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Cooking encyclopaedia Techniques

Reducing

Also called reduction

Simmering a liquid uncovered to evaporate water and concentrate what is left.

What it is

Use a wide pan — evaporation happens at the surface — and keep it uncovered at a steady simmer. Season at the end, because everything already present concentrates too.

Why it works

Only water leaves. Everything dissolved in it stays and gets stronger: flavour, but also salt, acid and bitterness. Gelatin concentrating is what gives a reduced stock its body and gloss.

When to use it

Stocks, pan sauces, wine, vinegar glazes, tomato sauces, caramel.

What goes wrong

Seasoning early and ending up with something inedibly salty; a narrow pan, which takes forever; reducing a stock with scorched fond, which concentrates the bitterness too.

Meridian cooking encyclopaedia — Watchman Productions

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