What is Steak Sauce?
Steak sauce is a brown and thickened sauce used on steak to add umami depth, saltiness, tanginess, and rich flavor. It is made from a blend of Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar, ketchup, and seasonings.
What does Steak Sauce Taste Like?
Salty is one of the five main tastes. It has a satisfying and addictive quality with hints of sourness. Salty foods include cheeses, cured meats, chips, and olives. It is used in almost every dish and prepared food. Salt is added to enhance flavor and offer a distinctly salty taste.
Sweet is one of the five main tastes. It has smooth and round notes in its flavor profile. Sweet is a naturally occurring flavor in many foods, including fruits, berries, winter squashes, sugarcane, and honey. The sweet taste in these foods is due to a higher sugar content. Sweetness is characteristic of desserts and is used as an accent in savory foods.
Sour is one of the five main tastes. It is tart and bright, sometimes with a mouth-puckering quality. Sour is a naturally occurring flavor found in many foods, including citrus, vinegar, various dairy products, and certain fruits. Sour is used to enhance a dish or drink and is used as both a main and complimentary flavor.
Spicy is a flavor that brings heat and fire to food by creating a burning sensation in the mouth or sinuses. Spicy flavors come from hot peppers, horseradish, and wasabi. Spicy adds a kick and sometimes complexity to a dish and releases endorphins, creating a mildly addictive quality.
Ingredients
Mustard is a yellow condiment and spread used for sandwiches, and as an ingredient for sauces and more. Mustard is made from the seeds of the mustard plant and either ground into powder or used whole. Mustard varies from bright yellow to a muted golden brown. The texture of yellow mustard, such as Dijon or American is smooth. Grainy mustard, made from the whole pinhead sized seed is brown. In general, mustard has a spicy, mildly hot and vinegary flavor. Some types are more tart and one dimensional, while other varieties have a range of tastes. Mustard is a refrigerated item and usually only a small amount is needed of this strongly flavored condiment.
Worcestershire sauce is a condiment used primarily in the cooking process and less as a topping. It is a fermented liquid made of vinegar, soy sauce and seasonings. It is dark brown with a thin viscosity. The flavor is savory, salty and umami with a hint of sweetness. It is primarily used with meats.
Apple cider vinegar dressing can be a healthy dressing for salads. It is sour and salty in a very pleasing way. The dressing is made from apple cider vinegar, oil, onions, mustard, honey, and seasonings. There are many variations and this is a common simple one. The viscosity is thin and the color golden.
Ketchup has had a slow evolution towards the tomato based condiment we know today, and was originally a Chinese fish sauce. Tomato ketchup has a thick but squeezable consistency, that spreads and mixes effortlessly. The color of this tomato, vinegar, and sugar based sauce is red. The flavor is sweet, tart and umami. Ketchup is a popular American condiment used on french fries, hamburgers, hotdogs and much more.
Green peppercorn sauce is made with cream, beef stock and under-ripe peppercorn berries. It has a rich, creamy texture and a peppery, savory taste. Green peppercorn sauce is a classic accompaniment to filet mignon or other steaks, but is also served with grilled pork chops, chicken or salmon.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
The peppercorn plant grows in tropical climate and produces tiny black fruit. The fruit is dried and become hard. At this point it is ground into a textured powder comprised of black and grey dots. It has a flavor that is spicy, pungent and sharp. Pepper is an extremely popular spice, especially in Western cuisines and lends a gentle heat to dishes. There are different varieties of black pepper and the flavor changes subtly because of this.
