Why is good heat transfer required for making fond?

Question

I was watching a Jacques Pepin video on steak and pan sauce. In it, he mentions that having a pan with good heat transfer is important to make sure your fond doesn't burn, but instead crystallises.

In line with this, conventional wisdom (reading forum posts) seems to say that not having high enough heat will mess up fond production.

I'm trying to wrap my head around why exactly this is. Does any one have some kind of mechanistic insight behind why bad heat transfer can cause your fond to burn, instead of glaze?

Answer 1

I think it's a simple as bad heat transfer often meaning uneven heat transfer, leading to burning. Burnt fond won't deglaze successfully. Compare deglazing with making a roux: in both cases you want the proteins and starches to be browned (by the Malliard reaction and caramelization) but not burnt.

When making fond you want relatively high heat to promote these reactions and avoid the food (particularly some watery vegetables) from just sitting there in a lightly steaming puddle.