Pour any extra fat out of the steel pan and into a separate container for later disposal. Keep all of the deep-brown food fragments in the pan.
Set the pan of caramelized food particles back on the stove. Bring the burner to high heat.
Pour 1 cup of cold deglazing liquid (water, broth, wine, etc.) into the hot pan. If you use an alcoholic beverage, lift the pan off the stove while adding the liquid. Move back from the stove as a cloud of hot steam emits from the pan. The steam indicates the caramelized food particles are releasing from the pan and forming a sauce.
Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to release any attached food particles. Continue scraping the pan until the sauce boils and the caramelized particles are distributed throughout the sauce.
Remove the sauce from the heat once the sauce comes to a full boil.