How to Saute

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There are certain processes within cooking I thought I had mastered;
"how to saute" being one of them.

Little did I know there is a "right" way to saute --
thank you, Julia Child :) -- and a right way to make food taste delicious using this simple process.

To "saute" means to cook meat quickly in a hot pan with some amount of fat. Properly done, your meat will remain moist and tender.

Sauteing is appropriate for a piece of meat that is 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick -- any thicker and you will need to cover the pan for a while to let it cook longer.

You can pound a chicken breast or other portion of meat to this desired thickness.

How to saute in 3 simple steps:
1. Dry the food.
The food needs to be dry in order to get a nice brown. Pat the meat dry with paper towels before placing in a hot pan. You may also dredge the meat in flour, bread or cracker crumbs, or other seasoning after drying and before cooking.

2. Heat the pan.
The pan must be very hot in order to saute nicely. Place your pan over high heat, add butter or oil, or a combination of both. Wait until your butter or oil is almost smoking, but don't let it burn. Watch it carefully. Add the meat pieces when your pan is very hot.

3. Don't crowd the pan.
Be sure there is space between the meat pieces -- at least 1/4 inch. If meat pieces are too close, they will steam instead of brown. You may need to saute in a few batches. Brown meat nicely on both sides until done.

Learning how to saute is simple, right? :)

This method will leave nice brown bits in the bottom of your pan to make a sauce with; this process is called deglazing.

Deglazing simply means to use a liquid to release the tasty bits that remain after cooking and to make an easy sauce.

You can deglaze with lemon juice, vinegar, wine, stock, juice, cream or a combination -- whatever your tastes fancy and what seems appropriate for your finished meal.

To deglaze:
Leave about 1 Tablespoon of fat in the bottom of your pan;
Stir in shallots, green onions and/or garlic;
Pour in 1/2 cup to 1 cup of preferred liquid (list above);
Add any other seasonings you like (coarse cracked pepper or white pepper);
Boil and scrap up brown bits from pan.
Boil this until it reduces down to a syrupy sauce.
Add a few tablespoons of butter before serving. YUMMY!

Continue with the links below for some valuable "How to's."
Julie :)

Julia Child's "how to" cookbook.





Hands down the best set of pots & pans
with great saute pans.