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| Quick Fry Pan Sauce |
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Kitchen helpers 1 |
| Pork tenderloin pieces browned in a frying pan. A quick fry pan sauce made with a bit of water, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. |
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Want to dress up that simple steak, chop or burger? Try making a simple pan sauce by deglazing the frying pan. Not only do you make a simple sauce, but you also add a bit of extra flavour to the food and the clean up is a breeze. For brevity; a steak, chops (lamb or pork), chicken breast(s) or burger will be referred to as meat. Cook your pieces of meat as usual, covering the frying pan with a mesh cover during cooking (picture 1). When done, pour out a bit of the accumulated fat, leaving behind a tablespoon or two of the accumulated fat. Heat the pan on medium - high heat and then quickly add in the juice of half or one lemon (1 - 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice), three - four tablespoons cold water and a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce: you'll get a nice cloud of rising steam at this point. Quickly scrape the bottom of the pan using a flat wooden spoon or a piece of the cooked meat (picture 2). This must be done quickly; otherwise, most of the liquid will evaporate and the sauce will reduce in quantity. If it does, it's not the end of the world. Simply add in a bit more lemon juice and water. If there's too much liquid, then cook for a few seconds to reduce the sauce: this is simple cooking, not rock science and there are no specifications. Swish everything around, transfer to a plate and serve. When done, you should end up with a little less than 1/4 cup of sauce; the sauce should be thin and dark (picture 3). The bottom of the frying pan should be clean and free of any tiny bits of cooked meats. Another thing that I like do with any type of meat, especially hamburger patties, to change things around, is to sauté a coarsely sliced onion for a minute or two, or until the onions starts to wilt, and then I add in the lemon juice, water and Worcestershire sauce (picture 4). I do this just about 2 minutes before the pieces of meat are almost cooked. Who's to say that a burger has to be eaten on a bun? Let's face it, things become boring after a while. A hamburger patty, instead, can be served with a micro waved potato (pasta or rice), a couple of veggies and a simple green salad. |
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| Mesh Cover |
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| A mesh cover is a very useful tool when pan frying foods. It reduces splattering and allows the steam to escape. A matching lid, in comparison, reduces splattering; however, it tends to keep the steam in and in turn, the steam condenses and accumulates as water in the frying pan, which ends up partially boiling the pieces of meat and prevents the meat from browning properly. The taste, in addition, isn't the same. A mesh cover looks like a flattened sieve. Look for one with a metal rim, instead of a plastic one. A plastic rim can melt on contact with the hot side of the frying pan. It should be a little larger than your frying pan, this way it won't fall tipsy into the frying pan. To maintain it, simply soak in hot soapy water and then scrub it well with a brush (a tooth brush works well). Rinse the mesh cover well, shake off the excess water and then dry it with an absorbent towel. Good mesh covers, provided that they are well taken care of, can last for years. They need not be expensive, since over time and use, they'll wear out as the inexpensive ones. I bought mine for a dollar and I've been using them for a couple of years. Why should I spend a lot of money on a mesh cover, since an inexpensive one will do the same job for less? This is a simple and very inexpensive tool to have around in the kitchen that proves itself very useful. |
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| Looking Back at Everything You've Made! Simple, simple and simple. |
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