Word of the Week: What is Deglazing and How Do You Do It?

Deglazing is a term you may have seen in a recipe or heard thrown around on your favorite food show but what does it really mean … and how do you do it? Here’s the answer in our new series: word of the week.

Related: Cooking with Wine and Champagne 

Simply, deglazing just means to add a cold liquid to your hot pan until you can bring up all the delicious bits that are stuck at the bottom. This helps infuse that flavor throughout your dish. Sounds easy right?

It is, but with any technique there are a few things to consider. First off, the delicious browned bits you’re trying to bring up, or fond in fancy terms, are where the flavor is concentrated so you want to make sure that they aren’t burnt. So you want to watch your pan carefully.

Also, you’ll want to choose a liquid that will enhance the flavor of your dish. Wine always comes to mind, along with beer, juice, tequila… it really depends on the dish. Just be mindful when using alcohol to deglaze – you don’t want your hair to be a flavor enhancer as well!

To deglaze your pan, first raise the temperature of your pan to high. Pour in desired liquid and using a spatula or wooden spoon scrape up and stir in the fond as the liquid comes to a boil. Once all the bits have been scraped up, lower the heat and continue to stir until a scrumptious sauce forms. If you’re using alcohol, just take the pan off the heat while you pour it on. 

And there you have it! You’ve probably been deglazing your pans all long. Now when mami asks you why you are adding so much wine to your chuletas you can tell her you are deglazing your pan and not to worry, because there is plenty of wine left to go around.