started. The upside of making mayo in the blender is that you can skip the arm workout. The machine does all the heavy lifting for you, but there is a catch.

Ketchup and mustard are classic summertime condiments. And while I certainly have nothing against them, sometimes the occasion calls for a burger, hot dog, or brat topping that’s a bit more satisfying, sophisticated, or fun. Making a sauce that meets any (and perhaps even all) of those qualities doesn’t take much — especially when you’ve got the slow cooker to help out. These sauces go a long way. They’re surprisingly simple (hello, three ingredients!

Traditionally used as a topping for grilled meats and fish, this zesty, herbaceous sauce is just the thing to give your corn on the cob an extra punch of flavor. Loaded with parsley, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, and lemon juice, chimichurri is bright and fresh, and livens up everything it touches — including that ear of corn. If there was ever a way to make your corn taste more like summer, this herb-filled sauce takes the prize.

If spicy is your thing, grab that jar of chili-garlic sauce from the fridge — you know, the stuff you use to give your favorite Asian recipes a kick. The best way to use it this summer is spread over corn on the cob for a fiery tang. A cousin of Sriracha, this flavorful condiment has a thicker consistency, filled with rough-chopped chilis and a big dose of garlic.

Few things can beat easing into a winter day with a warm stack of fluffy pancakes. While maple syrup is the usual go-to pairing, it’s far from the only way to give your pancakes the sticky-sweet topping they deserve. If you believe your stack of pancakes deserves to be topped with sticky-sweet syrup, ditch the maple for an apple-flavored upgrade. Apple cider syrup is cooked down from your favorite seasonal drink and infused with warm cinnamon spice and butter.

For those nights when you find yourself torn between a bowl of macaroni and cheese and a bowl of spaghetti, know that you can have both. Go right ahead and swirl some of your favorite marinara sauce into your mac and cheese for your sauciest bowl yet! Marinara sauce, with its garlic- and tomato-forward flavor, can completely transform your macaroni and cheese. It’s a simple addition that takes no effort — especially if you reach for the half-full jar stashed in the fridge.

Some nights or, let’s be honest, most weeknights, a complicated dinner isn’t an option. But that doesn’t mean you have to order takeout. The beauty of a jar of pasta sauce is that it really is an instant meal (so long as you have a box of pasta handy, of course). A simple dinner of spaghetti tossed in jarred marinara is something I grew up on when nights were busy and from-scratch sauce wasn’t an option.

You may have heard of this classic Greek sauce as tzatziki or tadziki. Maybe you know it simply as yogurt-cucumber sauce, Greek dill sauce, or even just gyro sauce. No matter its name, you’re a big fan — so time to find out what goes into this tasty sauce so you can make it at home! Tatziki is a tangy yogurt-based sauce flavored with cucumber, garlic, and fresh herbs that is also served as a dip.

Béchamel might be the most versatile mother sauce — that class of sauces that are the backbone of classic French cooking — of all time. Made with milk, butter, and flour, it can become a gravy or a binder for casseroles, cheese sauces, and soufflés. And while it is arguably the easiest mother sauce to master, it is often the most maligned, being hastily made and suffering lumpiness as a result.

It’s hard to beat the level of comfort provided by a pasta dish that’s coated in a heavy cream sauce, like fettuccine Alfredo or penne alla vodka. That kind of dish is really more of a once-in-a-while meal for some, or not an option for others depending on their dietary choices, but that doesn’t mean creamy pasta dishes can’t be on the weekly roster.

Because ground turkey is so low in fat, it’s not exactly a meat with a reputation for big flavor. But I’m here to change your mind because I recently used it to make some of the most delicious meat sauce I’ve had in ages. And it’s all thanks to a trick that is going to make you a true believer in turkey meat sauce once and for all. Wanna know my secret?

When it comes to eating in a way that makes me feel healthy, I’m a strong believer in balance. My heart beats just as strong for vegetables as it does for cheese and chocolate. My secret to having the best of both worlds? Taking the comfort foods I love most and finding a way to give them a lighter twist. And that’s just how I discovered using one of my favorite finds from the produce section to lighten up my favorite cheese sauce.

There are few cooking projects more satisfying than making caramel sauce or dulce de leche (a creamy caramel sauce popular in Latin America) from scratch. With caramel, you get to watch the sugar take on a gorgeous dark amber hue, stand back as it bubbles when the cream hits the pot, and then whisk until you’ve got a glossy, pourable sauce, indicating that you’ve totally nailed it.

