Potlids have always been a mystery to me — Do I keep the lid off? Do I keep the lid on? Freelance writer Jennifer Anderson, gave me some clear-cut guidelines in this article.
Here’s my quick summary:
Cooking a soup, stew, or sauce uncovered allows water to evaporate, so if your goal is to reduce a sauce or thicken a soup, skip the lid. The longer you cook your dish, the more water that will evaporate and the thicker the liquid becomes—that means the flavors become more concentrated, too. If you take a peek at your pot of soup and decide you’d like it to be thicker, allow it to simmer with the lid off until it’s as thick as you like. This same principle applies to most sauce and gravy recipes, which include reducing a liquid—often stock, juice, or wine—to reduce volume and intensify flavors.
Don’t just stop with my recap. Read Jennifer’s article for detailed explanations.
Oh, by the way, if you have just started exploring your kitchen or know someone needing cooking basics, read here.
Featured Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
Editorial Update: We strive to keep our content accurate and up-to-date. As part of our ongoing efforts, this article has been moved from Home + Garden to FOOD & COOKING on 09/14/2023.
