Condiments Vs. Sauces: What Makes Them Different?

Some food debates never seem to die — , hot dogs as sandwiches, and a new one that I came across: The distinction between condiments and sauces. It seems that you should be able to use them interchangeably to some degree. In many instances, both add flavor, both can be drizzled, dipped, or slathered on food, and both often come in squeeze bottles or jars.

So why is ketchup a condiment but marinara a sauce? Well, the difference definitely doesn't just boil down to the ingredients. While there are clear examples to represent both sides of the condiment versus sauce argument, some of the most common iterations live in a gray area, leaving foodies at odds. Are you a person who lumps all of the flavoring agents together, painting the discourse surrounding sauces and condiments with a broad brush? Or, are you scrupulous in drawing a line in the sand to make the call either way? If I had to pin it down — and judge purely based on usage — sauces enter the scene during the cooking process, whereas condiments are used after the fact to complement already-cooked food.



Sauce starts in the kitchen, condiments join in later A sauce is commonly built into a dish — like béchamel in a lasagna, gravy tossed into poutine, or meatballs simmered in a rich marinara. When talking sauce, it usually develops flavor over time as it cooks. It even tends to thicken over heat or by being blended with other ingredients to form something greater than the sum of its parts.

A condiment is typically something you add at the table to adjust the final taste. Mustard on a sandwich, hot sauce on tacos, or ; This is all condiment territory. Condiments allow the diner to tweak the flavor to their liking rather than serving as an integral part of the recipe itself.

Of course, the lines blur when certain foods flip between categories. Look at barbecue sauce, for example. If it's slathered onto a rack of ribs before it hits the grill, it's a sauce.

But if you're dunking your brisket in it at the table, now it's a condiment. Soy sauce follows the same logic; If it's cooked into a stir-fry, it behaves like a sauce, but if you at the table, it acts as a condiment. Even something as simple as butter can shift depending on the context; Melting it into a pan for cooking makes it a sauce, but when spread onto a roll, it's a condiment.

The distinction isn't always black and white, but it mostly centers around when the item at hand happens to enter the equation. Some foods just refuse to pick a side The condiment versus sauce debate gets even murkier when you look at foods that refuse to be boxed in because the usage goes against the actual name. For example, tartar sauce is for sure a condiment but it literally calls itself a "sauce.

" Then there's the occasion when you simply use a food the way you do, just because you enjoy it — regardless of its intended purpose. When I add salad dressing to a bowl of greens, I feel like it's a sauce; But even if I dip my wings in it, I still consider it a sauce. Of course, it's fun to argue about whether salsa belongs in the sauce family or if ranch dressing has a place in the condiment aisle, but the reality is that most of these terms are flexible.

What matters most is that they all elevate your food. Whether you're drenching, dipping, or drizzling, as long as it's adding flavor, it's doing its job. So go on and pour, spread, or dunk however you like.

Just don't expect everyone to agree on what you should call it! Recommended.