Page 475 - YC Cooking School

Allow the meat to form a golden crust in the pan before turning it

Rather than turn your meat as soon as it hits the hot pan, allow it to have contact with the
heat undisturbed for 30 seconds to a minute, so that it has a chance to caramelise properly.

Perfectly cooked chicken and lamb
Cooking times for a protein will vary depending on your preference. As a general rule of

thumb, a plump chicken breast will need to cook for four minutes on each side. For a 1 cm
lamb cutlet, cook it for a minute a side if you like it rare, and 2-3 minutes per side for
medium to medium rare.

Tools to get top results

It’s pointless to deglaze a non-stick pan, as all the caramelised bits will remain on the cooked
protein rather than on the base of the pan. For best results use a good old black metal
frying pan, a stainless steel pan or a cast iron skillet.

What does it mean to deglaze?

To deglaze means to pour a cold liquid into a hot pan. This action causes the caramelised
bits stuck to the base of the pan to lift up, dissolve and become incorporated into the sauce,
adding beautiful flavour. You can use a large range of alcohol to do this, such as cognac,
brandy, calvados, whiskey, grappa, wine, beer, cider or even vinegar. If you’d prefer to sip on
your alcohol rather than cook with it, you can just as easily use stock or fruit juice to deglaze
your pan.

Flambé for theatrical effect
Flambéing is a technique where you deglaze the pan with alcohol and set it alight in the
process. While it may help the alcohol to evaporate more quickly, it has little impact on the
overall flavour and is a technique mostly used to show off a bit! There’s nothing wrong with
wowing your dinner party guests by doing this at home, but take extra care and only use
the alcohol specified in the recipe. If you’re working with gas, stand back and tilt the pan
slightly so that the alcohol catches the flame. If you’re working on an electric stove, you’ll
need to light it with a match. The flambé flame can reach quite high so this is not something

to try in a small kitchen or if you have a fitted extractor fan. If in doubt, just let the alcohol
evaporate without actually setting it alight.

Reduce to intensify the flavour
Reducing a sauce means allowing it to boil so that some of the liquid evaporates. This
technique helps to thicken a sauce and packs it with flavour. Remember to save seasoning

for after you’ve reduced the sauce as your tastebuds could be in for an overly salty shock.
Taste your reduction as you go, and don’t allow it to become too concentrated. If you’ve
achieved the flavour you want but your sauce is too runny, thicken it with a little diluted
cornflour.

Always rest the meat

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