Into the Frying Pan
Sautéing is cooking food
in a small amount of fat over high heat. A sauté pan, (a.k.a. skillet or
frying pan), with straight sides is known as a sautoir, and with sloping
sides, a sauteuse. A high quality sauté pan is imperative for successful
sautéing. Heavy gauge stainless steel with aluminum sandwiched in-between
is the way to go. Such a pan will distribute heat evenly without burning
your food and be highly responsive to sudden temperature adjustments. Heavy
metal plating will also ensure the base of the pan stays flat and does not
warp with use. An uneven bottom will produce unevenly cooked food and “hot
spots” where food can scorch.
Considered a dry heat
method, sautéing is an ideal means for searing or browning food, a process
that imparts significant flavor. To accomplish this you need high heat and
must not introduce the food until the pan and fat have been heated first.
If the pan/fat are not hot enough, the food will not sear properly, will
stick, and will absorb some of the fat. The fats utilized most often are
oil and butter or some combination thereof. I prefer oil since butter will
burn quicker.
Virtually all foods can
be sautéed with a few caveats. With red meat, only tender cuts can be
employed. Because it is a dry heat method, sautéing will make tough cuts of
meat even tougher. Thus, you can sauté a filet mignon or strip steak, but
never the shank or brisket. You might start the shanks in a sauté pan to
brown them, but they would need to be finished with a wet heat method such
as braising. Even tender steaks that are thick, (beyond an inch), would
first be seared in a sauté pan and then completed in the oven. This is why
professional cooks prefer pans without those rubber handles: so they can be
placed directly into an oven.
You would also never
sauté an entire roast or chicken. By the time the center of a roast or bird
was cooked in a sauté pan, the exterior would be burnt beyond edibility.
Sautéing is better suited for thinner cuts of meat, (fish, veal and chicken
fillets), or meat cut into pieces or strips. All vegetables can be sautéed
although harder ones, e.g., root vegetables, may need to be cut smaller.
Sautéing is quick cooking. You are seeking to sear the food rapidly and
remove it immediately or shortly thereafter. Thus, the food must be small
and/or tender enough so that the center is done by the time the outside has
browned.
If you are sautéing a
compilation of items, cut them to the same size to ensure even cooking.
But, some foods are harder than others. A one-inch slice of zucchini will
cook faster than a one-inch slice of carrot. Thus, you will need to
compensate by cutting the harder components smaller, or introducing the
ingredients to the pan in descending order of cooking time. But of course
there are still exceptions to this. Some recipes begin with aromatic items
such as chopped garlic or ginger being sautéed first. This is to facilitate
infusing the ensuing constituents with their essence. Here you must watch
the heat since these delicate aromatics can burn by the time you have
completed sautéing the remaining ingredients.
Finally, do not overfill
the sauté pan. Excessive food will drop the heat and cause the items to
steam, not brown. It is far better to sauté your food in batches than crowd
the pan and produce limp offerings.
OK we need to talk about
non-stick pans. Most people don’t realize that a regular pan is almost as
slick as a non-stick if used properly. With a few exceptions, most foods do
not require a non-stick pan. The problem with non-stick pans is that they
are not conducive to making as flavorful a sauce as a regular pan. After
food, particularly protein, has been sautéed, a highly flavorful,
caramelized residue known as a “fond” is left in the bottom of the pan. Pan
sauces are made by dissolving the fond with liquid, (wine, stock, citrus
juices, etc.), a process known as “deglazing.” Non-stick pans do not
produce a sufficient fond to accomplish this critical task.
So how do you prevent
food from sticking? Let’s assume you wish to sauté a chicken cutlet. Brush
the cutlet lightly with oil. A uniform application of oil will eliminate
any sticking spots and produce an equally uniform sear. Heat your pan over
a medium-high to high flame. Heating the pan first achieves two goals.
First, the expansion of the metal will fill tiny scratches where food can
stick. Second, adding the fat to an already hot pan will allow the fat to
get hotter faster. The reduced thermal trip to target temperature will
cause the fat to deteriorate less. Add the oil and do not introduce the
food until the oil starts to smoke. Place the chicken in the pan and DO NOT
MOVE IT until the first side has seared. The seared exterior will prevent
the sticking. Moving the food around will thwart the development of a good
sear. If your pan was hot enough to begin, you will be able to flip the
chicken with minimal resistance. This same technique applies to any other
protein you may sauté.
An exception to the
“don’t move the food” rule is vegetables, particularly if they are diced.
Obviously you will need to move them around so all of their sides sauté
properly. But allow them to cook undisturbed for some time between each
stir or flip.
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