These 5 Sauces Will Upgrade Your Weeknight Meal Game | Epicurious 101

Professional chef and culinary instructor Frank Proto demonstrates how to make five sauces that every chef should have in their arsenal: Béchamel sauce, Tomato sauce, brown sauce, pesto, and hollandaise.
Director: Parisa Kosari
Director of Photography: Ben Dewey
Editor: Manolo Moreno
Host: Frank Proto
Director of Culinary Production: Kelly Janke
Culinary Producer: Young Sun Huh
Culinary Associate Producer: Leslie Raney
Line Producer: Jen McGinity
Associate Producer: Amanda Broll
Production Manager: Janine Dispensa
Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Hymes
Camera Operator: Carlos Araujo
Sound Mixer: Mariya Chulichkova
Production Assistant: Emmanuel Dominguez
Researcher: Vivian Jao
Post Production Supervisor: Andrea Farr
Post Production Coordinator: Scout Alter
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araújo
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
0:00 Sauce It Up
0:17 Chapter One: Béchamel
3:13 Chapter Two: Tomato
5:48 Chapter Three: Brown Sauce
9:26 Chapter Four: Pesto
10:49 Chapter Five: Hollandaise
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[@Lunarcheese72]

Let's be real, Frank is holding this entire Epicurious operation together.

[@TheMiist]

😂💯

[@slayallday2361]

💀💀💀💀💀

[@jonathanmonk1621]

Let's be frank, Frank is holding this entire Epicurious operation together.

[@raina4732]

And Saul Montiel! 🌶️

[@analuveronica1784]

french people be like "dont use black pepper, its gonna have spots" and then also "look at the beautiful vanilla spots"

[@randyschwaggins]

French people also be "we surrender" 😂

[@adij1291]

I love the acknowledgements of what Frank was substituting and why! Im all about tradition but sometimes i just dont want to search for or spend so much on pine nuts

[@GO-cy3no]

Exactly. Over ten bucks at Trader Joe’s! Outrageous!

[@seaeagle8976]

Don’t use them, then. They are not only expensive, they are, to me, tasteless. I use pistachios.

[@GO-cy3no]

@@seaeagle8976 Definitely have found alternatives.

[@vixwolf2037]

It's also really great that for those of us who are allergic to pine nuts but not walnuts

[@FrankDux-uo7ig]

I hate pine nuts. And too many leaves a metallic after taste in your mouth

[@Flavour_Beans]

8:35 "It only needs one more thing and that's time." Me: "You should've put the thyme in the sachet."

[@jesuswillreturn2090]

😂

[@wbenm1188]

I love how he explains things not just cooking, this is my best cooking channel now ❤

[@GregorySimoes]

@ProtoCookswithChefFrank in France we are taught to do Béchamel with nutmeg !

[@zachscott4867]

These are great and thank you again for making them easy to follow.

[@nickd3871]

My new favorite YT chef is Frank Proto. He makes great things with easy technique.

[@user-nz7co4pk5s]

I miss nutmeg (whole, ground, not purcased ground) when I've forgotten it in my Bechamel. It's like leaving the cheese out of a cheeseburger.

[@smartsquirrel1]

I use nutmeg for mac and cheese but I skip it for lasagna.

[@terrybradford3727]

Totally enjoying Chef Frank's lessons. My youngest is taking culinary studies at Their high school, his classes help me with them.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Did not know there is a highschool actually called "Their highschool".

[@terrybradford3727]

@einundsiebenziger5488 my child is non binary, so I capitalize Their.

[@fabiofilocamo8733]

​@@terrybradford3727thank you for supporting them!You are doing a great job

[@BEDplaysGAMES]

Great episode! All the sauces looked amazing and...now I'm hungry!

[@fuelman1391]

This was fantastic! These are sauces that I use all the time, but always pre-made. It's going to be great making them myself. Thank you!!

[@Eric1SanDiego1]

You are going to LOVE making your own sauces. So much better than store-bought, and you get to adjust the flavors to your liking (within reason... don't go putting crushed oreo cookies in your chili).

[@Sabrina-sx9fl]

wait.. you can buy bechamel sauce premade? where?

[@Rommmaw]

@@Sabrina-sx9fl LIDL e.g.

