How to saute

[Mr. Tacoma]

Want to saute like a pro? It's a crucial cooking technique and chicks love it so of course you do.

This gif sucks but it's the only one I can find right now:

First there's some fundamentals:

1. Don't overcrowd the pan, there should be just enough food in there so that damn near all of it is in contact with the bottom of the pan. If you load a saute pan to the brim with food you're not sauteing, you're steaming.

2. Don't ever, EVER add food to a cold pan. If you don't hear a loud almost violent sizzle when the food hits the pan you didn't preheat it enough.

3. Flip it often but not nonstop. You have to set it down and let the pan recover heat often.

Now on technique itself. Saute in French means "to jump" so that's what you need to make the food do. How do you do that without dumping food and hot oil all over the place? Practice.
How do you practice without dumping food and hot oil all over the place? I'm glad you asked.

A saute pan has sloped sides, not straight sides.

The pan on the left is a saute pan. The one on the right is not. If you try to saute with a straight sided pan you'll just make a mess. Use the right tool for the right job, saute with an actual saute pan.

There's nothing I can type to teach you the actual flip besides 'It's all in the wrist.' and 'you need to practice.'

Here's how you practice:

Take a cold saute pan, add a cup or so of breakfast cereal (cheerios works great) and start flipping that bitch. It's a quick flip, just do it. On your first few tries you'll probably spill cereal on the ground but that's a helluva lot better than spilling your dinner. It's a much easier thing to clean than meat, veggies and oil too. Keep practicing your saute technique like the guy in the gif above but with with cereal in a cold pan until you feel confident then move on to the real thing.

You'll be sauteing like a pro in no time. Good luck!

 

[broncosmitty]

Stupid Question for ya Mr. Tacoma: Why does the pan have to be hot?

 

[Mr. Tacoma]

Stupid Question for ya Mr. Tacoma: Why does the pan have to be hot?

The cold oil will act like glue so the food won't move around like it's supposed to.

Also the food will absorb more oil if it's cold causing it to get greasy.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

The cold oil will act like glue so the food won't move around like it's supposed to.

Also the food will absorb more oil if it's cold causing it to get greasy.

Did you cover the amount of oil? I've seen people who say they are sauteing this or that, but when I see the amount of oil/butter in the pan, it's clear that they are boiling or frying, rather than sauteing.

 

[Mr. Tacoma]

Did you cover the amount of oil? I've seen people who say they are sauteing this or that, but when I see the amount of oil/butter in the pan, it's clear that they are boiling or frying, rather than sauteing.

Correct sir! Sauteing is low oil/high heat. Just enough oil to coat the pan. Any more than that and you're pan frying which is a different cooking technique that gives different results.

 

[Gooch1034]

Uncooked rice is also a good choice to work on your sauté toss. It has some weight too it. A lot of the time it is a good idea to use an oil with a high smoking point like soy oil also.

 

[Mr. Tacoma]

Uncooked rice is also a good choice to work on your sauté toss. It has some weight too it. A lot of the time it is a good idea to use an oil with a high smoking point like soy oil also.

Excellent points.

Generally you don't want to saute with high flavor oils like sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil. There's some exceptions to that but usually they just end up scorching and tasting nasty. Use soy or canola oil.

 

[Gooch1034]

Excellent points.

Generally you don't want to saute with high flavor oils like sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil. There's some exceptions to that but usually they just end up scorching and tasting nasty. Use soy or canola oil.

I have scarred up my left thumb from my young gun days when I was learning to sauté at a place I started out. I wouldn't lay the chicken breast away from me in the oil and it would splash on my thumb on the handle on the skillet. Took a couple pretty bad burns to finally get into the habit.

 

[Mr. Tacoma]

I have scarred up my left thumb from my young gun days when I was learning to sauté at a place I started out. I wouldn't lay the chicken breast away from me in the oil and it would splash on my thumb on the handle on the skillet. Took a couple pretty bad burns to finally get into the habit.

Oh god yeah, I remember those days. There's nothing like searing pain to teach valuable lessons. Working the rest of your shift with a blister the size of a marble on your thumb sucks! I Still have scars from my early attempts at blackened salmon.

Same thing with learning knife skills. Nothing teaches you how to avoid cutting off the tip of your thumb like actually cutting it off a few times!

 

[outofyourmind]

what are some things we should try to saute

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

what are some things we should try to saute

shrimp is an easy one and real quick. Any number of vegetables are good starters. Squash and zuchini, 'shrooms, ...

 

[cezero]

i keep seeing this thread and think it says "how to salute"

anyhoo, thanks for the info on how to saute.

 

[Gooch1034]

Oh god yeah, I remember those days. There's nothing like searing pain to teach valuable lessons. Working the rest of your shift with a blister the size of a marble on your thumb sucks! I Still have scars from my early attempts at blackened salmon.

Same thing with learning knife skills. Nothing teaches you how to avoid cutting off the tip of your thumb like actually cutting it off a few times!

This reminded me when myself and all of my friends turned 21 and would go to the riverboat casino. There was a period of time where I wouldn't go because we would usually only play Blackjack. When I had all the burns on my hands, I hated making the hand signals because people would see my hands looked like Freddy Kruegers so I wouldn't go until I healed up and stopped doing stupid shit in the kitchen.


Also, you are so right about working with blisters that hurt so bad you cant concentrate. Working in kitchens means burns and cuts aren't excuses to stop working. You wrap those bastards up ASAP and got your ass back to work. Sucked so bad but looking back, toughened me up a lot! Drugs and alcohol helped too but you know what I mean Im sure.

 

[fordman84]

excellent write up. Thanks!

 

[mrwallace2ku]

Good stuff, but at what point does the booze-n-flame first and followed by the heavy cream second hit the pan good sir?

 

[Mr. Tacoma]

Good stuff, but at what point does the booze-n-flame first and followed by the heavy cream second hit the pan good sir?

Usually you add the booze (or wine, whatever) first so it has a chance to reduce down and concentrate it's flavor. That won't happen if it's diluted by cream and whatnot.

And honestly, the big flames are for show. There's no real reason to do that other than it being fun and it looks cool.

 

[Mr. Tacoma]

This reminded me when myself and all of my friends turned 21 and would go to the riverboat casino. There was a period of time where I wouldn't go because we would usually only play Blackjack. When I had all the burns on my hands, I hated making the hand signals because people would see my hands looked like Freddy Kruegers so I wouldn't go until I healed up and stopped doing stupid shit in the kitchen.


Also, you are so right about working with blisters that hurt so bad you cant concentrate. Working in kitchens means burns and cuts aren't excuses to stop working. You wrap those bastards up ASAP and got your ass back to work. Sucked so bad but looking back, toughened me up a lot! Drugs and alcohol helped too but you know what I mean Im sure.

You notice how you tend to forget the burns during the rush then you swing over the grill or something and you get reminded real fucking fast?

Only cooks know that pain...

 

[Dolemite censored]

A culinary conundrum, indeed.

 

[Dolemite censored]

That was a great rub recipe yesterday.

I used most of it but screwed up my ribs.

 

[Gooch1034]

You notice how you tend to forget the burns during the rush then you swing over the grill or something and you get reminded real fucking fast?

Only cooks know that pain...

haha Yes once you get it near the smallest amount of heat and it feels like you have lava burning through you all over again. Good stuff man! Kitchens helped toughen me up for sure!