Deglazing

Why it works

Those bits are concentrated flavour from amino acids and sugars that browned on the metal. Liquid dissolves them into a sauce instead of leaving them as burnt sugar on the pan. Wine, stock, water, even the souring liquid from an adobo all work; the point is heat plus something watery enough to dissolve, then a short reduce so it tastes like the dish and not like raw wine. This is how a butter-chicken gravy picks up the fond, and how a paella pan contributes more than rice.

How to do it

1. After searing, pour off excess fat if it is a lake. Leave the brown, not the deep-fry.
2. Add wine, stock, or water. It should hiss. If it sits there silently, the pan was not hot.
3. Scrape with a wooden spoon until the fond dissolves. That scraping is the technique.
4. Reduce until it tastes like itself, then finish with butter, soy, or the recipe's sauce.
5. If you are building a braise, this is the moment before the lid goes on — do not skip it and then wonder why the pot tastes pale.

Common mistakes

• Deglazing a burnt pan — you will taste carbon, not fond.
• Using a nonstick pan with nothing stuck, then wondering why the sauce is thin.
• Adding a cold cup of wine and walking away. Reduce, then taste.
• Deglazing with a sweet sauce that will scorch before it dissolves the brown.

Recipes using this

Checking your allergy settings…