[@Real_Big_Shrimp]

stop it @@Sabrina-sx9fl

[@lindatyler2974]

🤣

[@patotinaaah7447]

Chef Frank has been my favorite since forevaaah!!

[@Salmomlox]

Thank you Chef Frank. This episode was extremely informative and helpful to me. The tips and tricks were top notch. Thank you again. ☺☺😋😋🥰🥰

[@mousiebrown1747]

Frank, you’re Magic! And a wonderful teacher. Thank you.

[@Ozzborn85]

Chef Frank ain't a culinary instructor for nothing! I leard a lot today - for example now I know why my hollandaise was always so runny! Thanks again Frank and Epicurious!

[@lukebentley9993]

I feel so vindicated making pesto with walnuts for the exact same reason he said. It's how I've been making my pesto for a few years now. We'll buy the walnuts for pesto, freeze what we don't use, then use them for Christmas cookies months later.

[@emilspegel9677]

Almonds seem even better

[@Fr1kaD3ll37]

I still remember making my first Béchamel when learning how to make Lasagna. It came out surpirsingly well and made me feel like a pro in that moment :D (which is a little silly of course)

[@sarielizard1]

It's not silly, im glad it made you happy!

[@snapgab]

I actually had a similar experience, seeing a bechamel thicken up the way that it does felt like magic, I used to only make way more straightforward recipes, basically just boiling and pan frying stuff where you cook things in the most straightforward way possible. Bechamel sauce opened a whole new world by showing how a super simply technique and a bit of flour can help make a thick and delicious sauce.

[@elizamccroskey1708]

I also get sad whenever people make moussaka without bechamel.

[@shapuraliyari9486]

Great lessons, thanks

[@rudysmith6293]

Excellent presentation! Thank you!

[@brunooliveirasoares7489]

Thank you! How do you keep your hollandaise sauce texture if you need to serve it later?

[@MISTERLeSkid]

For the sauce brune (brown sauce), you'll GREATLY increase the yield if you wait to add the roux until AFTER you've strained.

[@dressmaking]

I was wondering about that!

[@robertmeyer8354]

Very smart, thank you!

[@nirushanarumugam]

We need the recipe for your Lasagne! Looks unreal 😍

[@dachandewuffsteiger]

I'm annoyed that i've never seen a roux added to the stock/broth/gravy on it's own rather than having the stock mixed in to it. It makes so much sense. Thank you Frank for doing what you do.

[@kjdude8765]

There is a reason stock is usually added to the Roux. If clumps form when there is little liquid it's easy to break them apart. If clumps form in a lot of liquid you have balls of flour floating in the stock and it's impossible to break them up without blending the sauce.

[@emilspegel9677]

Roux is just one technique for thickening sauces. If you which to use flour into a liquid you either make a beurre manier, which is a paste of equal amounts butter and flour, or you make a slurry of water and a starch. In sweden it is most common now to thicken sauces with cornstarch and water, which does not cause lumps and have the advantage of being mostly tasteless and glutenfree

[@mrsllp1439]

I've always used cornstarch, never flour. So much less stressful to not have to worry about clumps

[@danieltye5178]

Thank you! Black pepper is just fine.

[@edgarbasilio7821]

Thank you Chef Frank

[@TSMOWRU]

Thank you for sharing with us your technics and lifehackes!

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... techniques* and lifehacks*

[@FlatBroke612]

@@einundsiebenziger5488 *techneeks and lifehaques

[@MrScootermsp1]

Made the Tomato Sauce today. Came out better than I had even hoped. My new go-to gravy. I used D.O.P. San Marzano whole tomatoes. I gently broke them down with an immersion blender before cooking. Added a dash of crushed red pepper and 1 tsp Brown Sugar. Better than most places in Boston’s North End.

[@williamwatterson8711]

Clear and useful. Thank you . . .

[@mariashellawindelacruz1992]

thank you chef for your videos

[@rosesantos9438]

I feel like chef Frank really missed an opportunity by not saying "we're really fond of fond."😅

[@David_Crayford]

That was instructive. Beyond basic white sauce for maccaroni cheese and gravy for Christmas dinner, theres a lot here to discover. Must say that 2 hours on a sauce sounds expensive!

