Sautéing and Pan-Frying

Appears in
Professional Cooking: 10th Edition
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2025

  • About

The procedures for sautéing and pan-frying potatoes are basically the same as for other vegetables.

There are many sautéed and pan-fried potato preparations. Some are made with raw potatoes, others with precooked or blanched potatoes. Many of these recipes are especially useful because they are excellent ways to utilize leftover boiled potatoes.
This group of recipes may be divided into two categories based on production technique.

  1. Potatoes mixed or tossed while cooking.

    The procedure for sautéing vegetables, is used for these preparations. The potatoes are cut into pieces or into small shapes and cooked in a small amount of fat. They are turned or tossed in the pan so they brown on all sides. This category includes rissolé, parisienne, noisette, château, and American fried or home-fried potatoes.

  2. Potatoes cooked and served in compact cakes.

    The procedure for pan-frying vegetables is the basic method used for these preparations. The potatoes are not mixed while cooking but are made into cakes, which are browned on both sides. This category includes hash browns and variations as well as potato pancakes and macaire potatoes.