Hello, summer! As we welcome the warm weather into our embrace, we can only contain a fraction of our excitement when it comes to the delicious and savory recipes we plan to cook.
Sauteed scallops with shrimp pasta, cherry tomato mozzarella saute, and southwestern sauteed corn are just a few of the recipes we are looking forward to sharing with the ones we love the most in the summer sun.
In order to enjoy these delicious summer recipes, it is important to master the art of sautéing.
Sautéing cooking technique of quickly cooking food in a small amount of fat, in an open pan directly over high heat. The end result is marvelous, with the meal being crisp and packed with flavor in every bite.
Can you taste it? We sure can!
If you are ready to master the culinary technique of sautéing to curate your favorite summer recipes, continue reading.
What is Sautéing?
The technique of sautéing is defined as frying food with a small amount of fat over moderately high heat, to produce an end result that is rich with flavor.
The term sauté is derived from the French verb for "to jump”, which is a direct reflection of the method itself. The high heat used within this technique causes the moisture in the pan to evaporate, resulting in a fast sizzle when the meal hits the pan.
Similar to frying (yet widely different in technique and flavor), the meal is often cooked quickly and results in a browning crust that enriches meats and vegetables with vivid flavor in each bite.
As the food is cooked quickly, the flavor and texture remain intact, and if anything, only increase following sautéing.
Tips to Perfectly Sauté a Meal
If you are looking to master the cooking technique of sautéing, it is important to have a couple of key tricks up your sleeve. Those include:
Prior to adding your meal to the hot pan, it is important to check that your pan is hot enough to properly brown the meat or vegetables that you are using. You can check if your pan is ready by splashing a drop of water onto the surface, and if it sizzles and then immediately turns to steam, it is ready.
Sautéing requires only a little fat, just enough to lubricate the pan prior to adding your meal onto the pan. If the pan seems to be dry during cooking, you can add a little more oil. If you have added too much oil to your pan while your food is cooking that the meal possesses a “watery” look, you can tilt your pan and pour some out.
We recommend using fats that have higher smoke points, such as ghee, rendered fat or vegetable oil.
Unlike other traditional frying techniques that require you to move your food frequently or flip it often, this trick does not apply to sautéing. To achieve the ideal mouth-watering brown crust, avoid stirring your food too much. Flip the food just as many times as needed to brown all the sides of your meal, and that is all.
It can be easy to want to get carried away with adding more items to your pan as you cook (we’ve all been there), but in this case, sautéing is not the time to test out your culinary excellence. Overcrowding your pan with various foods will trap steam, and prevent your food from browning properly. As a result, make sure you have lots of wiggle room to move your food accordingly, and achieve that beautiful browning technique.
Best Foods to Sauté
As mentioned previously, mastering the culinary technique of sautéing requires you to cook fast on high heat and not crowd your pan.
As a result, we recommend starting off using foods that are naturally tender such as tenderloin, fish fillets, and chicken breasts.
When it comes to produce, we recommend using vegetables such as asparagus, artichokes, mushrooms and bell peppers.
Together, they will produce a beautiful browning crust and possess a flavor that is both delicious and savory.
Click here to view a few of our favorite sautéing recipes for summer.
Start Your Culinary Journey with FIKA
If you are looking to expand your culinary knowledge or pick up a few easy tricks, you’ve come to the right place.
Here at Cook with FIKA, we believe that healthy cooking starts with healthy cookware. We pride ourselves in bringing you multi-award-winning, eco-friendly, safe cookware that will make you excited to cook.
Test your new sautéing techniques with FIKA cookware.