Hi everyone, I have some pan sauce-related questions.

In the videos it was saying that you could use alcohol, stock or even water as the deglazing liquid - if stock is used at this point, does that mean the next step, ie. adding stock, can be skipped (since it was used for the deglazing anyhow) and the sauce is ready for the finishing steps? Or should you add further stock to give the stock body?

I noticed that the videos don't give any specific amounts for the deglazing liquid or the stock. How do you know how much to use?

Finally, I read in another thread that vermouth was good to use for deglazing as it keeps longer than white wine. Anyone know how long vermouth last if kept in the refrigerator? Or is there any other alcohol that keeps for a reasonable amount of time once opened?

Thanks

Even if the deglazing liquid is something other than alcohol (i.e. stock), use enough to lift the sucs off of the pan....then add additional stock. If you do not add additional stock, you will have no sauce so you will need to add more stock in order to reduce and thicken it and build the sauce.

There aren't amounts in the video because you can make a pan sauce for 1 or for 6...it all depends on what and how much you are cooking. Use enough to lift the sucs off of the pan. For 1 person, it can be a couple of tablespoons and for say 4 to 6 people it can be half a cup or more (depending on how strong the deglazing liquid is, etc). It's more important to understand the process of making a pan sauce and then experiment with amounts to suit your tastes. This is how chefs have the freedom to create so many delicious and new sauces.

Dry vermouth is high in alcohol and will keep for several months in a cool place or in the refrigerator. Boxed wines with a spigot also keep for a few months. If you are concerned about the flavor, make sure to taste it before using. Hope this helps! Cheers!

Thanks for clearing that up

Hi, I just made my first real pan sauce. It came out so professional looking! LOL the taste ..... well not so much. but that's what you sometimes get making your own concoction. Any ideas for a simple and tasty sauce for pork chops? I tried using ground mustard and tarragon finished with a little butter and sour cream (looking for more of a cream sauce I think). I don't think I'll submit that variety. But the lesson here was most helpful. I never thought I'd have mine looking like the pros'.

Try using heavy cream instead of sour cream and don't get it too hot.

I know most chefs say use a wine you would drink, but there are so many red wines available today, and it's very confusion for a non-wine person to know which one to use. When making the red wine sauce, what would be a good dry red wine to use? Surely the type of wine and its flavor will have a lot to do with the final taste of the sauce.
Thanks, Dennis

Indeed, it is hard to know and to say exactly which wine to use as there are so many. This is a popular question. In fact, if you search the forum you wil find quite a few discussion on this subject already. There is even one called "Dry Red Wine for Cooking?"

To quote the answer from a similar question:

Good wine will give you good results, and less than quality wine can compromise the dish. Keep in mind it doesn't have to be expensive. With white, a dry wine like a Sauvignon works well, and a dry white Vermouth works even better at a very good price. Vermouth offers complex flavors and keeps well. With red, you have more options. A Beaujolais offers more fruity, gentle flavors, while a Cabernet more tannin and richness. In each case, make sure to evaporate as much alcohol as possible. It is best to add wine in the beginning to a dry pan, always before adding any other liquids such as stock. Rule of thumb is to reduce the wine by at least half.

Hope this helps. Cheers!

Hi, I'm still practicing my pan sauce. Tonight I made an Asian inspired sauce. I used soy sauce, ginger, and garlic (those 2 were dried). I reduced to the right thickness, turned off the heat, plated the dinner and went to put the sauce on the pork chops. I looked and *poof* it wasn't quite pan sauce anymore. It seemed like the sucs coagulated and they were just hard lumps. 8( Any idea what might have happened? I'm wondering if it was because I used soy sauce (that has sugar in it right?)

It depends on the type of soy sauce you used. If it has sugar in it, perhaps the sugar caramelized in the pan, but this is strange if you added stock. The liquid would have had to completely reduce before any sugars would caramelize. If you used straight soy sauce, this could have been the problem. Hope this helps.

