Like many of the best things, maybe pan-sludge is so wonderful because it can only be attained in small amounts?

Dude it's called Vegemite. Just buy it in the jar.

Here in NYC I've encountered it as stuff called BETTER THAN BOUILLON, kind of super-stock paste. It's okay, but it's not the stuff you get from a too-hot pain with tons of things in it. get that off, save it, and use it in cooking. That's what it's FOR.

The Whelk, I know what you are saying, I am a BTB fan of man years. But it takes some butter and a too hot pot to make that yummy grime that comes at the bottom of the pan.

Dammit, preview window! "many years" godblessit.

Believe me, The Whelk, it does not go to waste. I even have a special wooden spatula for scraping it off. Usually I stir it back in, but often I can't resist just licking it off or spreading it on a cracker.

Speaking of Vegemite (The Black Death) by Amanda Fucking Palmer.

You tell me that you love me when I’m lying by your side,
You tell me that I am the only one who understands your fragile mind,
That I’m blind to any evil you can do,
And that I love you unlike any other girl could ever do.
You love the things that I love: you love art and you love books,
And you love love as much as I do and you love my dirty looks,
And you love me right now.
So, how can you love...

Vegemite? It tastes like sadness.
It tastes like batteries. It tastes like acid.
I cannot hold a man so close who spreads this cancer on his toast.
It is the Vegemite, my darling, or it’s me.

You have to make the fucking choice.
I cannot sit with you at breakfast,
The very smell of it obliterates my senses.
And if that weren’t bad enough you also eat the shit for lunch,
Which means we can’t spend any time together,
What kind of relationship is that?

The choice is yours, my heart is in your hands...
Please wash your hands,
You just had Vegemite for lunch you selfish bastard.

(Shouting)
It’s all about you, isn’t it?
This has nothing to do with the Vegemite!
This is what I’m talking about!
You never actually listen to me!
I can’t take it anymore, it’s all about you!
It’s just take, take, take, take!
What about my feelings, what about me?

(Spoken)
"I had this really traumatic and awful experience when I was six years old, and our British next door neighbour who was babysitting us, um, they had marmite, which is just like Vegemite, except it’s, like, even grosser, and he made me eat an entire spoonful of it, but he told me it was chocolate fudge, and then I threw up, and it was really awful, and I’m sorry I get so emotional, it’s just..."

(Sung)
I love you, and no matter what you eat,
I’ll always love you completely,
I might just always leave the room at meal times,
Or refuse to touch or kiss you for a week,
If you insist on putting that foul death paste in your mouth.

You’re in my heart, but put yourself inside my shoes,
I have to know, it shouldn’t be that hard to choose.
I know it’s tearing you apart, but it’s the way it has to be.
It is the Vegemite, my darling,
It is the Vegemite, my darling,
Put down the Vegemite, you fucker, or I’ll leave.

I don't know if we're talking about the same thing, but what I'm thinking of is called fond. And gravy recipes usually demand you scrape up all the fond into the roux. Mmmm, gravy.

Uh, original ingredients?

Caramelized onions capture some of what I think you're talking about.

Get a couple of kilos of veal offcuts and scraps, wash thoroughly in water, pat dry and roast in a hot oven until they show browning. Throw into a stockpot with water to cover. Add a whole large onion, two carrots in chunks (NO SALT!) and put onto a very gentle simmer - so gentle that only the tiniest bubbles trickle up. Leave it for a couple of hours. Skim once an hour or so and take off the grey frothy stuff.

After a couple of hours, take out all the meat and veg, strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, wash out the pan and return the broth to it. Bring it to a fast boil and reduce down as much as you dare. I often finish it in a non-stick frying pan over low head so I can get it thick and syrupy without it catching.

Cold, it will set into jelly chunks of unbelievable rubber. But throw it into a pan when you're making gravy and the flavour is amazing. I cut mine into cubes and keep it in a tub in the freezer so it doesn't go off.

Over low heat, not head. The more browning on your meat, the darker your veal gelee/fond/stock etc. Some people add a bayleaf and celery to the water but I don't like it. Your mileage etc. You don't have to use veal, but veal has more gelatin and therefore more stickiness. Beef will give you a stronger flavour and a darker colour.

And now I'm going to bed.

When my Mom made oven fried chicken, my sister and I would nibble up all the browned bits left behind. Yum

I make roasted veggies pretty often, and usually include onions, just for that browned deep flavor.