Definition, use, and examples of the word sauté.
For further reading, check out “What is sauteeing?” by Danilo Alfaro of The Spruce Eats.
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I’m Jenn de la Vega and this is your culinary word of the day.
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Today’s word is saute.
It is spelled...S-A-U-T-E.
According to Merriam Webster, saute is a transitive verb,
“to fry (food, such as small pieces of meat or vegetables) in a small amount of fat”
Lorrie Hulston of Cooking Light writes,
“To sauté is to cook food quickly in a minimal amount of fat over relatively high heat. The word comes from the French verb sauter, which means "to jump," and describes not only how food reacts when placed in a hot pan but also the method of tossing the food in the pan.”
Kathy Kingsley offers tips in The Spruce Eats:
“Chopped and diced vegetables can be easily tossed or stirred. Sliced vegetables are a little more cumbersome; a spatula works well for these.
Don't crowd the pan. Food releases steam when cooking, and if it's crowded, that steam won't have enough room to escape, staying in the pan and steaming rather than sautéing the food.
Fats such as butter, oil, or bacon fat are used to coat the food and prevent it from sticking to the pan, aid in browning, and add flavor.
Potatoes need to be partially cooked or blanched before sautéing.
Vegetables that exude a lot of water, such as zucchini and mushrooms, are best sautéed over very high heat to quickly evaporate the liquid.”
Cooks Illustrated explains saute pans themselves,
“These mid-height, mid-weight, lidded vessels are ideal for cooking down heaps of greens, and their straight sides—high enough to corral splatters but low enough to easily reach into with tongs—are great for shallow frying. It’s also our preferred pan for braising recipes that require browning and then adding liquid. The walls prevent spills as you stir, pour off oil, or transfer the pan from stove to oven.
Like all cookware, a sauté pan needs to do one thing particularly well: heat evenly. Other than that, we wanted a model that felt balanced and comfortable to maneuver—stove-to-oven transfers need to be steady, not shaky—and that came with a tight-fitting lid to keep food and heat well contained.”
For further reading, check out “What is sauteeing?” by Danilo Alfaro of The Spruce Eats.
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I’m Jenn de la Vega and this has been your culinary word of the day.
Next time on Culinary Word of the day, some light reading.
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