Sauces
How to deglaze a pan
Pour liquid into a hot pan and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom, which hold a lot of flavor.
Step by step
- After browning, pour off all but a spoonful of fat.
- With the pan still hot, pour in wine, broth or water; it will sizzle and steam.
- Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon or flat spatula until the brown layer dissolves.
- Let it bubble down, as the recipe says, into the base of a sauce.
How you know it's done
The bottom of the pan is clean and the liquid has turned brown and tasty.
Common mistakes
- Deglazing a pan with black, burnt bits, which make the sauce bitter.
- Using a metal tool on nonstick.
Simmerbee recipes that use it (18)
- Classic French Onion Soup
- Classic Oven-Braised Beef Stew
- Coq au Vin with Chicken Thighs
- Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff
- Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken with Spinach
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi with Linguine
- Lemon Caper Chicken Piccata
- Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
- One-Pot Chicken Cacciatore
- Oven-Braised Holiday Brisket with Onions
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
- Roasted Beef Bone Stock
- Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Onion Gravy
- Skillet Sausage and Peppers
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Vegetables
- Smothered Pork Chops in Onion Gravy
- Sunday Dutch Oven Pot Roast
- Turkey Gravy from Pan Drippings
In those recipes the word is underlined in the steps; tap it for the short version. In hands-free cook mode, ask “How do I deglaze?”
Related techniques
More sauces
RouxCornstarch slurryEmulsifyStrainSeason to tasteGlazeBloom spicesSteep (infuse)