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What is Pan Sauce?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

A pan sauce is a sauce which is made with the concentrated flavors left at the bottom of a pan after cooking meats, vegetables, or fish. Such sauces are the cornerstone of many cuisines, because they are intensely flavorful and they can be manipulated in a wide variety of ways. In addition to being tasty, these sauces are also convenient, because they efficiently remove crusted material from pans, making them easier to clean.

When you cook foods in a pan, as they cook, they tend to caramelize, especially when cooked at high heat. The result is a dense, dark crust at the bottom of the pan. Cooks who are not familiar with pan sauces may make the mistake of discarding this crust, after struggling to clean it off, but in fact the bulk of the flavor of a dish is often concentrated in the material left behind, which is known as “fond.” The sauces utilize the fond to create a sauce for the food which was just cooked in the pan.

Pan sauces are a great addition to roasted chicken.
Pan sauces are a great addition to roasted chicken.

There are a number of ways to make a pan sauce, and some get quite complex. The most basic version is simply made by deglazing the pan with a liquid such as wine, water, stock, or fruit juice. When a pan is deglazed, the liquid is poured into the pan while it is kept moderately warm, and the liquid loosens the caramelized fond, dissolving it and creating a flavorful sauce which can be concentrated by reducing, cooking the sauce until it thickens.

Pan sauce can be made from roasting pans.
Pan sauce can be made from roasting pans.

It it also possible to add things to a pan sauce, such as butter or oil, concentrated stocks, dried vegetables which will have a concentrated flavor, and pan drippings and other skimmings from the food as it cooks. Some cooks also add things like herbs, cream, and spices to their pan sauce to create a specific desired flavor.

Because a pan sauce contains the concentrated essence of a food, many cooks like to keep it simple, allowing the natural flavor to shine through, rather than obscuring it with a lengthy ingredient list. Pan sauce can be made from saute pans, and it can also be made from roasting pans; pan sauces are great with things like roast chicken and turkey, concentrating the flavor of the dish and helping to keep the meat moist.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

overreactor

I like to brown thinly sliced beef in small amount of oil. I flour the meat lightly to add thickness to the sauce and also add a little pepper and salt. As the meat is browning I keep adding either water or broth until the meat is tender. To the pan I also add a few chunks of onion, bell pepper and a whole clove of garlic for flavor. When the meat is done i discard the vegetable.

The result is a delicious meat with a great pan sauce that goes very well with rice or just boiled potatoes.

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    • Pan sauces are a great addition to roasted chicken.
      By: msheldrake
      Pan sauces are a great addition to roasted chicken.
    • Pan sauce can be made from roasting pans.
      By: JackF
      Pan sauce can be made from roasting pans.