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Cooking encyclopedia Techniques

Deglazing

Dissolving the browned residue in a pan with liquid, to turn it into sauce.

What it is

Pour off excess fat, put the pan back on heat, add liquid and scrape while it bubbles until the base is clean and the liquid is dark.

Why it works

The fond stuck to the pan is concentrated Maillard product — the most intensely flavoured thing in the whole dish. Most of it is water-soluble, so liquid and a little agitation recover it. Wine and stock work; so does water.

When to use it

After searing or roasting anything, as the first step of a pan sauce.

What goes wrong

Deglazing a pan whose fond has gone past brown to black, which makes a bitter sauce; leaving so much fat in the pan that the sauce is greasy.

Meridian cooking encyclopedia — Watchman Productions

More on this shelf

  • Blanching Brief cooking in heavily boiling water, usually followed by cooling.
  • Blooming spices Heating spices briefly in fat or a dry pan to release their aroma before they meet anything else.
  • Braising Browning, then cooking slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot.
  • Deep-frying Cooking fully submerged in hot fat, usually 160–190 °C.
  • Emulsifying Dispersing fat and water into each other so they behave as one smooth sauce.
  • Grilling Cooking over or under direct radiant heat, close to the source.
  • Poaching Cooking submerged in liquid held below a simmer, around 70–85 °C.
  • Reducing Simmering a liquid uncovered to evaporate water and concentrate what is left.
  • Resting meat Leaving cooked meat off the heat before cutting it.
  • Roasting Cooking in dry oven heat, uncovered, so the surface browns while the inside cooks.
  • Sautéing Cooking small or thin pieces quickly in a little fat over fairly high heat, moving them often.
  • Searing Cooking a surface hard and fast to brown it, before or after the inside is cooked.