Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION VII, CENTRAL VISAYAS
Division of Cebu Province

SELF-LEARNING HOME TASK (SLHT)

Subject TLE- HOUSEHOLD SERVICES Grade Level 10 Quarter 2

Week 2 Lesson 1

MELC: Explain seasoning principles in sauce preparation.

Competency code: TLE_HEHS10HC-I.IIja-4

Name ______________________________ Section ________ Date __________

School ______________________________ District ________________________

A. READINGS/DISCUSSIONS
SEASONING PRINCIPLES IN SAUCE PREPARATION
Seasonings are substances that enhance the natural flavor of a food or a combination of foods
without changing its flavor. In making a good sauce, seasonings are essential as well. Through the
addition of seasonings, flavor of a sauce that is otherwise bland is enhanced. Learning to make a
good sauce is a basic step toward becoming a great cook.
In our country, Filipinos have traditionally used varied spices, herbs and varied seasonings to
enhance the flavor of our native dishes. Basic seasonings like salt and pepper are added
dramatically to improve the flavor of the food without being specifically perceived or detected as it
is. It will bring out the hidden flavors. Some seasonings, called flavor enhancers, act somewhat
differently. Food seasonings add zest to our food. Filipinos have traditionally used varied spices,
herbs and varied seasonings to enhance the flavor of our native dishes. As a good cook you can
show your skills in preparing food using natural seasonings available in the locality to promote
healthy cooked foods, not just by using certain additives or artificial flavouring in the process.
As a good cook you can show your skills in preparing food using natural seasonings available in the
locality to promote healthy cooked foods, not just by using certain additives or artificial flavoring in
the process.
How Spices and Seasonings Differ
Are the terms ―spices‖ and ―seasonings‖ bothering you? Are you confused between their
differences? I hope that the answer below gives you clarity.

The best way to understand the difference between spices and seasonings is to understand
their composition. A spice is a vegetation product that has an aromatic or pungent to the taste
quality which is used for flavoring while cooking. On the other hand, a seasoning is a mixture of
several flavoring components such as sugars, salts and spices. Thus, a spice can thought of as
a subset of a seasoning.
- Chuck Cox

Seasonings could enhance the flavors that already exist within the dish. The two most important
ingredients are salt and pepper. Salt is a natural flavor enhancer while pepper adds a new flavor or
aroma to the food. Below are the principles on how to adjust the seasonings of a sauce based on
your taste preference:
TASTE, EVALUATE AND ADJUST TASTE
To balance the flavor and seasoning of your sauces consider all the basic taste sensations
Salt is the most primal taste and reduces bitterness
Bitterness is derived from herbs and spices
Sweet is added with the addition of sugar, butter, and cream
Butter also adds a savory sensation
 Acidity lifts and lightens the flavor of the sauce on the tongue; a little wine vinegar, wine, or lemon
can do the trick
Umami is the savory taste found in meats, poultry, fish, cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms
CONSISTENCY AND TEXTURE
Thin sauces release aromas that are more immediately noticed by the sense of smell
Thickening agents obstruct the flavor of a sauce requiring more salt and seasoning
Thickened sauces tend to linger on the tongue longer and prolong the flavor better than thin

What to do if the consistency of a sauce is too thick?

If it is too thick it can be thinned with a little water, stock or other liquid. Be careful to taste and
adjust the seasoning. Thinning with water will dilute the flavor so it is normally not recommended
except in the case where it may be too intense. Sauces that sit in a steam table will evaporate over
time becoming too thick or salt; in this situation it may be appropriate to adjust with water.

