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Cooking encyclopedia Techniques

Sautéing

Also called pan-frying; tossing

Cooking small or thin pieces quickly in a little fat over fairly high heat, moving them often.

170–200 °C (338–392 °F)

What it is

The pan should be wide enough that everything touches its base. Get the fat hot, add the food in one layer, and keep it moving so no single face sits long enough to burn.

Why it works

Small pieces have a large surface for their volume, so they cook through in the time it takes to brown. Movement spreads that browning over every face instead of charring one.

When to use it

Sliced onions, mushrooms, greens, prawns, thin cutlets, diced vegetables.

What goes wrong

Too much food at once — the pan cools, moisture collects and the food stews; too much fat, which fries rather than sautés; salting watery vegetables at the start, which draws out liquid before anything can brown.

Meridian cooking encyclopedia — Watchman Productions

More on this shelf

  • Blanching Brief cooking in heavily boiling water, usually followed by cooling.
  • Blooming spices Heating spices briefly in fat or a dry pan to release their aroma before they meet anything else.
  • Braising Browning, then cooking slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot.
  • Deep-frying Cooking fully submerged in hot fat, usually 160–190 °C.
  • Deglazing Dissolving the browned residue in a pan with liquid, to turn it into sauce.
  • Emulsifying Dispersing fat and water into each other so they behave as one smooth sauce.
  • Grilling Cooking over or under direct radiant heat, close to the source.
  • Poaching Cooking submerged in liquid held below a simmer, around 70–85 °C.
  • Reducing Simmering a liquid uncovered to evaporate water and concentrate what is left.
  • Resting meat Leaving cooked meat off the heat before cutting it.
  • Roasting Cooking in dry oven heat, uncovered, so the surface browns while the inside cooks.
  • Searing Cooking a surface hard and fast to brown it, before or after the inside is cooked.