Question: How do I deglaze a pan?

Answer: After sauteeing or roasting food (usually meat), you “deglaze" the pan by adding a liquid, like water, wine, broth, or even lemon juice, turning up the heat to bring the liquid to a boil, and scraping up the sticky browned bits stuck to the pan. The liquid reduces to a more concentrated, flavorful sauce. (If a lot of oil or fat is left in the pan after sauteing, most recipes recommend pouring off the fat before adding the liquid.)

The deglazed liquid can be used as a kind of simple gravy for the meat, or it can be souped up with herbs, spices, flour, butter, and more to make a pan sauce. You can also deglaze bigger roasting pans -- after roasting a whole chicken, for example -- to make a big quantity of gravy or sauce.