Things I had Not Realized

[firstfrost]

The difference between "deglaze" and "flambé" is a dex check.

Comments

Imagine what I'll know when I get my hands on a McGee...

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Deglazing is: Using a solvent and high heat to get all of those yummy brown bits off the bottom of the pan after you've used it to sauté or brown something. It's a step in many pan sauces, for example. The Mailliard reaction (which I'm almost certainly misspelling) turns protein sweet and flavorful when you brown it.

The solvent is water-based, either water, or stock, or milk, or wine/spirits.

Additional trivia fact -- some flavor compounds are water-soluable. Some are fat-soluable. Some are alcohol-soluable. Using all three generates the most flavor. Tomato sauce is a particularly good example of this.