Sautéing Facts for Kids

Sautéed potatoes, bacon, and onions

Sautéing is a quick way to cook food. It uses only a little bit of fat in a flat pan. The pan needs to be very hot. Food for sautéing is often cut into small pieces or thin slices. This helps it cook faster.

When you sauté, the food gets a nice brown color. It also keeps its natural texture, moisture, and flavor. If you sauté meat or fish, you can sometimes use what's left in the pan to make a tasty sauce.

What is Sautéing?
- Sautéing vs. Pan-Frying
- Sautéing vs. Searing
Best Fats for Sautéing
- Why Clarified Butter is Better than Regular Butter
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What is Sautéing?

Sautéing is a cooking method where you cook food quickly over high heat with a small amount of fat. The word "sauté" comes from the French word sauter, which means "to jump." This describes how the food is often tossed or "jumped" in the pan.

Sautéing vs. Pan-Frying

People sometimes mix up sautéing and pan-frying. But they are a bit different:

Sautéing uses less fat and cooks smaller, thinner pieces of food very quickly.
Pan-frying usually cooks larger pieces of food, like chops or steaks. It might use a bit more fat than sautéing.

Sautéing vs. Searing

Sautéing is also different from searing. Searing is when you only brown the outside of the food. Sautéing cooks the food all the way through, not just the surface.

Best Fats for Sautéing

Choosing the right fat is important for good sautéing.

Olive oil is a popular choice for sautéing.
Clarified butter also works very well.
Most other cooking fats can be used too.

Why Clarified Butter is Better than Regular Butter

Regular butter can add a lot of flavor to your food. However, it burns more easily than other fats. This is because regular butter contains milk solids. These milk solids burn quickly at high temperatures. Clarified butter has had these milk solids removed, so it can handle higher heat without burning. This makes clarified butter a better choice for sautéing.