Tom Douglas

I Love Condiments!/by Don Sefton, Catering Events Manager

Ever since I have been a little kid, I have always enjoyed condiments as much as I love what they go with: I tend to put too much dressing on my salad because I also want to eat the dressing- Winsoms Sweet Onion Ranch Dressing from Walla Walla is one of my absolutely favorite dressings on romaine!!  I put a ton of steak sauce or bbq sauce on my meat and hamburgers because I love the taste of A1 and Lea & Perrins; I drown my refried beans and rice wiht Cajun Power Garlic Sauce because I also love the heat, sweetness, vinegar, and sweat from the sauce.  Such a marvelous, marvelous sauce- yuuuuummmmm!  If you have never tried it you must buy some.  I always have some.

I also love to cook, so it is important for me to have “The Basics” in my fridge for a lot of different types of cuisine, ethnicity, sauces, marinades, etc.  I just don’t want to go shopping for the base ingredients each time that I cook.  So, in my fridge I have different types of mustards for homemade dressings, rubs, and sauces.  I have fish sauce, different soy sauces, sesame seed oil, chili paste, ginger juice, sriracha, hon-dashi: all so that when I or my Japanese partner want to make Asian dishes we have the basics in house!

I also love hot sauces, so having a variety from all types of fields helps to spice up any dish, in any temperament.  Having some orange blossom and also rose water on hand not only adds a unique element to a cocktail, but is delicious in lemonade.  A tube of anchovy paste is so versatile in dressings and that “secret ingredient” in a sauce with fish.  Of course, Worcestershire zips up any homemade hamburger patty before grilling or as a marinade.  The combination of condiments are endless!  Just one of my multiple obsessions.

December 22nd, 2009