[@Sqwirle]

I took a night class at a local community College to learn the 5 leading or mother sauces. I like what you did here though. Learned something new todat😊

[@CIZMANG]

"Gimme a straw" dead lol

[@RPGDonkey]

I cant wait to try this. Im still waiting for my potatoes to be ready for french fries, but when I finish that recipe i will definitely try this.

[@cloudbloom]

I like to cook the roux for bechamel a little bit longer than usual since it tends to soften the grainy texture of the flour, and it can give a slightly toasted flavor as long as you don't cook it for too long

[@LosianOne]

Also reduces the thickening capability of the roux just btw

[@geojames1861]

I loved this but wish you’d gone into more detail about how the mother sauces could be adapted to make a variety of sauces. Like you said that the brown sauce is a great base for loads of different types of sauces but the only example you gave was as a chicken gravy…

[@Widderic]

I concur!

[@snapgab]

Yeah I agree. I especially wish that he mentioned that bechamel sauce can also be used for desserts if you add sugar and some vanilla or other dessert spices, it's super simple and delicious but I feel like not many people know about it, they only think about it as something for savory dishes.

[@micili97]

Same!

[@laurenelysewalters]

I was not expecting the asparagus at the end!

[@ValiXMA]

Simply beautiful

[@isaacdavis1]

Great vid! why make the sachet if you will be straining anyway?

[@lsipahelut]

Awesome. Gonna try and make the pesto sauce for fusilli pasta.

[@SyCry]

Is there a book with all these recipes he's done on Epicurious? I'd love to grab it and leave it in my kitchen, this channel is my go-to spot for inspiration for something to cook in the kitchen! :)

[@scpatl4now]

Frank also has the BEST pancake recipe...if you like pancakes check that out

[@sliceofsparta8985]

Chef Frank did a fantastic job demonstrating and explaining these, but most of us don't have the time to make some of them on a weeknight. Bechamel, pesto, even hollandaise, those are fine, but brown and tomato sauces become weekEND sauces if they have to cook multiple hours.

[@codyrhodes6521]

*crock pot entered the chat*

[@lindatyler2974]

😅

[@conradbo1]

Great video I have learned a lot by watching it

[@chuckz2934]

I’ve made hollandaise 100x. Never once used the towel over the bowl to finish tip. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@fucker1714]

You're not a pro until you whisk the yolk in a SS bowl over an open flame.

[@arierahmat1771]

Looks great! For the brown sauce, why put the herbs in cheesecloth if you’re gonna strain everything anyway?

[@frankproto5057]

I agree. We just wanted to introduce the concept of the sachet

[@rwefree9469]

Yes. Also, why add the roux before straining? Seems like too much of the thickened sauce would cling to the strained solids.

[@knoxvillehermitfreemoviesm3625]

very informative thx

[@plaash7396]

Nutmeg in bechamel is a gamechanger

[@sarielizard1]

My complaint with his red tomato sauce is, when you use tomato paste you should always let it cook a bit first before adding other tomatoes. Sautee it with the onions a couple minutes. That way the paste softens and sweetens. If you skip that step, your paste will taste sour and sharp no matter how long you simmer the sauce

[@mdubore]

Agreed. Add paste after garlic for a minute before cans of tomatoes

[@smartsquirrel1]

Missing carrots and celery as well. Pancetta isn't needed as you end up with a very greasy pasta sauce. Onions are chopped too coarse for my liking and basil really only needs to be added at the end to increase fragrance. Overcooked basil isn't pleasant.

[@jc3drums916]

Tomato sauce and brown sauce (which seems like sort of a combination of espagnole and velouté, though closer to the former), while essential to know, take more time and/or are more involved. I'd consider them more like "make on Sunday to have for the week" sauces, rather than sauces to make on a weeknight for dinner. Chimichurri and beurre blanc are easy sauces that don't take a lot of time to make.

[@Scrunkly_blorbo]

i think someone else came up with the title, chef Frank probably just wanted to make 5 easy essential sauces

[@mikethomas1499]

Awesome. Step up my game.

[@matthewsanchez7953]

So glad he used walnuts in his pesto; that's how I've always done mine!

[@Claudio.forte.t]

Great souces, chef Proto. Being Italian off the "plane" I was a bit worried about the tomato sauce, but I also cook that "pseudo" Amatriciana for my family, and they love it! That brown sauce looks incredible!

