What does to deglaze a pan mean?

Question

A friend of mine described a recipe to me, and she said she deglazed the pan (I think I understood correctly). What does that mean?

Answer 1

Deglazing removes caramelized bits (the "browned" bits) from the bottom of your pan or skillet after cooking meats or vegetables.

It is usually accomplished by putting stock, sauce, wine, or even water (or really any liquid) in the pan over heat after the pan has been emptied of whatever was cooked into it and any rendered fat and scraping the browned bits into that sauce with a spatula. The browned bits dissolve into your liquid to create an excellent sauce for whatever you just cooked in the pan.

Answer 2

Deglazing is a technique for making sauces and gravies. It occurs after you've accumulated cooked on meats and other deposits. First remove your meat and any excess liquid fat. Second crank the heat up high and get your pan nice and hot. Next add a cool liquid (water/wine/stock). The liquid will boil rapidly and lift the browned deposits to create a flavorful sauce.