"De-Glaze" When You Cook To Maximize Flavor

finallychelle

"Helpful Hint From Chelle-oise: Why You Should De-Glaze When You Cook"

Chelle’s first rule of cooking has always been and will always be, “Never throw away flavor.”

You should save (zip lock, label and freeze) your crock pot stocks, the broth leftover after you boil chicken, meat drippings, bacon fat, duck fat, chicken fat— you name it.

But there is ANOTHER place where flavor hides that you very likely might just “scrub away” after you’re done cooking— it’s stuck to the bottom of your pan.

Much of the wonderful smell that fills your house comes, not from the actual food itself, but from the fat and particles that are stuck to the bottom of the skillet, pot or pan. That’s where all the action takes place and that’s where all the best flavors are created.

"So how am I supposed to put those flavors back into my food?"

De-glazing.

“De-glazing” is a fancy word that means “pour a little something into the hot pan to help clean all the stuff off the bottom so I can use it in my finished dish.”

When you’re done cooking a dish and have removed the food from the pan— add a small amount of liquid to the hot pan and use your spatula to free it from the bottom of the pan so that it can redissolve into the cooking liquid.

"What kind of cooking liquid should I use?"

Water works great and is probably the most used de-glazing liquid— but soup stock and wine are often used, as well.

Basically you can use any liquid that you wouldn’t mind adding to your finished dish.

"So when I add the water to the pan won’t I just end up with a really weak concentration of *stuff* floating around in it?"

You should add the minimum amount you can use in order to thoroughly de-glaze the pan. Then continue to simmer the liquid for a few minutes, evaporating enough to give you a more concentrated gravy or au jus.

"What if there are a lot of big, unattractive particles floating in there that will take away from the aesthetics of my finished dish?"

You can strain it with a fine mesh screened strainer or freeze it for use in a future dish.

"I’ve actually heard of de-glazing, Chelle, and I also heard that you SHOULDN’T use wine."

I’m glad you brought that up! The reason many chefs don’t like to de-glaze with wine is because it should generally be added to a dish ONLY when it will have enough time to cook off all the alcohol— otherwise it will add a sharp taste that will overpower your recipe. When you de-glaze the liquid is generally only simmered for a few minutes— so if you use wine it will still contain a lot of alcohol.

If you wish to de-glaze with wine (preferably red)— GO FOR IT— but let it simmer in a separate pan while you’re making your primary dish so that it has time to soften in flavor and cook off the alcohol.

"Can you give me a practical example of how you use de-glazing in day-to-day cooking?'

I make one of my favorite low-cal meals by spraying a good, heavy, non-stick pan and then cooking a chopped onion— on high— until it’s translucent or brown. When they’re done I scoop them into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to free up “the good stuff” from the bottom.

After several minutes go by and the liquid has had time to partially boil off and thicken I add a raw, sliced chicken breast— cooking it on high, as well.

As I turn the pieces of chicken in the pan the juice from the previous process coats the chicken, adding additional flavor.

If the pan begins to dry too much I’ll add a little more water— or light soy sauce— to keep the process “barely moist.”

After the chicken is golden brown and smelling delicious I remove it from the pan and place it in the bowl with the onions.

I then add a few tablespoons of water to free up the REALLY good flavors that are stuck to the bottom of the pan, let it thicken— and then add two packages of tofu shirataki fettucine noodles.

I quickly stir them around so that they’ll get coated in the au jus before it gets too dry. Once the noodles are sufficiently fried, to my satisfaction, I add the chicken and onions back into the pan and quick fry them all together for a minute or two before dumping it all into the serving bowl.

Finally, I de-glaze one final time and— after it is reduced— I pour it over the stir fry mixture in the serving bowl.

Every bit of flavor gets used— none is allowed to escape or get washed away in the sink.

People often tell me, “I cooked it just like you did but it didn’t taste as good.” One difference is that I’m always careful to capture all the available flavor.

And THAT is why you should de-glaze your pans while you cook.

-Chelle

Check out some of my other recipes (most of them are original) and progress pics:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/279170-chelle-s-cauliflower-mashed-potatoes

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/307942-169-calorie-big-big-big-bowl-of-noodles

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/308337-by-request-pic-of-the-169-calorie-big-big-big-bowl-of-nood

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/309503-my-236-calorie-very-filling-italian-style-lunch

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/294301-quick-filling-super-spicy-55-calorie-snack

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/300028-a-delicious-245-calorie-lunch

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/291632-cauliflower-pizza-crust

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/325678-cooking-with-saffron

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/322339-bathing-suit-progress-pic-after-48-pound-12-week-loss

Erindipitous

Bump to check out the listed recipes later.. Thanks!

AZKristi

This "gunk" on the pan is called Fond and it is at the heart of wonderful cooking. In some dishes, like french onion soup, you intentionally create, deglaze, recreate and redeglaze the fond to increase the flavor in the final fish.


Great tip!

finallychelle

This "gunk" on the pan is called Fond and it is at the heart of wonderful cooking. In some dishes, like french onion soup, you intentionally create, deglaze, recreate and redeglaze the fond to increase the flavor in the final fish.


Great tip!

Of course you are correct-- so thanks for pointing that out! I generally try to keep my posts as non-technical as possible so I don't scare off any new cooks, but I probably should have included that term...!

fitacct

“Never throw away flavor.”

---

> My mantra, as well!

Great tips...thanks for sharing! : )

mea9

Love this and, honestly, never done it except at my mother's on holidays. Going to start.

mea9

bump

MdmAcolyte

I love the idea of de-glazing... Meanwhile, I dont mind licking the pan either

finallychelle

I love the idea of de-glazing... Meanwhile, I dont mind licking the pan either

I'm with you, sister!

kristlynngirl

Thank you for the tips and the recipes! I want to try these tofu noodles everyone talks about, but I'm way new to healthy food.