Step 1

Clear — but don't clean! — the pan: Once you've finished using your pan to cook the main dish, transfer the cooked food to a separate plate or tray. Do not clean the pan. Pour off all but a tablespoon of leftover cooking oil or rendered fat from the pan.

Step 2

Sauté the shallots (optional): Add enough oil to the pan to make about 1 tablespoon of total fat when combined with the pan drippings. Set the pan over medium-high heat and sauté the shallots until they've softened and turned golden, 2 to 3 minutes. If you don't have (or don't like!) shallots, you can skip this step and still make a great pan sauce; the shallots deepen the overall flavor of the sauce. Also, see the variations below for more ideas for adding flavor at this stage.

Step 3

Pour in the red wine or other alcohol: With the pan on medium-high heat, pour in the wine or other alcohol. As the alcohol simmers, scrape up any crispy browned bits from the bottom of the pan with the spatula. (If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can replace the liquid in this step with more stock.)

Step 4

Reduce the wine by about half: Let the wine or other alcohol reduce by roughly half, about 3 minutes. The pan should just barely be starting to look dry. It's not an exact science, though, so don't worry; just go on to the next step sometime before the pan is totally dry.

Step 5

Pour in the stock: Pour the stock into the pan and stir it into the wine. Let it come to a rapid simmer.

Step 6

Reduce the liquid to about 1/2 cup: Let the liquid in the pan reduce to about 1/2 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Again, you don't need to be precise here; it's ok to guesstimate. Tilt the pan every so often to gauge how much liquid has evaporated and when it's reduced by about half, you're good.

Step 7

Stir in the butter or cream: Turn down the heat to medium-low and stir in the butter or cream. Whisk gently until the butter has completely melted.

Step 8

Whisk in the cornstarch (optional): For a thicker, creamier sauce, whisk in the cornstarch. Don't forget to whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water first; this helps prevents clumps. Let the sauce simmer for another few seconds, until thickened.

Step 9

Correcting a too-thick sauce: If your liquid reduces too much or the sauce becomes too thick, whisk in a little extra stock to reach a thinner, more pourable consistency.

Step 10

Pour the sauce into a measuring cup or serving dish: Transfer the sauce to a measuring cup (for easy pouring) or serving dish. Taste and stir in a little salt and pepper to taste.

Step 11

Enjoy! Pan sauces are at their very best when used right away. Drizzle it over your meal or let guests spoon some for themselves.