About Zaid Mercer

I didn’t learn to cook from a recipe book.

I learned by asking why.

By day, I design digital products and write the code that runs them. I’ve spent a decade obsessing over one question: why do some things just work – and others almost work? That mindset followed me into the kitchen and never left.

“The Sauce Base started because I couldn’t find a single recipe site that told me the reason behind the result.”

So I built one.

Here, every recipe comes with the logic behind it. The acid that lifts. The fat that carries. The heat that transforms. Get those three things right and the result takes care of itself – every time, not just when you get lucky.

My rule is simple: every ingredient has a job. If it doesn’t earn its place, it doesn’t go in the bowl.

What you’ll find at The Sauce Base:

  • 5-Minute Fixes : No-cook sauces ready before your pan heats up.
  • Fire & Glaze : Hot sauces, chili oils and spicy glazes with real heat and real flavor.
  • Global Aromatics : World flavors decoded: tahini, gochujang, chimichurri, harissa and more.
  • Plant-Based Creams : Dairy-free sauces that don’t taste like a compromise.
  • The Slow Simmer : Cooked classics worth the extra time.
  • The Sauce Lab : The science behind why everything works.

I believe great cooking isn’t about talent. It’s about understanding. Give a cook the right ratio and they’ll never need a recipe again.

Explore The Recipes

Zaid’s Favorite Recipes

Get to Know Me

go-to coffee order

Double espresso, no sugar

Couldn’t live without

A good blender and a sharp knife

All-time favourite sauce

always chimichurri

Most used ingredient

Fresh garlic

Biggest cooking mistake

Undersalting and being afraid of acid

Take my money

madewell

You can always find me

in the garden

On Repeat

Whatever keeps me focused

FAQ

No. Every recipe is written so you understand what you’re doing and why – not just how to follow steps. If you can measure and blend, you can make anything on this site.

Because a sauce is the highest-leverage thing you can make. The same plain chicken breast becomes four completely different meals depending on what you pour over it. Master the sauce and you multiply every meal you already know how to cook.

Regular supermarkets, almost always. If a recipe needs something harder to find, I’ll tell you exactly where to look and what to substitute if you can’t find it.

Multiple times, with different variables. I test what happens when you use less acid, more fat, lower heat – then I write up the edge cases in the troubleshooting section so you don’t have to figure it out mid-cook.

Most of them, yes. Every recipe includes storage instructions and a “make ahead” note. A lot of these sauces actually improve after 24 hours in the fridge as the flavors settle.

Use the contact page. I read every message —> response time is usually 2–3 days.