Sautéing

Sautéing is probably used most often in Italian cooking. Most Italian recipes begin by making a flavor base, whether it’s with onions, garlic, carrots, or celery, or a combination thereof, which is sautéed. Sautéing is cooking something in a minimal amount of butter or oil over medium-high heat, causing the food to almost hop on the surface of the pan (sauté is French for “jumped” or “skipped”). The purpose of sautéing is to intensify flavor through caramelization and to reduce the food’s water content through evaporation. It is important to differentiate sautéing from frying, which requires more cooking fat to envelop the food and for that fat to be very hot when the food comes in contact with it. This makes the food crispy on the outside while sealing its moisture in. Sautéing is a more gradual process. When sautéing, it is better not to wait for the oil or butter to get hot. Remember, the point of sautéing onions, garlic, carrots, and celery is to create a flavor base through evaporation, not to seal the flavor in by creating a browned crust. Be patient and allow vegetables to sauté gradually to extract the most flavor.