Deglazing, and why the brown bits matter

The sticky brown stuff welded to the bottom of the tin is not burnt, it is the flavour. Here is how to get it into the gravy.

That is fond, not burning

When meat browns, the proteins and sugars on its surface react and leave a dark, sticky, savoury layer on the pan. Chefs call it fond. It is water soluble, which means a splash of liquid and a wooden spoon will lift the lot back into your gravy.

Black and acrid is burnt and should be thrown away. Deep brown and sticky, smelling like roast dinner, is the single most valuable thing in the kitchen.

How to deglaze

Pour off the excess fat first, keeping the brown residue. Put the tin over a medium heat on the hob. When it starts to sizzle, add your liquid, roughly a mug at a time, and scrape hard with a flat wooden spoon while it bubbles. The fond dissolves in seconds.

Let it bubble and reduce by about half before you add the rest of the stock. That reduction is where a splash of wine stops tasting like raw wine and starts tasting like gravy.

What to deglaze with

Wine, beer, cider, stock, water, even the water from the veg pan. Alcohol works well because it dissolves flavour compounds water cannot, but it needs cooking off properly or the gravy tastes sharp and boozy.

Rule of thumb: reduce any alcohol by at least half, and taste it before you add stock. If it still tastes like a drink, keep going.

• Beef and lamb: red wine, stout, port.
• Pork: cider, perry, white wine, apple juice.
• Chicken and turkey: white wine, vermouth, cider, sherry.
• Duck and game: red wine, Madeira, orange juice.
• No alcohol: stock with a splash of vinegar, or strong black tea for tannin.

When there is no tin

Vegetarian gravies and weeknight gravies have no fond to work with, so you have to build one. Brown something hard in the pan first: mushrooms until they squeak and colour, onions until they are properly dark, tomato puree fried until it turns brick red. All three leave a fond of their own.

That is the whole secret to a vegan gravy that does not taste thin. Not more Marmite, more browning.