sauces
THE PURPOSE OF SAUCES
1. Introduce Complementary or Contrasting Flavors. Choosing a sauce with a similar base flavor
tends to complement and intensify the flavor of the main item. On the other hand, you can choose
a sauce that adds a contrasting flavor.
2. Add Moisture. A sauce can add moisture to naturally lean foods such as poultry, fish. A sauce
can also compensate for the drying effect of certain cooking techniques, especially broiling, grilling,
sautéing, and roasting.
3. Add Eye Appeal. A sauce can enhance a dish‘s appearance by adding luster and sheen.
4. Add Flavor. A sauce that includes a flavor complementary to a food brings out the essence of
that food.
5. Improve Texture. Many sauces include a garnish that adds texture to the finished dish. A dish
that has a distinct texture, such as pan-fried soft-shelled crab, is enhanced by a smooth sauce.
SERVING SAUCES
-Keep hot sauces hot. Check the temperature of the sauce, of the food being sauced, and of the
plate.
-Add the sauce in a way that suits the texture of the food you are serving.
-Serve an appropriate portion of sauce. There should be an enough sauce for every bite of the
sauced food but not so much that the dish looked swamped.

Basic Seasoning includes:

1. Salt - is one of the oldest commodities known to man. It has played a major role in history. Salt
is one of the widely used seasoning and is also found naturally in some foods. It is a crystalline
substance with the chemical name Sodium Chloride (NaCl). For most cooked dishes, salt and other
seasoning should be added in small increment, with a tasting after each addition, until the most
desirable taste is achieved. RA no. 8172 is a provision mandating all salt to be fortified with iodine.
The optimal amount of salt depends on the food product being prepared and the preferences of the
person who will consume the food. For most cooked dishes, salt and other seasonings should be
added in small increment, with a tasting after each addition, until the most desirable taste is
achieved.
2.Pepper - is the dried unripe berry of a climbing vine. During drying, the green berry becomes dark
brown or black.
White pepper- is the kernel of the ripe red berry that has had the skin removed to reveal the white
interior.
Red pepper- comes from the plants of the genus capsicum. It has also its distinctive flavor.
3. Flavor enhancers - is known as Monosodium glutamate (MSG) that looks like salt. Chemically,
sodium salt of an amino acid is called glutamic acid. Glutamic acid comes naturally in a variety of
foods, including tomatoes and mushrooms, and also is a component of some protein molecules
present in such foods as meat, fish, poultry, legumes and cereal grains.
4. Spices and Herbs - spice is used to describe a variety of dried, aromatic vegetable products that
are used in building the flavors of prepared food. Herb usually refers to leaves and stem of soft
stemmed plants that grow in temperate climates.
Tips in Sauce preparation:
1. To improve the flavor
Additional ingredients such as the following may be added as the sauce develops
a. bones and trim
b. mirepoix (meer-PWAH;)- is a mixture of chopped celery onions, and carrots cut into small pieces
c. mushroom trim- cut into large dice
d. herbs
e. garlic
f. shallots
2. To thicken the sauce
The texture and to some extent the color- of a brown sauce depends on the type of thickener used.
Any of the following maybe used for thickening, depending on your desired results:
a. roux /ˈruː/ - is a substance created by cooking wheat flour and fat
b. pureed mirepoix
c. reduction ( demi- glaze)
d. purestarch
3. Finishing
Some ingredients may be added to the simmering sauce after it has finished cooking:
a. Wine that was reduced from deglazing or has simmered with aromatics.
b. Fortified wines such as port, madeira, or sherry
c. Whole butter cold, or at room temperature.
4. Garnishing
A garnish of pre-cooked high moisture ingredients maybe added
before serving.
a. Shallots
b. Mushrooms
c. Tomatoes

II. EXERCISES
A. FILL IN THE BLANKS
A. Directions: Read the paragraph carefully and fill in the missing word/s.

In preparing a 1) ___________, there are lots of things that must be put into consideration most
especially on its taste and consistency. If the consistency of a sauce is too thin or too weak it can
be adjusted by 2)_________ the sauce on the stove. Other alternatives include adding more
thickening agent, cream, a swirl of butter, or a liaison of egg yolk and cream. If it is 3) ___________
it can be thinned with a little water, stock or other liquid. Be careful to taste and adjust the seasoning.
Thinning with 4) ___________ will dilute the flavor so it is normally not recommended except in the
case where it may be too intense. Sauces that sit in a steam table will evaporate over time becoming
too thick or salt; in this situation it may be appropriate to adjust with 5) _____________.

