Deglazing (cooking)
Technique for dissolving browned pan residue into sauces.
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Deglazing is a cooking method used to lift and dissolve the browned bits left behind in a pan, which are then used to add flavor to sauces, soups, and gravies. In French, these browned deposits are called sucs (from the Latin succus, meaning sap), and the resulting sauce is known as fond, the French word for "base" or "foundation." (In the United States, fond may also be used interchangeably with sucs.)
When meat is roasted, pan-fried, or cooked with dry heat, a residue of browned sugars, carbohydrates, and proteins forms on the pan bottom, along with any rendered fat. After removing the meat and pouring off most of the fat, the pan is returned to heat. A liquid—such as stock, wine, spirit, or verjuice—is added as a solvent. Dairy is not recommended because it can curdle under high heat.
The cook then scrapes the dark spots from the pan, dissolving them into the liquid to create a basic sauce. The flavor depends mainly on the meat, the deglazing liquid, and any finishing ingredients like aromatics, herbs, or butter. This technique is key to many well-known sauces and gravies.
The resulting liquid can be served on its own (sometimes called a jus), used as a base for soup, or thickened by whisking in butter, adding a starch (flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot), or simmering it down into a concentrated reduction. Aromatic vegetables like onions, shallots, carrots, or celery may also be added. Deglazing also works with vegetables, especially those that leave sugars on the pan, such as when cooking onions. Since vegetables produce less fat, they don’t need to be removed from the pan; instead, liquid is added directly and stirred, allowing the fond to blend with the vegetables rather than forming a separate sauce.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Culinary technique
- Known for
- Removing and dissolving browned food residue to flavor sauces, soups, and gravies
- Related terms
- sucs
- fond
- jus
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Deglazing is a cooking technique used to dissolve and remove browned food residue, known as sucs, from the bottom of a pan after dry-heat cooking methods such as roasting, pan-frying, or similar preparations. The term sucs derives from the Latin word succus, meaning sap, and refers to the deposit of browned sugars, carbohydrates, and proteins that forms on the pan’s surface, along with any rendered fat. After the meat is removed, most of the fat is poured off, leaving a small amount with the dried, browned juices.
The pan is then returned to heat, and a liquid—such as vegetable or meat stock, wine, spirits, or verjuice—is added as a solvent. Dairy is unsuitable for deglazing because it may curdle when exposed to high heat. The solvent allows the cook to scrape and dissolve the dark spots, incorporating the browned material into a basic sauce.
The resulting liquid is referred to by the French culinary term fond, meaning “base” or “foundation.” The flavor depends primarily on the meat, the deglazing liquid, and any added aromatics, herbs, or butter. This method forms the basis for many sauces and gravies; the liquid can be served alone as a jus, combined with aromatic vegetables like onions, shallots, carrots, or celery, used as a soup base, or thickened by whisking in butter, adding starch such as flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot, or simmering to a concentrated reduction. Deglazing is also applied to vegetables, particularly those that leave sugars in the pan, such as when cooking onions.
Reader's Guide
Deglazing is a cornerstone of many well-known sauces and gravies. The flavour is determined chiefly by the meat, the liquid used for deglazing, and any flavouring or finishing ingredients added, such as aromatics, herbs, or butter.
The resulting liquid can be seasoned and served on its own (sometimes called a jus), or with the addition of aromatic vegetables, such as onions or shallots, carrots, and celery, or used as the base for a soup. The sauce can also be thickened by whisking in butter, through the addition of a starch, such as flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot, or simply simmered down with a steady heat to form a rich, concentrated reduction. Deglazing can also be used while cooking vegetables, especially ones that have left sugars at the bottom of a pan, such as in caramelizing onions.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Deglazing (cooking) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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