[@Hexinvir]

10:15 you can use pine nuts in way more things than just pesto

[@janehall2720]

This felt like i was back in the class room in skills clas at the Culinary Institute of America!

[@randyschwaggins]

No CIA grad spells the whole name out. There is also nothing called 'skills class'.

[@janehall2720]

​@randyschwing9102 well when I started out in 1981, there was a skills class. It was among the first 5 classes. In that block we had to master the 5 basic mother sauces, knife cuts, etc. As for "spelling out" the CIA, there are still people out there that only associate CIA with the government and not the food education. I graduated in November 1982 and then did 2 rounds of fellowship in dining room service. Oh, yes I know that is not what they call it now. I was also a service club member, and gave tours of the Culinary. So, what were you doing in 1981? Rudeness will not benefit you in any way.

[@kylebeatty7643]

The purex bowls in small baking pans is so satisfacory

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Pyrex* bowls and baking pans are* satisfactory.

[@cc_snipergirl]

Using the double boiler for the hollandaise is a great idea. Scrambled hollandaise is probably not so bad, but when I've done things like custard, I've had it boil when I had my back turned for two seconds. And then the whole thing tastes off

[@justinjackson7688]

I didnt realize people did it without a double boiler it would be so much harder to control the heat

[@lifeeasier3462]

Just made the red sauce. Did not have tomatoes paste but had a different red sauce. The taste was a whole other level.

[@cathysimmonds4068]

Bechamel sauce is the base for 1 of our favorites, SOS. Yummy!

[@ironebaliw]

No nutmeg on bechamel?

[@beaugreenwood712]

That’s your recipe not his though I like nutmeg in it depending on where the bechemel is going

[@dylanstarr9061]

A bit of paprika and red wine vinegar will take any tomato sauce to a new height very quickly. Super yum

[@patriciakali87]

I like the spots. But also love white pepper... So iI put both!

[@JonathanMather-bd5iu]

Black or white peper in a bechamel is fine with me but I also like half a teaspoon of english mustard. The 3 sauces that were fully cooked can be made as a batch and put into smaller tubs for the freezer. Great for super midweek meals.

[@NanaCooking.]

wooow amazing 😍😍😍

[@achimsinn6189]

I kind of would have expected Frank to use whole tomatoes for his tomatoe sauce. I once did that and it was actually pretty simple - it just took a while untill the sauce was cooked.

[@naderz5423]

شكرا لك

[@billwareagle7047]

A great video, I will never buy a pesto in a jar ever again. I like how you used walnuts, pine nuts are great but way to expensive. I will eventually make all the sauces you made. 🥰🥰

[@Widderic]

After I made pesto sauce for the first time I could never go back to can. Ever.

[@arianariofrio1058]

Always running for Chef Frank!

[@TexasTinkershop]

Hey Frank! What type of stone is your countertop and backsplash/display wall? Renovating my kitchen and can’t find anything similar! It’s my final step!

[@mdubore]

An ingredient list would be nice.

[@neanderthalsnavel7411]

excellent instructions! THANK YOU!

[@tysonmaddox1090]

I feel like non culinary people will see bechamel with white or black pepper the same as vanilla or vanilla bean ice cream

[@jptech57]

@@das_blut9966 Nice.

[@crapcase3985]

​@@das_blut9966I once poured tea on my Sunday roast, thinking it was gravy. I thought gravy was in the tea mug.

[@JB-xl2jc]

I'm gonna be honest, I can't ever conceive of having so little in life to worry about that I'd be upset over small black specs in a flavorful bechamel sauce. It's one of those things like supposedly some Italian chefs saying you better not use garlic and onion in a single meal. I hear them, I just don't care. It's delicious.

[@dubya4915]

Hilarious but definitely not the case lol

[@MegaFortinbras]

I agree with Frank, I can deal with the black specks.

[@kittycuddler5973]

My favourite chef teacher. Thanks Frank! ❤

[@Tootnscoot]

Thank you for the garlic after the onion talk. Ive done this for years and i never understood why people throw garlic in first thing

[@ryanpalmer666]

Louis C.K. is a surprisingly great cook

[@seraphimvalkyrin4543]

I would say the brown sauce is more "clean/smooth" then "clear" because that sauce is as about as clear as mud.

