Definition

To dissolve the leftover bits of food in a pan by adding a liquid and heating it.

Example

After cooking the meat, I deglazed the pan with some wine to make a sauce.

Tense Forms

Conversation

What do you do with the pan after you cook the chicken?

I usually deglaze it to make a sauce.

That sounds delicious! How do you deglaze it exactly?

It's simple — just add some wine or broth and scrape the bits off the bottom.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Deglaze → It is formed from "de-" (meaning down or away) and "glaze" (from Old French *glas*, meaning to coat or cover). The word describes the process of removing the glaze or coating from a pan, typically to prepare for making a sauce.

Memory Tip

Think of 'removing' ('de-') a 'coating' ('glaze') from a pan to make a sauce.

Visually Confused Words