PSA: The mother sauce debate in today's kitchens

I've been cooking for a while, and I remember when every chef had to learn the five mother sauces. Now, I see many kitchens with sauces from all over the world. Some say the old ways teach you the basics you need. Others think sticking to French sauces holds back new ideas. For example, why bother with a velouté when dashi broth is an option? I'm torn between respect for tradition and love for innovation. What do you all think?

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3 Comments

harper_singh186mo ago

Honestly, why are we treating this like some life or death thing? The mother sauces are just tools, not holy texts. Cooking moves on, and new ideas come from everywhere. If a sauce from another culture works better, use it. Getting hung up on tradition vs. innovation misses the point of feeding people well.

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the_kelly6mo ago

Old systems get treated like laws everywhere.

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nancy9293mo ago

Man, I used to be all about the whole "tradition is sacred" thing. I remember in culinary school I had this chef who would lose his mind if you even looked at a béchamel wrong. But the other day I was making a sauce for some salmon and I just grabbed a miso ginger thing instead of a hollandaise and it was way better. It clicked for me right then that these categories are just starting points, not walls. You're right, feeding people well is the real endgame.

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