You may not know the term “deglaze,” but if you’ve ever made a pan sauce or gravy, then you’ve probably used the technique. Deglazing is the act of dissolving the brown bits and other residue left in a pan after searing, sautéing, or roasting meats and poultry, and it’s typically the first or second step in sauce making. There’s a lot of flavor left in those brown bits, and deglazing—usually by addingan acidic liquid like wineorvinegarwhile scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon—is a tried-and-true way of capturing that flavor in the sauce.

Try the technique

Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom-Dill Sauce		Roast Lemon Chicken with Garlic & Herbs		Cherry & Onion Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Spaghetti with Mushroom Cream Sauce		Squash Ravioli with Sherried Onion Sauce, Walnuts & Cranberries		Seared Shrimp with Pimentón & Sherry