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jus

n. C / U
C1 Advanced US //ˈdʒəs// jus

n. a thin, natural sauce made from the juices that come out of meat while it is cooking. It is usually served with the meat to add flavor and moisture.

n. the natural juices released by meat during the roasting or cooking process, often deglazed and served as a thin, unthickened gravy. Frequently appears in the French culinary phrase 'au jus'.


SIMPLE

The chef serves the roast beef with a rich red wine jus.

CONTEXTUAL

Instead of a thick flour-based gravy, the restaurant offers a light herb-infused jus to accompany the lamb.

COMPLEX

The culinary student learned to deglaze the roasting pan with stock and aromatics to capture the concentrated jus, ensuring no flavor from the caramelised proteins was wasted.

Origin

Borrowed from French jus (“juice”). Doublet of juice and ukha.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the liquid substance; countable when referring to specific varieties or portions on a menu.

Pitfall

beef with the au jusbeef au jusThe French 'au' already includes the definite article 'the'; saying 'with the au jus' is redundant.

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