Want to quickly elevate your everyday cooking without trying too hard? Make a pan sauce! Suddenly you’re not simply serving porks chops — you’re serving porks chops drizzled with a rich shallot and herb-infused sauce. It’s a fast and fancy dish that sounds like its destined for a dinner party, but you’re really just making dinner on a Wednesday night. That’s the power of a pan sauce. Assembling one is incredibly simple.

Arguably the best part of cooking in the summer is that you can toss just about anything on the grill and call it dinner. Grilled meat, fish, and veggies don’t need much to make them taste great, thanks to the smoky flavor the grill imparts. But a ridiculously quick and easy sauce that works with just about anything — from eggplant to chicken thighs — wouldn’t hurt to have in your back pocket. Luckily, you came to the right place.

Q: My mother used to make what she called “grease gravy” to pour over waffles. I do not believe it had any flour, but was only sausage drippings, water, and maybe just a touch of cream. Are you aware of a recipe like that? Sent by Dan Editor: The recipe you describe immediately reminds me of a very classic Southern-style sausage gravy. Like your mother’s recipe, it’s also made from sausage pan drippings, but flour is often added to thicken it.

Made from salted fermented fish, fish sauce is staple ingredient for seasoning in in many Southeast Asian cuisines. A whiff from the bottle reveals its pungent aroma and alludes to its very distinct, very potent taste. When combined with other ingredients like sugar and fresh herbs, the sharpness of fish sauce mellows out, its deeply savory side emerges, and its ability to add a lush umami-richness to everything it touches becomes apparent.

Tortilla chips are fine on their own, but add a bowl of salsa or pico de gallo to the picture and snacking takes a delicious turn for the better. These two Mexican dips share quite a bit in common, but do you know what sets them apart? Depending on the recipe, the ingredients for salsa and pico de gallo can be nearly identical. What sets these two condiments apart is their texture and whether the ingredients are cooked or uncooked.

I’ve been taking a new approach to the way I make salads — or rather, the way I dress them. Instead of garnishing my salads with soft chunks of tangy goat cheese or crumbled feta, I’ve been using them as a base for the easiest, free-form creamy dressing. Depending on how you look at it, I’m still sort of using cheese as a garnish on my salad — it’s just taking on an entirely new form.

Reducing a sauce or any other liquid seems like such a matter-of-fact, unambiguous step in a recipe. But I admit that I often feel a knot of anxiety grow larger the longer I hover over the pan of simmering, steaming liquid. Does it look like a cup now? Is that about half? Should I keep going? Today, let’s relieve some anxieties. Here are some things you should know about reducing sauces, soups, and other liquids, and three ways to tell when they are ready.

A good gravy can cover up an overcooked turkey and dress up gluey mashed potatoes with one swift pour, and yet cooks don’t pay much attention to this masterful finishing touch. The results are heavy gravies — over-seasoned, thin, or worse, lumpy and left to congeal on the dinner table. Good gravy can be the difference between a good and a great Thanksgiving meal, so here are seven mistakes to avoid when making this flavorful sauce.

If you think marinating meat before cooking makes a big difference in flavor and tenderness, think again, says Russ Parsons at The LA Times. Turns out that the truth is, with a few exceptions, oil-based marinades don’t penetrate more than an eighth of an inch into meat. Unless you’re using really thin cuts of meat, the flavor of the marinade really doesn’t get absorbed very much.

Summer is the season of barbecue sauce; it’s hard to imagine eating a big slab of ribs without a nice side of sweet, tangy sauce, and a pile of napkins. Whether you buy sauce from the store or take the time to make your own, sometimes you have some still kicking around in the fridge. Fret not — here are some easy and tasty ways to incorporate barbecue sauce in other dishes!

Salad dressing can sometimes seem like an afterthought, something to quickly pick up at the supermarket while we focus more on the greens and toppings. But think about it this way: Dressing is like the music score to a movie, the undercurrent that weaves its way through the entire experience. A good dressing, like a good music score, works with every part of the salad and rounds everything out into a complete package, so it’s worth a little bit more attention.

Q: After I roast a leg of lamb, could I make a gravy with the drippings? This is my first time roasting lamb, and I am having company. Sent by Mary Editor: You definitely can, and the gravy is delicious! Just use the same technique as you would for making gravy for roast turkey drippings. Here’s a tutorial post: How To Make Turkey Gravy for Thanksgiving Readers, any tips on making gravy from roast lamb drippings?

We all love cauliflower at this point, don’t we? It has certainly come a long way. We’ve tried it as rice, couscous, pizza crust, and cake. We regularly blend it into a mashed potato substitute and roast it until it becomes nutty and sweet — no longer over-steamed and scarred with an overwhelming cabbagey taste. We are eating it tossed with grains, featuring it in salads, and treating it like a steak.