As suggested in the introduction to this chapter, sauce-making has changed a great deal since Escoffier’s day. Although our basic methods for making many of the sauces in the modern kitchen are derived from classical cuisine, details have changed. Perhaps the most important change is that chefs rely less on roux for thickening a sauce, while reduction has become more important to give sauces body. When starches are used, they are often purer starches, such as arrowroot.