[@marley7145]

You found a nice plate of steamed asparagus? I like your kitchen WAY better than mine. I just find to-do lists in mine. Frank, I'm some kind of broken Italian, but I can't eat tomatoes. What can I use besides tomato paste in the brown sauce?

[@frankproto5057]

Just skip it. The sauce will still taste great.

[@marley7145]

@@frankproto5057 Oh wow, I wasn't expecting an answer. Thank you!

[@JonathanStanley]

Agree with chef, black pepper in white sauce is fine... black specks of vanilla beans in a vanilla custard isn't complained about...

[@kizhax]

Why add the roux to the brown sauce pre-strain? I would strain it first then add the strained sauce to the roux.

[@wait...what...]

I want to see Saul & Frank swap ingredients and cook.

[@Widderic]

Hollandaise sauce is still something I struggle with. But scrambled eggs floating in butter is still a happy accident.

[@jas_bataille]

I like how they called the brown sauce the brown sauce not because of its color... but because every ingredient is browned. Only cooks gets it! lol

[@lkjsdf1]

"I need to find something to put this on stat!" Me with queso.

[@lubormrazek5545]

the tomato sauce looks great, I'd only add sugar and vinegar - it brings out the taste

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

It brings out the sugar's sweetness and the vinegar's sourness. Both tastes are already in the tomatoes.

[@felixgh1]

Do you need the sachet when you strain anyways? And your dont heavily press the straining content?

[@frankproto5057]

You don’t need the sachet if you are straining. We wanted to show it for the video. I don’t press too hard because it makes your sauce cloudy.

[@KosherCookery]

Béarnaise made with schmaltz, gotta be my number one.

[@MrHedemark]

Hi Frank. You went «if i see it cooking a bit too quickly». I get what you are saying, but a lot of people wont. Can you describe how you see the sauce curdling? What do you watch for? What are the signs of imminent disaster? Great video. I’ll make a batch of brown sauce base next weekend for sure.

[@ku8721]

Super easy cheese sauce! Take a lemon, juice it, toss that juice in a pan on the lowest heat add baking soda you just made sodium citrate! Should taste slightly sweet but not tart. Now add cheese, I like a nice cheddar but works with many cheeses, then add cream or milk. If you like add chili, onions, garlic or my fav BACON! Too thick? Add more cream/milk! Too thin? Add more cheese. Ready in 10 minutes super easy and an AMAZING dip!

[@dressmaking]

THAT"S HOW YOU MAKE SODIUM CITRATE!?!?!??!?! I must try this, but I have a couple bags of sodium citrate that I already ordered for my "lazy" fondue recipe

[@ku8721]

@@dressmaking Yep! Check out Adam Ragusa's video on broken sauces! You'll love it!

[@lifeeasier3462]

Thank you so much for sharing!

[@aferguson850]

Love making broccoli pesto

[@mrsllp1439]

That sounds amazing! Off to Google a recipe now

[@Contest4Freedom]

I heart the is dude.

[@emmashepard1822]

I alwasy thought that you should add a little bit of nutmeg into the bèchamel sauce. Or at least that's what we got told in culinary school.😅

[@user820123]

Let's see... the first one reminds me of a basic southern gravy

[@jokestera_e3829]

What do you do with the vegetables after the brown sauce is finished?

[@hki6mq]

Why the sachet if you are going to strain it anyway?

[@bradypatrick6942]

same thought!

[@frankproto5057]

Agreed. I added the step to introduce what a bouquet Is

[@Optiks1987]

You should wait to add your fresh basil till the last 10 minutes with your tomato sauce. Chef tip

[@bonzogamer6966]

Best method of learning to make sauces - learn as you burn, making minimum wage at a busy restaurant.

[@bushi1147]

And get paid to be abused 😂

[@bonzogamer6966]

Here you go, Chef - here's your effen holly, here's your effen bernies.@@bushi1147

[@RamcatUru]

The brown sauce looks amazing, but that's a lot of effort for some fancy gravy. I need like 3 recipies to use each sauce in cause idk what to do with em otherwise.

[@izzy__________]

One question I have is how to store the sauce after and what's the shelf life?

[@graphikeye]

What else do you use beschamel for?