the.com/reduction sauce
Liquid patience — you boil away the water until flavor is the only thing left standing.
means A sauce made by simmering a liquid down until it thickens and its flavor concentrates, with no extra starch or thickener needed.
from From Latin 'reducere' (to lead back, bring back), via Old French 'reduire'. The culinary sense comes from the idea of 'reducing' a liquid back to its essential, concentrated state — the water is driven off as steam, so what's 'brought back' is pure flavor, not volume.
- the trick
- evaporation concentrates flavor, not a secret ingredient
- math
- reduce by half, intensity roughly doubles
- common base
- wine, stock, or cream simmered uncovered
- chef lie
- sauces are hard; sauces are just time