How to Sauté
Knowing how to sauté properly will result in a crisp and golden brown finish rather than a stodgy, fatty gloop. Very simply, sautéing is frying in a small amount of fat at a very high heat. This ‘how to’ provides a couple of simple steps on how to get the best results.
Steps
1- Use the right equipment! A saucepan is not appropriate, neither is a paella dish! You need a proper non-stick sautéing/frying pan that spreads the high temperatures evenly around the base.
2- Turn your burner to a high setting and place a sauté pan on the burner. Heat the pan before adding the fat of choice (oil (sunflower, vegetable, olive), butter or lard). The oil is there to simply prevents the food from sticking to the pan so you don’t need too much.
3- Constant motion ensures the food is cooked evenly. You can shake the sauté pan back and forth over the heat to toss the food without using utensils.
4- In many recipes you will then lower the heat to add a sauce or other ingredients. Rather than literally just lowering the heat on the burner, take the pan off of the heat for a brief moment to allow it to cool quicker before adding other ingredients.
Tips
Practice the sauté flipping technique in a cold, empty skillet by using small candies.