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Sauté a cooking term that you have probably read many times before, but not many of those books talk the time to explain how to sauté. Sautéing is a cooking technique that cooks the food quickly in minimum amount of fat or oil. This technique is used mostly with delicate foods that do not require long cooking times.

How to Sauté

Step one:
Have all your ingredients ready before you start cooking. This is very important when cooking anything and is something that took me awhile to understand. The main reason that you want to have all ingredients ready is so you are not looking for something while you cooking. Most of the time this can cause you to burn the product.

Sautéing is also a fast cooking method so it is a good idea to have your side items made or just about finished before you start to sauté.

Step two:
Preheat your sauté pan over medium heat (goal is to get your sauté pan to 180 degrees). This is the most important step when sautéing. With going to deep into it there are two main for heating up your pan:

-One of the goals when cooking is to lock the moisture in the product. When you put an item especially a meat product into a hot pan with hot oil it causes a natural seal to from that locks the natural juices of the product in. If we do not heat the pan the seal will not form and you will end up with a dry product.

-Two when sautéing we are looking to get a nice golden color, if the pan is not hot when we start the color will not develop.

Step three:
Add your oil or butter to the pan. Make sure to give the oil or butter a chance to heat up as well. This will only take about 30-45 seconds.

Step four:
Add your product to the pan making sure to put the presentation side face down. This is done because this side is going to get the best color. You also don’t want to move the product around right away give it a minute or so to avoid sticking to the pan.

Step Five:
Time to turn the product first gently lift up product just enough to see under and ask your self does it have the color I am looking for, if it does turn the product and continue to cook until the product is done.

Following these easy steps will have you on your way to mastering how to sauté in no time at all.

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