The third edition of *Sauces* was released in 2008. This edition is by far the most helpful yet. It is exhaustive with regard to the sauces of french/continental cuisine as this is the tradition in which Peterson was trained, and in which he has developed the most expertise. However, despite that being his primary background, Peterson also includes discussion of many other types of sauces, from Mexican salsas and moles to Japanese dashi and teriyaki sauces; from Indian curries to Italian ragùs. There is an obvious emphasis on the continental tradition, and thus the majority of the book deals with such sauces and recipes. There is much less time and space dedicated to other international/ethnic culinary traditions, but the included info is valuable despite being limited. If, though, (for example) you primarily want to have an exhaustive list of recipes for Thai curries or Ethiopian wats, you might consider instead looking into cookbooks more specifically tailored to those cuisines.
The text includes backgrounds of sauces, their relationships to one another, and, of course, recipes. The third edition brings back the valuable charts, diagramming sauce derivatives, relations, and additions, which had been omitted from the second edition. (Do not underestimate the value and utility of these charts!) This edition also includes dozens more recipes, but Peterson did not exclude any of the texts from previous editions that the current form could be as complete and useful as possible.
Besides recipes, the book begins with a chapter briefly outlining the history of sauce-making from the Greco-Roman eras until today. This is followed by a chapter on equipment, describing both the necessary and the merely helpful, for sauce-making. The third chapter details ingredients used in sauces. Then the main body of the text discusses the sauces themselves, organized by various categories. The book also includes an index and glossary which I've found to be quite useful.
This book is, at times, a bit on the technical side. Thus it is probably better suited for the intermediate or advanced cook. Professionals often keep a copy for reference, but beginning or novice home-cooks might find some of the content a bit too intimidating.
This work rightfully deserves its reputation as the most authoritative and the definitive book on the subject of sauces and sauce-making.
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Light brown font kills the book
Two points before continuing: (1) there is a newer edition of this book, which I will get; (2) the content is excellent so far. So, if the content is excellent, you ask: Why did you give it only 1 star? The title of this review suggests the answer. I have begun to read this book from cover to cover and have also skipped ahead sometimes to some recipes and subjects. This is a serious book. Unfortunately, the publishers made a huge blunder. They used a fairly light brown font, which makes reading uninviting. They apparently corrected the problem in the next edition, which I will buy while lamenting having spent my money on this one.
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2012
- Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2011
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on July 10, 2016
I since have tried to emulate sauces that I enjoyed around the world
- Ben HowardReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2013
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