Today's Tip
Every French sauce starts with too much liquid. Reduction is not an accident — it is the technique. Simmering concentrates flavor, thickens texture, and transforms a thin liquid into something with presence. The French never add cornstarch to a sauce. They cook it down.
Try This
Make a simple pan sauce after cooking any protein: remove the meat, pour off excess fat, add a splash of wine or stock, and simmer on medium heat while scraping the browned bits from the bottom. Keep simmering until the liquid coats the back of a spoon. That is done.
The test for a properly reduced sauce is "nappe" — it should coat a spoon cleanly and not drip off when you draw your finger across the back. French chefs train this instinct by tasting and testing constantly, not by timing. Reduction concentrates both flavor and salt, so season lightly at the start and correct at the end. A sauce reduced too far is saved with a splash of stock or water. A sauce salted too early becomes unrecoverable.
One French lifestyle tip, every morning at 7am. Free — always.