PrintHow do you gauge a reduction?
If I have to reduce, say, 4 cups of liquid to a cup and a half, I have no idea how to tell when I've hit my goal--unless I pour the liquid out into a tempered glass measuring cup and pour it back and forth. Is there a trick to this? Do you just eyeball it? Help me!
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5 Comments:
Get a wooden spoon and place the handle of it into your liquid once it's in your pan. Then when you take it out, place a small rubber band at the location where the handle is wet.
Then you can use this to gauge how much your sauce has reduced by dunking it in to check on your progress.
Mind you, this won't help with the "4 cups to 1.5 cups" but if you can convert that to a ratio, then this method will work just fine.
barbigirl8 at 1:20AM on 08/25/07
I do not follow the reduce by half/measurement theory. I follow the what does it look/taste like. If you are using a spoon and you can coat the back of it heavily your reduction is good. It is not about quantity it is about taste and constistency.
JerzeeTomato at 1:27AM on 08/25/07
I enthusiastically endorse the rubber band method above. But as with anything in cooking, you do have to taste.
ren at 3:01AM on 08/25/07
Oh, I love the idea of the rubber band method! As with all things simple and obvious, I'm embarrassed not to have thought of it. Thanks so much!
klg19 at 6:57AM on 08/25/07
If you pour a cup and and a half of water into the pan before you start you will have a better idea of where it comes to on the pan.
NicholasRidiculous at 8:10AM on 08/28/07