Sauces & Emulsions
Reducing
patiently simmering down to deep flavor.
Haley’s walkthrough is coming soon
She’s filming a short video for this one. Until then, her notes below have you covered.
Reducing is simmering a liquid down so the flavor concentrates and the texture thickens. Time does almost all of it.
Do this
- Use a wide pan. More surface area speeds up the reduction.
- Keep it at a steady simmer, not a hard boil, and let it go until it coats a spoon.
- Taste as it reduces and season at the end, once the flavor has settled.
Watch out for
- Do not boil it hard the whole time. A gentle simmer gives you a smoother result.
- Do not salt heavily at the start. As the liquid shrinks, the salt concentrates with it.
- Do not wander off near the end. It goes from perfect to too thick quickly.
Remember
Low and patient. A reduction is just flavor with the water taken out.
Recipes that build this skill
Ready to practice?
The fastest way to learn reducing is to cook it. Make something, tap “I Made It,” and watch this skill grow on your journey.