Emulsifiers and Stabilizers

Whereas the viscosity of starch-thickened sauces can be attributed to solids suspended in a liquid (the scientific term for this kind of system is sol), emulsified sauces consist of two mutually insoluble liquids—usually fat and water—suspended one within the other. Emulsions rely on various additional ingredients to prevent the tiny particles from running into one another, joining up into larger particles, and eventually separating into two distinct layers—the usual course of events when combining water and oil alone.