How and why sauces 'break' (or don't)
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Date: 2023-08-24
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Comments and reviews: 19
Steve
I saw Adam Ragusea at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, Oh, like you re doing now? I was taken aback, and all I could say was Huh? but he kept cutting me off and going huh? huh? huh? and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying. The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like Sir, you need to pay for those first. At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter. When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually to prevent any electrical infetterence, and then turned around and winked at me. I don t even think that s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
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I saw Adam Ragusea at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, Oh, like you re doing now? I was taken aback, and all I could say was Huh? but he kept cutting me off and going huh? huh? huh? and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying. The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like Sir, you need to pay for those first. At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter. When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually to prevent any electrical infetterence, and then turned around and winked at me. I don t even think that s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.
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Great_OLAF5
What about a plain white sauce? We used to make ham and scalloped potatoes all the time, but about ten, maybe fifteen years ago, the sauce started breaking and we've never been able to figure out why. The sauce is just roux thickened milk, poured over the potatoes and ham before it goes in the oven. If it hadn't started happening before we got a gas oven, I'd suspect it's just that the oven is hotter than it used Tu be, regardless of what the oven itself says, but it was at least a few years before that, when we still had our electric oven that it started to break in the oven. I've been wracking my brain for years trying to think of something to fix the problem that won't significantly alter the flavor of the dish (my mom and I can't stand mustard, and eggs are just as sensitive to overheating) but at this point I'd be willing to just accept an answer rather than trying to figure out my own solution (as long as it fits the won't affect the flavor, criterion.
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What about a plain white sauce? We used to make ham and scalloped potatoes all the time, but about ten, maybe fifteen years ago, the sauce started breaking and we've never been able to figure out why. The sauce is just roux thickened milk, poured over the potatoes and ham before it goes in the oven. If it hadn't started happening before we got a gas oven, I'd suspect it's just that the oven is hotter than it used Tu be, regardless of what the oven itself says, but it was at least a few years before that, when we still had our electric oven that it started to break in the oven. I've been wracking my brain for years trying to think of something to fix the problem that won't significantly alter the flavor of the dish (my mom and I can't stand mustard, and eggs are just as sensitive to overheating) but at this point I'd be willing to just accept an answer rather than trying to figure out my own solution (as long as it fits the won't affect the flavor, criterion.
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Ben
This is going to sound really weird, but Papa John's garlic sauce seems to re-emulsify if I leave it a month or so in a cool dark place. I do shake it before I open it (so maybe its just like the vinaigrette) but it stays very thick and creamy at least the length of one pizza. I found if I skip dipping for a bit (or really, just use extra of some other sauce from the pantry, I can rotate out my oldest sauces when I get Papa John's, putting the new ones in the back for the drawer and the older ones for that night's pizza. The weird part if that sauces shouldn't un-break on their own like that once the proteins are denatured.
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This is going to sound really weird, but Papa John's garlic sauce seems to re-emulsify if I leave it a month or so in a cool dark place. I do shake it before I open it (so maybe its just like the vinaigrette) but it stays very thick and creamy at least the length of one pizza. I found if I skip dipping for a bit (or really, just use extra of some other sauce from the pantry, I can rotate out my oldest sauces when I get Papa John's, putting the new ones in the back for the drawer and the older ones for that night's pizza. The weird part if that sauces shouldn't un-break on their own like that once the proteins are denatured.
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Bauxite
I've only really made a hand full of decent sauces in the kitchen (one of them was the simple butter and a bit of water from one of your info/tutorials, but I was floored by the sodium citrate 'hack'. I tried making my own cheese sauce at home a while back and ran into the same clumping issue-- it was a frustrating experience to say the least. I'll definitely give it a go again, with being able to make my own sodium citrate at home. I don't mind using cheese slices to add on, but it's just not economical to do that for the _whole_ cheese sauce.
Thanks for being as informative as ever, Adam!
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I've only really made a hand full of decent sauces in the kitchen (one of them was the simple butter and a bit of water from one of your info/tutorials, but I was floored by the sodium citrate 'hack'. I tried making my own cheese sauce at home a while back and ran into the same clumping issue-- it was a frustrating experience to say the least. I'll definitely give it a go again, with being able to make my own sodium citrate at home. I don't mind using cheese slices to add on, but it's just not economical to do that for the _whole_ cheese sauce.
