Incredible Pan Sauces Tips

If you want to elevate your cooking skills to a new level and add a whole lot that more to your gastronomy repertoire, learn how to make a simple pan sauce. With this technique in your cooking bag of tricks, you can turn a simple pan-fried steak into a mouth-watering meal, a plain boneless chicken breast into a delicious feast, or a modest pork chop into a scrumptious banquet. Ok, maybe I'm stretching a bit but check this out.

Restaurants chefs use this technique all the time. Basically they cook something in a saut? Pan over pretty high heat until it's done and leaves a bunch of brown caramelize bits of "stuff" in the pan. You look at this "stuff" in the pan and say to yourself, "Now how am I going to clean this 'stuff' off the pan? What a mess! I wish that I had used a non stick pan."

The "stuff" has a name, it's called "fond" and you want that "fond" stuck to your pan because it is packed with incredible flavors. It's also easy to remove by adding a little liquid to the pan and using a wooden spoon to dissolve it. This is called deglazing and can be done with wine, brandy, fortified wines, stock, cider, fruit juices or most typically a combination of two. Just be careful if you use wine to remove the pan from the heat so the alcohol doesn't ignite and blow up in your face. I've spoken with chefs who have seen this happen.

The next steps are to continue to cook the liquid in the pan until half reduced it and finish by adding several pats of butter to thicken and enhance the flavor of the sauce. If you ever knew how much butter professional chefs use in restaurants to "enhance" flavor, you would be amazed. I sometimes think that they make their dishes too rich because I get that uncomfortable "too full" feeling later on, but then again, it's so good while you're dining. Now those are just the basics.

To create more complexity to the sauce you'll want to add some aromatics like garlic or shallots for a subtle but additional layer of flavor. Then you might want to add some additional ingredients such as mushrooms, mustards, chutneys, herbs and/or spices to give even more complexity and flavor.

For more information on making classic and quick pan sauces at home including what kind of pan to use, how much deglazing liquid to use and two example recipes for the same sauce, one classic and the other quick go to http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/pan_sauces.htm

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Best Pork Ribs Tips.

This article writing from my experience to helpful anyone need to making the best pork ribs by to do so:

• Purchase ribs that are evenly covered in meat. In other words, don't buy a slab that is fatty on one end and fleshy on the other. Avoid slabs that have exposed bones! Allow for one pound of ribs per guest. This is a generous helping but for more impressive appetites, make it two! 
• When preparing the meat, make sure you remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs with a sharp knife. If you don't it blocks the flavor intake. Always marinate your ribs in the refrigerator, not at room temperature.

• Don't even think about boiling those ribs! Above all else, boiling the meat causes it to lose all its flavor. If you just have to pre-cook your ribs before slapping them on the cooking grate, try steaming your slabs instead as this will help lock the flavor in.
• Before placing your ribs on the grate for Barbecuing or smoking, make sure you coat the metal with a generous helping of oil.
• Barbecuing demands constant attention! When it goes on your grate, stay close by keep an eye on it. Watch the cooking temperature and avoid going above 250 degrees Fahrenheit, the best ribs are cooked slowly over indirect heat for about five hours.
• Put down that fork! Always use tongs to handle your meat once it's on the grate. Why pierce the meat and let the flavor ooze out if you don't have to?
• If you're going to baste during cooking stay away from anything with sugar in it. Your best bet is to use vinegar and/or water-based products only.
• Only lay on the BBQ sauce in the last 20-30 minutes of cooking. Any sooner than that and the heat will cause the sauce to caramelize and burn your meat.
• Let the ribs cool for 10-15 minutes before you serve them up. This is just a courtesy -- you don't want to singe your guests' mouths with smoking hot sauce! You could lose some friends.

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