Skill 16 of 16

A pan sauce

The brown bits left in the pan become the best part of dinner.

What it means

Fond

Fond is the layer of browned bits left stuck to the pan after searing or browning. It isn’t burnt, it’s flavor, and a splash of liquid turns it into the base of a sauce.

How you’ll know: It’s brown and smells savory; black bits that smell bitter are burnt and best left behind.

Deglaze

Deglazing means pouring a splash of broth, wine or water into a hot pan to loosen the browned bits on the bottom. Those bits are full of flavor, and this turns them into the start of a sauce.

How you’ll know: It hisses and steams, and the bits lift easily when you scrape with a wooden spoon.

Scrape up the browned bits

It means loosening the brown bits stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon, usually right after adding liquid. Those bits are concentrated flavor, and they melt into the sauce.

How you’ll know: The bottom of the pan looks clean again, and the liquid turns darker and richer.