Thanks for being as informative as ever, Adam!
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SG
Broken sauce can be made simply. For step 1 - all you need to do is break the fundamental laws of nature near where you are cooking the sauce, so it defies all laws of physics and you can control it at your will. For step 2 - Tell the sauce to break. Just make sure not to say it loud enough that the sauce gets scared and dissipates into hydrogen atoms, trust me, it s not fun. Step 3 - Enjoy! (Just don t tell anyone how you made it.
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Broken sauce can be made simply. For step 1 - all you need to do is break the fundamental laws of nature near where you are cooking the sauce, so it defies all laws of physics and you can control it at your will. For step 2 - Tell the sauce to break. Just make sure not to say it loud enough that the sauce gets scared and dissipates into hydrogen atoms, trust me, it s not fun. Step 3 - Enjoy! (Just don t tell anyone how you made it.
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Diana
Hi Adam, awesome video, although it made me curious to see a discussion here on classic mayo recipes from eastern Europe (the traditional Romanian recipes call for one boiled egg yolk, one raw egg yolk, and lots of oil (with small amounts of water to loosen and only missing in one direction, else the mayo will break--I would love to see an explanation on why if you have one, I've wondered my whole life.
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Hi Adam, awesome video, although it made me curious to see a discussion here on classic mayo recipes from eastern Europe (the traditional Romanian recipes call for one boiled egg yolk, one raw egg yolk, and lots of oil (with small amounts of water to loosen and only missing in one direction, else the mayo will break--I would love to see an explanation on why if you have one, I've wondered my whole life.
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ghabber_
Small chemistry nitpick:
Oil and water molecules don't really push each other apart. That sentence sounds like there is a net repulsive force between water and oil molecules.
Water and oil attract each other. They are just attracted to themselves more than they are attracted to each other.
Purely theoretical and not at all important to the topic, cheers.
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Small chemistry nitpick:
Oil and water molecules don't really push each other apart. That sentence sounds like there is a net repulsive force between water and oil molecules.
Water and oil attract each other. They are just attracted to themselves more than they are attracted to each other.
Purely theoretical and not at all important to the topic, cheers.
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n0etic
BTW if you want to make the Papa John's sauce, just take granulated garlic and melted butter. You can simi unbreak the sauce if it breaks just by letting it get cold, also it tastes better. It could not be more simple get granulated garlic (a good amount of it) out of it in something heat safe, melt butter pour to combine then shake. Temperature adjusts thickness.
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BTW if you want to make the Papa John's sauce, just take granulated garlic and melted butter. You can simi unbreak the sauce if it breaks just by letting it get cold, also it tastes better. It could not be more simple get granulated garlic (a good amount of it) out of it in something heat safe, melt butter pour to combine then shake. Temperature adjusts thickness.
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Luck
Oils are not just less dense, but oils and other bulky hydrocarbons are hydrophobic because they are non-polar and have no charge and can therefore not be dissolved in water. Emulsifiers typically have a charged and a non-polar side that allow them to interact with both polar and non-polar molecules and create suspensions that mixes them together.
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Oils are not just less dense, but oils and other bulky hydrocarbons are hydrophobic because they are non-polar and have no charge and can therefore not be dissolved in water. Emulsifiers typically have a charged and a non-polar side that allow them to interact with both polar and non-polar molecules and create suspensions that mixes them together.
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michael
I ve always noticed the sauce breaking but one day I decided to shake it well before opening. Almost every-time (if sealed well) the sauce is reconstituted. And generally thicker, approaching mayo consistency which I m not too fond of imo. Maybe a short and firm shake instead of a garlicky maraca.
Do share any related experiences
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I ve always noticed the sauce breaking but one day I decided to shake it well before opening. Almost every-time (if sealed well) the sauce is reconstituted. And generally thicker, approaching mayo consistency which I m not too fond of imo. Maybe a short and firm shake instead of a garlicky maraca.
Do share any related experiences
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HotSoup
Thanks for the sodium citrate tip to use with cheese sauce; I'm going to try that this year for Thanksgiving. I guess I had always just assumed I would need some obscure, hard to find chemical additives in order to make mac and cheese as smooth as the mass produced stuff, so I never bothered looking into it. Thanks Adam!
