How to Make Restaurant Quality Sauce at Home

Sauces are what separate good home cooking from great home cooking. They are easier than you think.

The foundation is the pan sauce. After you cook a steak or chicken, there are brown bits stuck to the pan. Those are flavor. Do not wash them away.

Deglaze. Add a splash of wine, stock, or even water. Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon. Those brown bits dissolve into the liquid. That is your sauce base.

Add butter at the end. Swirl it in off the heat. That gives the sauce body and shine. Salt and pepper to taste.

That is it. You just made a pan sauce. It takes two minutes and tastes better than anything from a jar.

For cream sauces, add heavy cream after deglazing. Let it simmer until it thickens. Add Parmesan for an alfredo. Add mustard for a Dijon cream. Add mushrooms for a stroganoff.

The formula is always the same. Brown bits plus liquid plus fat. That is a sauce.