Reduction (cooking)

Stock being reduced in a pan

In cooking, reduction is the process of thickening and intensifying the flavor of a liquid mixture such as a soup, sauce, wine, or juice by simmering or boiling.[1]

Reduction is performed by simmering or boiling a liquid such as stock, fruit or vegetable juices, wine, vinegar, or a sauce until the desired volume is reached by evaporation. This is done without a lid, enabling the vapor to escape from the mixture. Different components of the liquid will evaporate at slightly different temperatures, and the goal of reduction is to drive away those with lowest points of evaporation. It thus can be seen as a form of distillation, capturing those components that have the highest boiling point.

While reduction does concentrate the flavors left in the pan, reducing too much will drive away all liquid in the sauce, leaving a "sticky, burnt coating" on the pan.[2]

Examples

Common preparations involving reductions include:

Notes

References

  1. ↑ "Technique: Making a Sauce Reduction". The Kitchn. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  2. ↑ Petrosky, Maureen C. "How To Make A Reduction". Food Republic. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  3. 1 2 The Culinary Institute of America (2011). The Professional Chef (9th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 268–70 (brown sauce), page 295 (Béchamel Sauce and Tomato Sauce). ISBN 978-0-470-42135-2. OCLC 707248142.
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