As recalled by 60 million consumers in its monthly dated November 2022, since the confinements, “we hardly envisage a barbecue without the sauce of the same name, a pierrade without its assortment of various and varied seasonings, a seafood dish without its mayonnaise, nor a hamburger without its classic ketchup” . In short, we consume more and more cold sauces, and in quantities that often exceed the recommended thresholds of salt, sugar or fat.
To find out what we dip our fries or nuggets in, 60 million consumers evaluated 54 sauces (ketchups, mayonnaise, soy sauces and barbecue sauces), sold under market-leading brands and private labels. Their findings:
- As for the mayonnaises: it is better to avoid the light (fat) versions because they are enriched with salt, sugar and preservatives to “compensate” for the reduction in fat.
- On the ketchup side : the amount of sugars they contain vary from simple to triple and they have a significant dose of salt.
- As for the barbecue sauces: a single hazelnut of 20 g does not contain less than 5.1 grams of sugar, or 10% of the daily intake recommended by the World Health Organization.
Ketchup or mayo: which are the “less worst”?
>> Mayonnaise
Among the 15 mayonnaises tested by 60 million consumers (the test is available here)none exceeds the overall score of 13.5.
- It’s here Dijon mayo 5 ingredients and that’s all from Amora who takes first place in the standings.
>> Ketchup
Among the 15 ketchups tested, the overall ratings are higher and Quintesens ketchup from Naturalia gets a score of 16.5. The Tomato ketchup -50% sugars from Carrefour is in 2nd position with the score of 16/20 as well as the Heinz Tomato Ketchup less sugars and salt (16/20).
>> BBQ sauces
Finally, among the 12 barbecue sauces tested, it is once again the Quintesens by Naturalia which fares well with an overall rating of 16.5.
Better a homemade sauce than a light sauce
In order not to gain too much weight, without being satisfied with salads without sauce and steamed fish, we have lightened the recipe for the vinaigrette, cocktail sauce and mayonnaise for you. Because there’s nothing like making your homemade sauce to give flavor to the simplest of salads, without being wary of additives or preservatives.
Vinaigrette is made up of two basic ingredients: oil and vinegar. With a little salt and pepper, and sometimes a touch of mustard to give it a binder. But from this combination, it’s up to you to imagine a host of variations! We vary the vinegars, which we can also replace with other acidic ingredients (lemon, orange, grapefruit juice, etc.), we vary the oils (olive, but also nuts, hazelnuts, sesame, hemp, etc.) Or well, we put on a creamy base: coconut milk, yogurt, vegetable cream… And then, we dare to use herbs, spices, seeds, fruit juice…
How to make homemade mayonnaise?
The success of a homemade mayonnaise will depend on several important steps. First of all it is recommended to take out all the ingredients (egg yolk, mustard, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper) one hour before making the preparation: the rise in temperature facilitates the emulsion.
Then it is better to use a container with a small bottom, so that when there are few ingredients at the beginning, each whipping will have a good effect. At first mix all the ingredients and then pour the oil in a very small trickle. Warning: do not add too much oil, the mayonnaise will not take.