Thank you very much. I did use straight soy.

After sautéing a steak I removed it and poured almost all of the fat. I then added the wine, but instead of the nice deglazing that occurs in the video I got a huge splatter. Impressive looking, but made quite a mess! Do you think I left too much fat in the pan? Or am I supposed to let the pan cool somewhat before adding the liquid?

It sounds like your pan was a bit too hot. If time permits and you won't burn any sucs, you can let the pan cool down a bit before deglazing...but a bit of a mess is the nature of cooking. Cheers!

Can spices (such as curry powder) be added to a pan sauce. If so, when? Or is this simply not done. Thanx.

Pan sauces give cooks an opportunity to showcase their flavor-building skills and spices can definitely be added. The spices can be added with the mirepoix and before the pan is deglazed. This will allow them to infuse the liquid once it is added. Just be careful not to burn or scorch the spices though. Whole spices that have been cracked, can also be added to the liquid and can be strained out once the sauce has finished reducing. Experiment with ground and cracked spices and use them sparingly. Most often, they should provide mild flavor notes and not be overbearing to the final sauce. Hope this helps! Cheers!

I find myself wasting alot of money on wine as I only use a small amount for a sauce and then end up throwing the rest away. Even if I buy a small bottle this sometimes happens. Is it possible to use an ice cube tray to freeze the wine and use when required? Or will this ruin the wine?

Yes you can certainly do that, for cooking purposes I do not foresee that freezing the wine will have a negative effect.

Hi everyone !!

Can i freeze the demi glace for future sauce? And how much it can be kept in the freezer? Thank ypu!!!

Hi Lynda,

I can't see why you wouldn't be able to freeze demi-glace, as matter of fact, I believe the video says you can.

Last week I made some chicken stock and wanted various quantities frozen for different uses. I used two jars I had saved just to refrigerate what I knew I would use that week, and I froze two one-litre water bottles for future recipes as well as three of those plastic ice cube bags that allow me to take as much (or as many cubes) as I need for whatever purpose. If you choose to get those ice cube bags, because a recipe might need an exact amout, I suggest you measure out how much liquid each bag holds and calculate the quantity per cube (or is that being too compulsive of me?)

Cheers,
Jim

This is covered in the lesson on the Fundamentals of Making Stock. We always freeze and store stock to make sure we have some on hand at all times. Often you can search for these types of questions in the search bar at the top right of any page to see what Tips/Techniques, Cooking School lessons or forum threads area available to find the answer. Cheers!

Hi, My husband is lactose intolerant so I don't want to add butter or cream to finish the sauce. Is there anything else I could use? Would the lactose free products work? or shortening in place of butter?

If you cannot use butter or cream to finish a sauce then you can simply leave them out. Depending on the sauce, try adding a bit of lemon juice or Dijon mustard.

As far as using the "lactose free products", you could give them a try, but we cannot say how they will work as we have not used them ourselves. As for using "shortening in place of butter", this would not be a good substitute as it will only add fat; whereas the butter also adds flavor. The shortening will also likely make the final sauce greasy. Cheers!

Does deglazing eliminate all of the alcohol?

If you type in "alcohol" in the search bar at the top right of any page, you will find several discussions on this topic, in particular this one. Cheers!

I made a pan sauce yesterday using a cast iron pan and prime sirloin. I was surprised at how good it was. Is cast iron better than stainless for developing sucs? I have read the answer somewhere...Any advise on choice?

Cast iron pans distributes and retains heat better than most other materials due to how dense cast iron is. This makes cast iron an excellent candidate for things like searing, pan frying etc.

Does that make it better than stainless-steel? Some would say yes and that they could not live without their cast iron pans. While others would argue that they are harder to maintain and they are also very heavy. In the end, it's up to you and what you find consistently works best for you. Cheers!

p.s. I have both and I use would have to say that I use my stainless steel pans more often; however, when I am cooking steaks I most often use my cast iron pan.