Essential Tips for Making Your Sauces Healthier
Diet trends come and go, but sauces are forever! Finger licking sauces have a unique way of taking any meal to another level, making you ask for more. Do you often buy your sauces from stores? Here’s some bad news for you; most grocery store sauces are loaded with fat, sodium, and calories. That means the best option is to make your sauces at home from scratch. While doing so, do not just focus on making it taste better, but healthier too. So, are you ready to drop those unhealthy store-bought sauces? Then, here are a few tips to make your sauces much healthier.
Limit the salt content
Salt is always a game-changer when it comes to cooking. However, too much of it will not only attract wincing faces at your dining table, but it also comes with some negative health consequences beyond severe thirst and bloating. An advantage of making your sauces at home is that you have total control of the sodium content. Therefore, be sure to limit the amount of salt or salty ingredients you add. For example, choose low-sodium tomato paste or opt for the fresh ones instead. Pay attention to the sodium content of the ingredients you use in making your sauce.
Thicken with corn-starch
Nothing better than a thick and elegantly looking sauce complimenting your dishes and gracing your taste buds. Fortunately, there are several ways to thicken your sauces for the perfect look, but using corn-starch is arguably the simplest and most common way to do so. Plus, it works well for almost any kind of sauce. For example, if you love this teriyaki sauce recipe, try giving it the extra thickness it needs by adding corn-starch and whisking it with a little water. This method works well in almost any other homemade sauce recipe. Alternatively, you can also thicken your sauce without starch by reducing the amount of starch you add to your sauce. Your sauce will lose moisture as it simmers down, and once it reaches your preferred volume, you can season as desired.
Use cheese instead of heavy cream
We have already given store-bought sauces a bad rep for their usually high-fat content. The last thing you want to do is repeat the same mistake when making your sauces at home. So, instead of overloading your sauce with saturated fat in an attempt to make it creamy, try using cheese. Not only does this reduce the fat and calorie content, but it also offers more protein and calcium.
Start with fresh ingredients
Almost every sauce will concentrate the flavors of the ingredients you use. That means you should start with the best – fresh ingredients. If your ingredients have been sitting on the shelf for too long, they will only end up making your sauce taste dull, with some off-flavors becoming more pronounced. You will not only have a subpar sauce as a result, but you may also have an unhappy meal. Besides the fresh ingredients, make your own stock for a richer flavor.