B. Directions: Read the statements carefully and fill in the missing word/s.

1. ___________ of sauces is derived from herbs and spices. 2.____________is the most primal
taste and reduces bitterness. 3.____________ is the savory taste found in meats, poultry, fish,
cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms. 4. Keep hot sauces _________. Check the temperature of the
sauce, of the food being sauced, and of the plate. 5. Red meats like beef and lamb pair well with
flavorful, ________ sauces.

B. ESSAY
Directions: Write on the space provided about the lesson presented on what are the purposes of
sauce making and on how to match a sauce to a dish. Your answer will be assessed using the
Scoring Rubric below.

1. What are purposes of sauce making?

_____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2. How to match a sauce to a dish?

_____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

C. ASSESSMENT/APPLICATION/OUTPUT
A. MATCHING TYPE:
Directions: Match the items in Column A with those in Column B. Write the letter that corresponds
to the correct answer on your answer sheet.
A B
___1. Dried unripe berry of a climbing vine. A. Herb
___2. Refers to leaves and stems of soft stemmed plants that grow B. Flavor enhancer
in temperatue climate.
___3. Substances that enhance the natural flavor of a food C. Pepper
or a combination of foods without changing its flavor.
___4. Monosodium glutamate that looks like salt. D. Seasonings
___5. A variety of dried, aromatic vegetable products that
are used in building flavors of prepared food. E.Spices
___6. It is a mixture of chopped celery onions, and carrots cut into
small pieces
___7. A substance created by cooking wheat flour and fat.

B. TRUE OR FALSE
Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if it is wrong. Write your answer on
your answer sheet.
______________1. Sweet taste of a sauce can be achieved by adding sugar, butter, and cream.
______________2. Thickened sauces tend to linger on the tongue longer and prolong the flavor
better than thin sauces.
______________3. Long tubes pasta can be paired with thinner sauces.
______________4. Thin, delicate pasta can be paired with thicker sauces.
______________5. Flat, ribbon-like noodles can be paired with rich and creamy sauces.
______________6. If the consistency of the sauce is too thick it can be thinned with a little
water, stock or other liquid.
______________7. If the consistency of a sauce is too thin or too weak it can be adjusted by
reducing the sauce on the stove and by lessening the amount of thickening agent.
______________8. Seasonings could enhance the flavors that already exist within the dish.
______________9. Bright, light sauces can often enhance many different seafood dishes.
_____________10. Dishes from poultry sources can be paired with every- ething from light
cream sauces, to zesty curries, to rich pesto, to classic butter sauce.
_____________11. Red meats like beef and lamb pair well with flavorful, light sauces.
_____________12. It is necessary to keep hot sauces hot.
_____________13. Add sauces in a way that suits the texture of the food you are serving.

D. SUGGESTED ENRICHMENT/REINFORCEMENT ACTIVITY

A. Directions: Interview at least three chefs/cooks or anyone who cook food in your community.
Asked them the basic seasonings that they use in cooking and the type of menu they cook. Follow
the given format below for the activity.

Name of chef or Cook Menu Type of Seasonings used.

Example: Jose Lopez Pork Menudo Salt, ground black pepper,
Monosodium Glutamate
(MSG)
1.

2.

3.

References:
K to 12 Basic Education Program Technology and Livelihood Education Home Economics
Household Services Specialization Course for Grade 10 Teacher‘s Guide. 2016.

―Sauces, garnishes and accompaniments. ― TAFE NSW Sydney eLearning

Moodle.https://sielearning.tafensw.edu.au/toolboxes/Kitchen/tools/kitchen/se rve/sauces.html

Prepared by: Verified by:

ANGIE A. CARTING EDITHA S. RONOLO
Teacher 1 Master Teacher 1