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Common cooking terms can be intimidating if we don’t know the simple meanings behind them. Today we'll look at a pretty common one, called a reduction.
Basically, a reduction is made by cooking and reducing the volume of your cooking liquid through evaporation, which results in a thicker consistency and a more intense flavor -- with the option of adding in other ingredients like wine, juice, cream, and/or seasonings.
Here’s how to do it: Boil your cooking liquid (usually stock, wine, or a sauce mixture) in a wide, heavy bottomed saucepan because the larger the surface area of the pan, the faster the liquid can evaporate; the thick bottom lets us control the heat.
The sauce gets its intense flavor from the juices of our cooked meats, poultry, or veggies -- or it can be from another source, such as the popular balsamic vinegar. As it comes to a boil and cooks down, the flavor concentrates and the now-rich, almost syrupy consistency makes it the perfect simple sauce to drizzle over any of our favorites from beef to fish and veggies.
Now that you know how easy it is to make a reduction, give it a try for an impressive, flavorful...
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