French classical cooking isn't just a national cuisine — it's the technical foundation of virtually all Western restaurant cooking. The terminology is French, the techniques were codified in France, and even when cooking Italian or American food, trained cooks are applying principles developed in the French classical tradition. Understanding this foundation makes you a more complete cook.
The Mother Sauces
Auguste Escoffier codified five "mother sauces" — the foundation from which all French sauces derive. Learn these and you understand the architecture of all French cooking:
- Béchamel: White roux + milk. The base for cream sauces, macaroni and cheese, lasagna béchamel, and Mornay (béchamel + cheese).
- Velouté: Blonde roux + white stock (chicken, veal, or fish). The base for many elegant cream sauces; finished with cream becomes a sauce suprême.
- Espagnole (Brown sauce): Brown roux + brown stock + tomato. The base for demi-glace, the foundation of all rich, deep brown sauces.
- Sauce Tomat: Tomato sauce with stock — the French interpretation of the tomato-based sauce.
- Hollandaise: Emulsified butter sauce — clarified butter slowly incorporated into egg yolks. The base for béarnaise (add tarragon and shallot) and many other emulsified butter sauces.
The Roux
Equal parts flour and fat (usually butter) cooked together. The roux is the thickening agent for béchamel and velouté. The longer you cook a roux, the darker it becomes — and the less thickening power it has, but the more flavor it develops:
- White roux: Cooked just until raw flour smell disappears — for béchamel
- Blonde roux: Cooked a little more, slightly golden — for velouté
- Brown roux: Deeply colored, nutty flavor, less thickening — for espagnole; commonly used in Cajun cooking
Key French Techniques
- Sauté: From "sauter" (to jump) — cooking quickly in a small amount of hot fat, tossing or stirring
- Poché (Poach): Cooking in barely simmering liquid — for eggs, fish, fruits
- Braiser (Braise): Brown first, then cook covered in a small amount of liquid — for tough cuts
- Monter au beurre: Finishing a sauce by swirling in cold butter — creates glossy, emulsified sauce
- Déglacer (Deglaze): Adding liquid to a hot pan to lift the fond
- Reduce: Simmer liquid to concentrate flavor and thicken
- Blanch and shock: Brief boiling + ice water bath to set color and stop cooking for vegetables
The Mise en Place Philosophy
Mise en place ("everything in its place") is as much a philosophy as a technique. Before cooking begins, everything needed for the recipe is prepped, measured, and organized. In classical French kitchens, a cook's station was judged by the quality and organization of their mise en place. This discipline — think before you cook — produces calmer, more efficient, more enjoyable cooking at every level.
💡 French Cooking Tips
- Butter is fundamental — don't substitute or reduce it in French recipes
- Build sauces in stages — each step of reduction and addition is intentional
- Taste constantly — French cooking is highly seasoned and seasoned at every stage
- The fond is gold — always deglaze and use it
- High-quality stock is the foundation — poor stock makes poor sauce