divide the liquid into many small, local masses: and by dividing, they organize and collect it and give it a kind of coherence that it lacked beforehand Some thickening agents also literally bind water molecules to themselves and so take them out of circulation altogether, and this too has the effect of reducing the fluidity of the continuous phase In addition to giving watery fluids a thicker consistency, the substances in the dispersed phase can give them textures of various kinds Solid particles may make them grainy or smooth, depending on the particle size; oil droplets make them seem creamy; dispersed molecules with a tendency to adhere to each other may make them seem sticky or slimy; air bubbles make them seem light and evanescent There are four common ways of thickening watery food juices Each produces a different kind of physical system, and lends different qualities to the finished sauce Cloudy Suspensions: Thickening with Particles Most of our raw ingredients — vegetables, fruits, herbs, meats — are plant or animal tissues built from microscopic cells that are filled with watery fluids The cells are contained within walls, membranes, or thin sheets of connective tissue (Dry seeds and spices contain no juices, but are still made up of solid cells and cell walls.) When any of these foods is broken apart into small pieces by being ground in a mortar or pulverized in a blender, they are turned inside out, so the fluids form a continuous phase that contains fragments of the solid cell walls and connective tissue These fragments obstruct and bind the water molecules, and thus thicken the consistency of the mixture Such a mixture of a fluid and solid particles is called a suspension: the particles are suspended in the fluid Sauces made from pureed foods are suspensions The texture of a suspension depends on the ... The cells are contained within walls, membranes, or thin sheets of connective tissue (Dry seeds and spices contain no juices, but are still made up of solid cells and cell walls.) When any of these foods... by being ground in a mortar or pulverized in a blender, they are turned inside out, so the fluids form a continuous phase that contains fragments of the solid cell walls and connective tissue These fragments obstruct and bind the water molecules,... molecules, and thus thicken the consistency of the mixture Such a mixture of a fluid and solid particles is called a suspension: the particles are suspended in the fluid Sauces made from pureed foods are