SKILLET SAUCES

SKILLET SAUCES ARE WHAT YOU MAKE IN A HOT pan once thin cuts of meat, poultry, or fish have been browned and transferred to a platter in a warm oven. All of these sauces start with the browned bits and thin film of fat that remains in the pan once the chicken cutlets, boneless steaks, or fish fillets have been removed.

In theory, cast iron would seem to be a good choice for sautéing; in fact, however, we do not recommended cast iron because it can react with some acidic skillet sauces. Heavy stainless steel pans with an aluminum or copper core, such as those manufactured by All-Clad, or heavy anodized aluminum pans, such as those made by Calphalon, are our favorite choices in the test kitchen. We like these pans because they are heavy and conduct heat evenly across the entire bottom of the pan. Avoid thin, inexpensive pans because pan drippings are far more likely to burn, especially at the high temperatures needed for sautéing.

To make a skillet sauce, start by sautéing aromatics (garlic, shallots, onions) in the pan drippings. Next, deglaze the pan with some liquid—usually stock or wine, but sometimes vinegar, fruit juice, or bottled clam juice—and scrape with a wooden spoon to loosen the flavorful browned bits. This step is crucial. Once loosened, the browned bits will dissolve into the simmering sauce and enrich it mightily. The liquid should be reduced to a nice, thick consistency—a process that takes about four minutes. To preserve their flavor, we found it best to add seasonings, such as mustard, vinegar, and herbs, once the sauce has been reduced.

We like to finish most sauces by swirling in some softened butter. The butter enriches the sauce and gives it more body. We found it best to swirl in the butter off heat with a wooden spoon so that the butter does not separate.