Kitchen Tips: How To Make A Perfect Sauteed Dish?

When it comes to healthy and laboursaving cooking methods, sauteing tops the list. Easy, quick, and popular, sauteing can make any ingredient crispy and delicious. The process involves cooking food with a little amount of fat to perfection. The word ‘sauté’ is a French word that means “to jump”. The name is mainly given due to the sizzle that is created when the food hits the hot pan. Mainly people confuse sauteing with frying. However, both the methods differ in terms of the amount of fat and equipment used. Sauteing uses the least amount of fat possible and usually happens in a sauté pan or a skillet while frying uses more fat and happens in a variety of equipment depending upon the varied methods (deep-frying/shallow frying). The method is ideal for foods that need brief cooking like tender vegetables, lean meats, and steaks. Although the process itself is easy and quick, prepping food before sauteing is equally important. One should cut the ingredients into small, thin, and uniform pieces and make them as dry as possible. The ingredients must be at room temperature for even cooking. Although sauteing seems quite easy, cooking food through this method can be a hard nut to crack. Hence, to sort your sauteing game, we have four tips that you need to keep in mind while sauteing. Try them out to get a perfectly sauteed dish next time. 

  1. Ensure that your pan is hot enough for your veggies and meats to brown. Splash a few drops of water to check whether the pan is ready. If the pan sizzles and the water turn into steam. Then the pan is ready for sauteing. 
  2. Avoid stirring the food continuously as you won't get an even brown crust. Try flipping your food instead. 
  3. Add less amount of food to the pan as overcrowding the pan will trap the steam and your food won't get a brown crust. 
  4. Don’t add too much fat (oil/ghee) to the pan. Use a brush to lubricate the pan. 

So, here are some easy and handy tips for sauteing that you need to keep in mind to get a perfect sauteed dish the next time. Try them out to savour a perfectly cooked and crispy sauteed dish.