DollopSkill 16 of 16
A pan sauce
The brown bits left in the pan become the best part of dinner.
What it means
Fond
Fond is the layer of browned bits left stuck to the pan after searing or browning. It isn’t burnt, it’s flavor, and a splash of liquid turns it into the base of a sauce.
How you’ll know: It’s brown and smells savory; black bits that smell bitter are burnt and best left behind.
Deglaze
Deglazing means pouring a splash of broth, wine or water into a hot pan to loosen the browned bits on the bottom. Those bits are full of flavor, and this turns them into the start of a sauce.
How you’ll know: It hisses and steams, and the bits lift easily when you scrape with a wooden spoon.
Scrape up the browned bits
It means loosening the brown bits stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon, usually right after adding liquid. Those bits are concentrated flavor, and they melt into the sauce.
How you’ll know: The bottom of the pan looks clean again, and the liquid turns darker and richer.
Reduce
Reducing means simmering a liquid with the lid off so some of the water steams away. The sauce gets thicker and its flavor gets stronger.
How you’ll know: The level drops in the pan, and the sauce coats the back of a spoon instead of running off.
Dolly says: You pick this up just by making one of these dinners. I point it out in the steps when you get there.
9 dinners that teach it
Pork chops with butter pan sauce
30 min
Pork chops with apples and onions
35 min
Chicken in creamy garlic spinach sauce
35 min
Lemon garlic chicken thighs
35 min
Garlic butter shrimp pasta
35 min
Balsamic caprese chicken
35 min
Chicken piccata
35 min
Beef stroganoff
40 min
Lemon butter cod with crispy potatoes
45 min
More skills
Learn to cook without trying to
Dollop plans dinners that teach you something new, one skill after another, and keeps track of the skills you’ve picked up.