Sauteing – Tricks & Tips. Learn how to do it properly.

Posted on May 10th, 2019

by Priyanka Shah

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Articles

One of the most important cuisine techniques is sautéing. Nevertheless, not many know what it means or how it’s properly done.

What does sautéing mean?

In French, “sauter” means “to jump”. The reason why this technique has the same name as the verb is that when you sauté, the vegetables from the pan don’t have to “keep them still” for a long time, they have to be stirred and mixed until they’re ready.

What’s the difference between sautéing and frying?

Both are prepared in a pan in which oil, butter or fat is put. Anyway, when frying something you add more oil and the food must be turned only 2-3 times until it’s ready. When sautéing, you must constantly stir the food from the pan with the aid of a palette. Either slightly toss them in the air or stir them through the pan, the main idea is not letting the vegetables rest al all! Also, when sautéing, you add less oil then when frying (the food from the pan has to be only half in oil).

The advantages of sautéing

Many recipes require that the vegetables or even the chicken breast, fish or pork be sautéed. Once you learn this technique, you’ll have access to a wider range of recipes – for example, we recommend you try sautéing seafood in spiced oil – indescribable taste!

What type of oil should be used?

Depends on what you’re cooking. Even the type of oil depends on this decision. For example, a Mediterranean dish should be prepared with olive oil, while an Asian dish should be prepared with sesame oil. Don’t worry if you haven’t rare types of oil in your kitchen – while cooking the biggest amount of the oil’s flavor disappears, so you won’t be missing much from this chapter.

A secret

Very important – warm the pan first of all! If you put fridge cold ingredients in a cold pan and put it on heat, you’ll end up having a very dry dish. Therefore it’s best you warm the pan before adding the oil.

Ingredients

Even if you sauté together chicken, vegetables, fish or pork, you’ll want to choose only ingredients that have the same size so they’ll cook evenly. Besides, if you add greens, make sure to chop them finely so they’ll give some extra flavor. If your ingredients have different sizes, some will cook faster while others will still be either raw or end up burned on the plate.

The sautéing technique

Warm up a pan and then add some oil. Put in the ingredients, but be careful to move fast so it won’t start fuming. If this starts to happen put the pan aside for a couple of minutes because it’s overheated. Add the spices and constantly stir with a palette – or slightly toss the ingredients in the air. After everything is well cooked, you may serve.