Deglaze the pan
Fond is the browned film stuck to the pan after searing. It's concentrated Maillard flavor and the base of a pan sauce. The bits you'd scrub off are the best part. Brown is good. Black and acrid means burnt, and it tastes bitter.
Add liquid to lift the fond
While the pan is still hot, pour in about half a cup of wine or stock. It sizzles and the fond dissolves. Scrape with a wooden spoon, then simmer until the liquid reduces by about half.
Why fond tastes so good
Searing creates hundreds of Maillard flavor compounds, and the ones stuck to the pan are the most concentrated. Dissolve them into liquid and even a quick pan sauce tastes deeply savory.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
After searing chicken, brown bits cover the pan. What is deglazing for?
To dissolve the bits into a sauce. Liquid dissolves the fond so its flavor goes into the sauce.
True or false: Fond dissolved into a pan sauce adds meaty, savory flavor.
True. Fond is concentrated browned flavor, and the liquid carries it into the sauce.
Fill the blank: Deglazing adds ___ to dissolve the browned fond.
Deglazing adds liquid to dissolve the browned fond. Fond dissolves in water-based liquids such as wine, stock or water.
What went wrong? You try to deglaze with oil. The fond stays stuck to the pan and never mixes into the sauce.
Use wine or stock instead. Fond is water-soluble, so water-based liquids lift it. Oil cannot.
A pan sauce tastes thin right after deglazing. What is the best next move?
Simmer it to reduce it. Simmering evaporates water, so flavor and body concentrate.