Fond, the leftover bits of food stuck to the pan after searing meat or vegetables, is best used as the base of pan sauces, stews, and more, along with aromatics and other flavorings. While it may be just one ingredient, fond has a large impact on the overall flavor of a dish, lending a savory depth that would be sorely missed if it weren't there.

The Spruce Eats notes that fond is a super-concentrated dose of flavor, consisting of all the deeply browned bits of food that have been most exposed to the heat of the pan, and thus are most developed in flavor. It's almost like adding seasoning made up of all the most deliciously browned parts of your meat and other ingredients.

According to Food52, fond is also a key part in three of the five French mother sauces: tomato sauce, velouté, and espagnole. Cook's Illustrated suggests using a little extra liquid or fat when searing meat to create more fond, and remember that these seemingly small bits are well worth deglazing from your pan, and should never be wasted.