Sautéing & Panfrying

Two related techniques— sauteing and pan-frying—are used to quickly cook various cuts of meats and vegetables. Both methods call for oil or butter for cooking and medium-high to high heat, which browns the ingredients and creates crisp crusts. Recipes that use these techniques often include a pan sauce that helps to bring the flavors together.

What Is Sauteing?

Pan Seared Scallops

 Sauteing is an ideal technique for today’s busy home chefs because it cooks food quickly, preserving the flavors, and by not diluting the food in liquid, preserving its nutrients. By intensifying the flavors in foods, sauteing increases the pleasure of eating healthy vegetables, fruits and grains. Although generally used for main dishes, this cooking method is also good for preparing starters, sides and desserts. Sauteing calls for cooking food rapidly over high heat in a small amount of fat. The technique—the name of which derives from the French word for "jump"— has been traditionally described as tossing and stirring small pieces of food in a hot pan. The definition has expanded to include larger pieces of fish, poultry and meat, which are sometimes cut or pounded thin to shorten the cooking time. These larger pieces don’t need to be kept moving constantly, though are sometimes turned several times. Since no water is involved, sauteing is known as a dry-heat cooking method, like grilling and roasting. The dry heat and fat create appealing and delicious browning. As food browns, its juices concentrate and caramelize. Adding liquid to the pan at the end of sauteing dissolves these juices and produces a delicious sauce in minutes. As a rule, start sauteing over medium-high or high heat to ensure a nice browned surface, and then lower the heat so the food will cook through without burning. To lessen the risk of foods sticking to the pan, always heat the pan before you add the fat, and then heat the fat before you add the food. Swirl the pan to coat it evenly with the fat. When sauteing a larger piece of poultry or meat, let it cook undisturbed for a few minutes to brown well on the first side.

What Is Panfrying? 

Pan-frying, also called shallow frying, typically uses more fat than sauteing but far less than deep-frying, which involves fully submerging the food in hot oil. With pan frying, the food is cooked over medium to high heat in hot oil to produce a crisp exterior and a moist interior. This method works well for larger pieces of meats and vegetables, such as bone-in chicken parts, which require longer cooking times than sauteing does. When pan-frying, it is critical to use an oil with a high smoke point along with a heavy bottomed pan that retains heat well and will keep the oil at an even temperature. You generally use up to 1 inch of oil, or enough to come about halfway up the sides of the food that you are pan-frying. As with sauteing  be sure to allow enough room between pieces of food. This will prevent sudden dips in the oil’s temperature as well as the release of the food’s natural juices.