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Thanks for the sodium citrate tip to use with cheese sauce; I'm going to try that this year for Thanksgiving. I guess I had always just assumed I would need some obscure, hard to find chemical additives in order to make mac and cheese as smooth as the mass produced stuff, so I never bothered looking into it. Thanks Adam!
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Varad
One reason I have been taught that Calcium denatures proteins easier than sodium is that the ions are Ca2+ and Na+. Since most negative ion sites on proteins are just 1-, one electron extra, Ca2+ needs 2 such sites. This can lead to cross linking which can clump up the proteins. Na+ with it's single charge doesn't do that
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One reason I have been taught that Calcium denatures proteins easier than sodium is that the ions are Ca2+ and Na+. Since most negative ion sites on proteins are just 1-, one electron extra, Ca2+ needs 2 such sites. This can lead to cross linking which can clump up the proteins. Na+ with it's single charge doesn't do that
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Shangri-la
I worked pizza delivery, it's probably because they put the sauces on top of the pizza box, then put it in either the bag that keeps it warm, or the oven to keep the pizza warm. It's so the drivers don't forget the sauces, but I imagine that those bags could get hot enough to denature the sauce
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I worked pizza delivery, it's probably because they put the sauces on top of the pizza box, then put it in either the bag that keeps it warm, or the oven to keep the pizza warm. It's so the drivers don't forget the sauces, but I imagine that those bags could get hot enough to denature the sauce
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Shardperson
off topic but straight up i can see the papa john's garlic butter sauce is completely different from the one we have here in spain, which is more like a super thick cream and has a much lighter color, i wonder what the difference is
never seen it broken and I eat a lot of papa john's
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off topic but straight up i can see the papa john's garlic butter sauce is completely different from the one we have here in spain, which is more like a super thick cream and has a much lighter color, i wonder what the difference is
never seen it broken and I eat a lot of papa john's
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SlackerKite
Former employee here, exactly how it happens before we ship the pizzas out between the oven and your delivery driver arriving the pizza is kept on a heat rack. Then kept inside of a heat retaining bag during delivery. Which simply means IDK how they ever arrive to a client unbroken.
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Former employee here, exactly how it happens before we ship the pizzas out between the oven and your delivery driver arriving the pizza is kept on a heat rack. Then kept inside of a heat retaining bag during delivery. Which simply means IDK how they ever arrive to a client unbroken.
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Warmbodie9
You can actually bring back the emulsion on the papa John s garlic sauce by skating very vigorously for like thirty seconds before you open it. When I did this around friends there were people very surprised that that sauce even could be thick and creamy.
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You can actually bring back the emulsion on the papa John s garlic sauce by skating very vigorously for like thirty seconds before you open it. When I did this around friends there were people very surprised that that sauce even could be thick and creamy.
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daniel
Love everything you Do Adam! You're such a wonderful, bright and amazing guy! You're so meticulous and energetic about all you do! and it truly warms my hearth! your content has really helped me through this stressful few days! You're a breath of fresh air!
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Love everything you Do Adam! You're such a wonderful, bright and amazing guy! You're so meticulous and energetic about all you do! and it truly warms my hearth! your content has really helped me through this stressful few days! You're a breath of fresh air!
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Devon
Coffee people are gonna come after you for that ad but i loved the video. but, I did think the water oil emulsification demonstration with the pipe cleaner and the balls is a little repeated as an avid and regular watcher. Regardless, that was a great video.
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Coffee people are gonna come after you for that ad but i loved the video. but, I did think the water oil emulsification demonstration with the pipe cleaner and the balls is a little repeated as an avid and regular watcher. Regardless, that was a great video.
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Soren
Did you know, you can get lost in the sauce but, paradoxically, you are also lost without sauce. To keep one's sanity in these trying times it is absolutely necessary to maintain one's lost/sauce ratio within FDA mandated safety levels.
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Did you know, you can get lost in the sauce but, paradoxically, you are also lost without sauce. To keep one's sanity in these trying times it is absolutely necessary to maintain one's lost/sauce ratio within FDA mandated safety levels.
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