Reduce

Culinary definition for reduce:   To reduce volume of liquids by boiling or simmering, to concentrate flavours and thicken.

C@H FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Our refrigerator door is lined with squeeze bottles full of truly gorgeous reduction sauces made from little more than spiced juice or basic stock.  See recipe. Balsamic glazes are reduced vinegar, so you can make them easily yourself and save money. 

Remember too that the flavours of sweet, salty and sour will all ramp up in direct proportion to the degree of concentration, so be sure to never add salt or sweeteners until very near or at the end of the reduction process.  Pan juices left after deglazing a pan with broth, wine, juice or other liquid, can be reduced to produce uber-intense reduction sauces for meat or seafood, vegetables or salads, such as the grilled scallop salad shown above.

✭ ✭ ✭ Quick Reduction Sauce.  To save time and stovetop energy, use a wide shallow pan instead of a narrow deep pan to reduce liquids.  The greater the surface area that sends evaporated water up into the hoodfan, the faster your liquid will concentrate and thicken.  Reduce at a boil.

✭ ✭ ✭ Juicy Reduction Sauce. Boil a litre/quart of pure unsweetened cherry or pomegranate juice together with one teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice, in a wide shallow pan until reduced by 75% or so, or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.  No need to sweeten as the natural sugars concentrate sufficiently on reduction.  Filter the finished mixture through a fine sieve twice while still very warm; cool and transfer to a commercial grade plastic squeeze bottle, and store in the fridge.   Drizzle under or over individually plated greens, or over ice cream and desserts.

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