Preface: Up until this point I’ve been dishing up a fact-of-the-day. But straight-up facts is not all that LSNED is about. This marks the first post of a new category featuring “how-to” tutorials and lessons. They will still be quick, bite-sized and fun, and most importantly we’ll continue to Learn Something New Every Day!
I would love to be a better cook, but I really have no interest in recipes. I want to learn the skills to create impromptu culinary delights with whatever is on hand. A cup of practicality with a dash of creativity and voila… dinner. Here’s one of the fundamental cooking skills that will let you make pretty much any ingredient instantly delicious. Sauteing is all about cooking things quickly on high heat. The goal is to keep all the natural flavours and juices in the food. It works as well with meats as it does with veggies.
Step 1: Picking the right pan. The ideal saute pan is large, with a thick flat bottom. Thickness is important because even heat is critical. There can’t be hot spots in the pan. If you don’t have a fancy-schmansy saute pan, a thick (cast-iron) frying pan works well.
Step 2a: Pre-heating the pan. Before you put anything in the pan, you want to heat it up. Set it on the burner at medium-high heat and wait. Don’t rush this. Let the pan heat all over.
Step 2b: Cutting the ingredients. While the pan is heating, this is your chance to cut up your ingredients into equal-sized pieces so everything will cook at the same rate. Get everything set now, because once the cooking starts, you won’t have any more time.
Step 3: Add butter or oil. (butter can add more flavour, but oil is less likely to burn) Only after the pan is evenly heated, you add some butter. You don’t need a lot, but too little and your pan will dry out, depending on how much the ingredients soak up. (mushrooms are like little sponges!) The timing on this step is critical. Watch the butter. It will melt, then it will start to get foamy, and after a moment, it will begin to turn brown. That’s the signal to dump in your ingredients. If you don’t hit it right, the butter will burn, and you have to start over.
Step 4: Keep things moving. Stay focused on your saute pan. If you try to do two things at once, your food will burn quickly. Keep your ingredients moving around in the pan. Don’t use a fork, or you’ll let tasty juice leak out. There’s no set time for sauteing. Just watch, and keep stirring.
And that’s about it. It’s not a complicated technique, but the timing is critical. It goes pretty fast, so you can practice multiple times in the course of cooking one meal. Saute a bunch of different veggies, toss them in a wrap with some brown rice, and enjoy the natural flavours.
- Source: http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/saute.htm (well worth a read for the in-depth info)
