How to make a pan sauce
To make a pan sauce, move the cooked meat to a plate, pour off most of the fat, and soften a chopped shallot or garlic in the pan. Add a splash of stock, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom, and simmer until it has reduced by half. Take the pan off the heat, swirl in a knob of cold butter, and season with salt and lemon.
About 15 minutes to learnEveryday skill
Mark it once you can do it without this page open.
How to do it
- Sear your meat in a stainless or cast iron pan so browned bits stick to the bottom, then move it to a warm plate to rest.
- Pour off all but a spoonful of fat, and lower the heat to medium.
- Add a finely chopped shallot or a clove of garlic and stir for a minute until soft.
- Take the pan off the heat if you are adding wine, pour it in, then return it to the heat.
- Add about half a cup of stock and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to lift the browned bits.
- Simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half and coats a spoon.
- Take the pan off the heat and swirl in a spoonful of cold butter until the sauce turns glossy.
- Add the juices from the resting plate, then taste and season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
Common mistakes
- Using a nonstick pan, which leaves no browned bits to build the sauce on.
- Pouring wine into a pan over a high flame.
- Boiling the sauce after the butter goes in, which splits it.
- Forgetting to taste and season at the end.
Quick self-check
Three questions. Your last score is kept in this browser.
Teach this to someone
A one-page sheet for showing a friend, a roommate or a kid: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to make a pan sauce
What to say
To make a pan sauce, move the cooked meat to a plate, pour off most of the fat, and soften a chopped shallot or garlic in the pan. Add a splash of stock, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom, and simmer until it has reduced by half. Take the pan off the heat, swirl in a knob of cold butter, and season with salt and lemon.
What to show, in order
- Sear your meat in a stainless or cast iron pan so browned bits stick to the bottom, then move it to a warm plate to rest.
- Pour off all but a spoonful of fat, and lower the heat to medium.
- Add a finely chopped shallot or a clove of garlic and stir for a minute until soft.
- Take the pan off the heat if you are adding wine, pour it in, then return it to the heat.
- Add about half a cup of stock and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to lift the browned bits.
- Simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half and coats a spoon.
- Take the pan off the heat and swirl in a spoonful of cold butter until the sauce turns glossy.
- Add the juices from the resting plate, then taste and season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
The check question
Ask: What gives a pan sauce its flavor?
Related skills
- How to cook a steak to the right doneness
- How to roast a whole chicken
- Basic knife skills: how to dice an onion
- Every skill in Kitchen
Last reviewed . First published .