I’d agree with “unnecessary”.
However, I think a good sauce adds more than it detracts.
Also, most sauces are not good.
To be honest i cant imagine any sauce improving an aged ribeye or even ny strip for me. But i don’t like rich sauces in general.
It can probably work well for Filet Mignon but I can’t remember the last time I had one.
Chimichurri on a flat steak is great.
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Horseradish is decent.
Aren’t all sauces “unnecessary?”
Try eating sauceless pasta.
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The number one thing people can do to up their food is add sauces. They are critical to good food. That’s why you can’t find anything fine dining without a sauce.
Ketchup is a sauce! 
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And ketchup is actually good too. Like fine don’t put it on steak I can see that argument. But generally ketchup is an outstanding combination of sweet and tangy/acidic. Its almost like its so good, and therefore so broadly appealing, that people object to it simply because it is so ubiquitous.
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just oil or a bit of melted butter and cheese probably don’t qualify as a full on sauce, but it makes pasta edible.
I consider that a sauce.
Oh boy an argument about what X really means! How much money does a sauce need to make before its considered a “rich” sauce? THATS NOT EVEN THAT RICH FOR MANHATTAN HERP DERP.
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A sauce is basically a liquid added to a dish to add flavor and moistness. Melted butter is a liquid that adds flavor and moistness. From a basic “food as fuel” level, adding such things are not necessary to getting your needed caloric intake.
i mean, undergrads and grad students are eating pasta and palm oil for under a dollar a day, but here we are talking about their SAUCES!!!
jk. not meant to be an argument, it’s just funny to me how this conversation spins both ways.
speaking of necessary intake, a bio researcher once told me it’s possible for lab rats to stay somewhat healthy while consuming some small amounts of protein and fat, but not generally possible to have a carb only diet for extended periods. like something about fat helping to fight infections etc. /shrug
One of the biggest improvements I have made to my cooking game is making sauces.
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Wikipedia is even broader than that:
In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi-solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods
Aglio e olio is pretty darn close to just olive oil and pasta.
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I did not mean unnecessary in the very literal way it’s been referred to here twice. I deeply apologize for the discomfort you must have endured.
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Thats garlic sauce baby.
Without fats our nerves eventually become demyelinated.
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