Stock is defined as a cooking liquid that is flavored by simmering animal bones and/or meat, fish, or vegetables in water or wine with vegetables typically comprised of onion, celery, and carrots (also known as mirepoix) and sometimes other vegetables until a desired flavor is achieved. The classic stock flavorings are beef, chicken, fish, and vegetable/mushroom, and each type finds itself at various stages of use on today’s menus. (And, of course, enjoyed on its own, having acquired great marketing traction as “bone broth.”)

Stocks are the foundation of flavor, the building blocks for creating thousands of varieties of sauces, soups, bases, and even sweet applications. They offer the flavor that elevates everything the chef mixes into it to create the most mouthwatering product.

Bases are created by prolonged simmering or boiling of the stock, rendering the collagen from bones and reducing the liquid, thereby creating a more viscous liquid body or even a paste. Due to their concentrated flavor, bases are used in smaller portions to create sauces, soups, and gravies.

Sauce is the finishing touch to create a flavorful dip or dressing and can be a liquid, cream, or semi-solid food. The category has the broadest reach for application opportunities. Sauces can be served hot, warm, tepid, or chilled depending on the base of the formulation. Sauces can be used for sweet or savory dishes, and, in addition to those sauces served hot, can vary from a cold sauce like mayonnaise to a tepid concoction like a pesto, or a warm sauce such as hollandaise.

Savory hot sauces usually fall into three classic, overarching categories—stock-based, dairy-based, and tomato-based—although reductions of other liquids also are employed as bases for hot sauces. (Most alcohol-based sauces, such as wine sauces or reductions —or reductions of beer or spirits—often include a meat, poultry, or vegetable stock to carry the alcohol.) The base for a sauce and how it’s prepared will dictate its functionality and how it is served.

Sweet sauces can be divided into several groups as well. These include chocolate-centered, fruit centered, syrup-based, and dairy based (typically cream). Alcohol-based sweet sauces will typically incorporate one of these components, although some, such as a sweet wine sauce may involve nothing more than a single-ingredient reduction (such as a sweet wine syrup).

For processors, all these products are fundamentals of flavor that can carry a meal, an application, or stand on their own. They’re versatile and are the key to culinary expression in products ranging from the simple to the complex.

In this section, you’ll find detailed listings for suppliers of sauces, stocks/bases, reductions, and condiments, as well as ancillary ingredients to support the development and manufacture of them and the products using them. Click below for references by company name, headquarters, and website. And remember, we update these listings frequently, so keep checking back.