A glaze is a glossy, sticky sauce used to coat foods like meats, vegetables, pastries and more. Glazes add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to foods. They give dishes an appetizing sheen and sticky texture when brushed or drizzled on before or after cooking. But what exactly differentiates a glaze from other sauces? There are a few key characteristics that define true culinary glazes.
Thickness and Viscosity
One of the main things that distinguishes a glaze from a regular sauce is its thickness and viscosity. Glazes tend to be quite a bit thicker than sauces like gravies, salad dressings, marinades and salsas. They have a sticky, viscous texture that allows them to adhere well to foods.
Glazes are usually thickened to create this texture. Common thickening agents used in glazes include:
- Cornstarch
- Arrowroot
- Tapioca flour
- Glucose
- Honey or other sugars
- Fruit pectins
- Reduced fruit juices
- Gelatin
The thickness of a glaze allows it to coat foods evenly and remain on the surface even after cooking. Thinner sauces would simply run off or soak into the food. The concentrated viscosity makes glazes cling well and gives them that signature shiny, sticky texture.
High Sugar Content
Another difference between glazes and typical savory sauces is their high sugar content. Glazes often contain a large amount of added sugars or natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, fruit jam, etc. The high sugar concentration adds sweetness, enhances the viscosity, and facilitates caramelization and browning when the glaze is cooked.
Common added sugars used in sweet glazes include:
- Granulated white sugar
- Brown sugar
- Corn syrup
- Molasses
- Honey
- Maple syrup
- Jams, jellies and preserves
The sugars essentially act as a natural thickener. As the glaze cooks, the sugars caramelize, further concentrating the glaze and turning it a glossy brown color. However, glazes can also be savory with only minimal added sugars.
Intended as a Coating
Glazes differ from other sauces in that they are formulated specifically to coat the surface of foods. While many sauces and condiments are poured on top of dishes or served alongside, glazes are designed to stick to and almost “shellac” the exterior of the food. Their thick, sugary texture enables them to adhere evenly when brushed, drizzled or dipped onto foods before or after cooking.
When cooked, the glaze dries and concentrates into a shiny, transparent, sometimes slightly crispy coating. This gives an attractive glossy sheen and also seals in moisture while providing sweetness or savoriness. Some examples of foods commonly glazed include:
- Meats like ham, chicken, ribs and turkey
- Vegetables like carrots, green beans and squash
- Fruits like apples and pineapple
- Pastries like doughnuts, pies, tarts and buns
Pretty much any food can benefit from the application of a flavorful, appetizing glaze.
Common Glazing Techniques
There are a few different ways glazes can be used to coat foods:
- Brushing – Using a basting brush to liberally coat foods in a thick glaze before and/or during cooking. This evenly applies the glaze over all surfaces.
- Drizzling – Slowly pouring a glaze back and forth over foods to create streaks and patterns.
- Dipping – Dunking foods like pastries briefly into a glaze to coat before removing to let excess drip off.
- Spraying – Using a squeeze bottle to evenly mist foods with a fine layer of glaze.
The glazing method used depends on the type of food being coated and desired results. Even coatings work well for meats, while drizzling can give a more artful finish on pastries.
Cooked to Set and Concentrate
Unlike some creamy sauces served fresh, glazes need to be cooked to activate their full glazing potential. Heating causes the sugars to caramelize and thicken while the sauce concentrates. This firms them up and creates that desirable tacky texture that adheres readily to food surfaces.
Cooking also melds the glaze flavors and drives off excess moisture, intensifying the taste. Heating essentially transforms the glaze from a loose sauce to a tacky, concentrated coating. This is why glazes are typically applied before or during cooking rather than simply spooned or drizzled over a finished dish. The cooking firms up the glaze into an appealing sheen.
Common Glaze Flavors
Glazes come in a wide variety of sweet and savory flavors. Popular options include:
Sweet Glazes:
- Honey
- Maple
- Fruit jam or preserves
- Citrus (orange, lemon, etc)
- Spiced (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc)
- Chocolate or caramel
- Vanilla
- Coconut
Savory Glazes:
- Barbecue
- Teriyaki
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar and mustard
- Garlic
- Herb (rosemary, thyme, etc)
- Chili or sriracha
The flavor combinations are endless. Glazes are a great way to add big, bold flavors to foods using a sticky, sweet, savory or spicy coating.
Key Differences from Other Sauces
To summarize, here are some of the main characteristic that differentiate glazes from other types of sauces:
- Thicker, more viscous texture
- Higher sugar content
- Intended as a coating vs served alongside food
- Brushed, drizzled or dipped onto foods
- Cooked to set glaze and concentrate flavors
- Provide glossy, sticky exterior coating
While sauces like salad dressings, marinades, and dips add flavor, glazes specifically provide that topical sweet, savory or spicy shellac. Their thickness and sugar content gives them adhesion power to stick to and evenly coat food surfaces when cooked. This makes glazes unique from other runnier, thinnersauces.
Conclusion
Glazes occupy their own distinct sauce category defined by viscosity, coating ability, and application technique. Their thick, sticky texture allows them to fully adhere to foods, while cooking concentrates flavors and transforms the glaze into an appealing glossy finish. Brushing, drizzling and glazing during cooking gives foods an appetizing sheen along with a burst of sweetness, savoriness or spice in every bite. This makes glazes a versatile way to finish off and enhance all kinds of savory and sweet recipes.