Which statement best describes the roles of stock, sauce, and glaze in a dish?

• A. Stock provides flavor and moisture; sauce adds flavor, moisture, and texture; glaze concentrates flavor and adds shine.
• B. Stock is a finished dish; sauce and glaze are used primarily for decoration.
• C. Stock is only used for soups; sauce is only used for desserts.
• D. Stock thickens sauces; sauce reduces; glaze dissolves sugar.

Answer: (A)

Stock, sauce, and glaze each have a distinct job in shaping a dish’s flavor, moisture, and finish. Stock acts as the flavorful, moist liquid base you build from bones, vegetables, and aromatics; it provides body and depth to soups, braises, and sauces, helping to carry and integrate flavors. A sauce, on the other hand, is something you cook to add more flavor, moisture, and often a particular texture or mouthfeel to the dish; it coats the ingredients and can help unify the dish’s components with its thickness and sheen. A glaze is a concentrated, glossy coating created by reducing a liquid until it thickens and concentrates; it intensifies flavor and imparts a shiny finish that makes the surface visually appealing and appetizing.

So the statement that best fits these roles describes stock as providing flavor and moisture, sauce as adding flavor, moisture, and texture, and glaze as concentrating flavor and adding shine. The other descriptions misrepresent these roles—stock isn’t a finished dish; sauces aren’t limited to desserts; and a glaze isn’t simply about dissolving sugar or about removing most of the liquid.