There’s no one right way to decide what ingredients you want to reduce. You can reduce any liquid you want in cooking. If you’re unsure of what you want to reduce, just wait until you encounter a recipe that requires a reduction and follow the directions. Anything with a high moisture content can be reduced, including soups, alcohol, and dairy beverages. [2] X Research source
For instance, if you want 2 cups (473 milliliters) of a particular sauce, start your reduction with 3 or 4 cups (709 to 946 milliliters) of liquid. The precise amount of liquid you’ll need to reduce in order to achieve a sauce with the consistency you wish depends on the contents of the liquid you reduce, as well as the conditions under which you reduce it.
Place the lid to the side of the pan so that you’ll be prepared to cover the reduction when it reaches your desired consistency.
The precise amount of time necessary to achieve a reduction with your desired consistency depends on the type of liquid you’re reducing, the volume of liquid you begin with, and the conditions under which you cook it. Most reductions require 15-30 minutes. [7] X Research source If you’re working from a recipe, the recipe should provide estimates for how much time the reduction requires.
If your recipe tells you to reduce by 1/4, for instance, reduce the liquid until the final volume of your sauce or cooking liquid is at 3/4 the depth it was when you began. If you wish to track your reduction more accurate, pour it into a large measuring cup periodically to determine how much it has reduced, then return it to the pan if you wish to continue reducing it.
Combine both pans when they reach the desired consistency.
Reducing wine will cut down on its overall acidity.
Don’t add too much thickener at once or your reduction will end up with chunky bits of flour or starch in it.
