Pureeing and Straining
To puree is to use a blender, food mill, etc., to make a sauce smooth. To strain is to take a liquid (pureed or not) and pour it through a fine mesh to remove small particulates and make it completely smooth.
Pureeing and straining are optional steps in sauce making, but a pureed sauce will be more refined than one that is not pureed. And a pureed and strained sauce will be more refined than one that has only been pureed. Refining refers to the number of steps it takes to get to a finished product.
A rustic (unpureed, unstrained) sauce might be appropriate if you are serving a rustic meal. However, if serving an exceptional meal, you may want to pair it with a more delicate sauce.
To make a completely smooth and velvety sauce, a chef knows that if a pureed sauce is smooth, a pureed and strained sauce will be smoother. So now you know, too.
Leave a Reply