The Best Bottled Steak Sauce You Can Buy Is Also The Most Mainstream
While most cuts of steak are bursting with flavor on their own, even the finest steak sauces offer an array of upgrades that include sauces like this Béarnaise sauce and blue cheese sauce. Bottled steak sauces are the convenient store-bought upgrade to a homemade steak. In a recent taste test of 11 steak sauces, our pick for the number one spot might not come as a surprise. A.1. steak sauce was ranked the best bottled steak sauce, validating its mainstream appeal and 200-year history.
The criteria Tasting Table specified for our ranking was widespread accessibility; A.1. and its competitors were easily available at grocery stores or for online purchases at a price most can afford. While many famous condiment producers, national grocery chain brands, and famous steakhouses were represented in the list of contenders, A.1. reigned supreme. The original A.1. sauce with its balance of sweet raisin paste, tangy vinegar, and aromatic orange puree and spices could not be beat. We found other competitor brands either too sweet, too weak, or too similar to barbecue sauce.
The taste tester admitted that A.1. steak sauce has always been their go-to condiment requested to accompany a steak dinner at their local restaurant. Consequently, all contenders were sampled before A.1. so as not to prejudice their taste.
Steak sauce is for more than just steak
Despite its name, steak sauce is for far more than just steaks. In fact, our article on the history behind steak sauce's association with meat states that it was at first marketed as an all purpose condiment. Consequently, using A.1. steak sauce on a diverse array of dishes fulfills its original intention, upgrading everything from vegetables to eggs, and even to other sauces.
Perhaps the most obvious use for steak sauce is as a dipping sauce for steak fries or drizzled over a loaded baked potato. However, steak sauce is a great flavor agent for countless other recipes. You can add a dash of steak sauce along with soy sauce to stir-fried noodles, it would be a great addition to any of the 19 stir fry recipes we can't get enough of. Since mushrooms offer the same meaty texture and umami-rich profile of steaks, you can accompany or even baste grilled portobello mushrooms with steak sauce to enhance their flavor. Drizzle steak sauce over simply sautéed greens to make them extra savory. Steak sauce will also taste great in an egg scramble or sprinkled into this simple cheese omelet.