Sauteing and frying are two similar cooking methods that involve heating food items with dry heat in a pan containing cooking oil over direct flame. Despite the similarities, there are differences between saute and frying that are known to chefs and those who use these methods for cooking various food items. This article will discuss these differences to help readers use these methods according to the requirements of the food recipe.
Key Takeaways
- Sauteing is quicker than frying and requires less oil.
- Frying uses a lower temperature and a deeper pan than sauteing.
- Stirring is necessary in sauteing, while it is not required in frying.
Sauté
Sautéing is a method of cooking food items in a hot, shallow pan containing a small amount of fat or oil. The food items are spread all over the pan, allowing them to receive heat quickly from the hot pan. Sautéing browns the outer surface of food items, which are deliberately cut into short pieces. Care is taken to stir the food items with a utensil or by jerking the fry pan itself, so they do not get burnt due to the high temperature of the pan and the hot oil inside the pan. To sauté, heat the pan, add a little oil, let the oil become equally hot, and then place all food items in the pan. Stir the food items and take them out quickly after they become brown.
Fry
Frying is a prevalent cooking method that uses dry heat as the food items are placed in a pan containing hot oil. Frying requires food items to be relatively large and the heat to be moderately high. There should be enough oil in the pan to submerge the food pieces when frying. You do not need to keep tossing the food items as they become brown through the heat of the pan and the oil. Frying is ideal for cooking large pieces of meat, as they cannot be cooked through sautéing. Frying uses lower heat so that the exterior of the pieces being fried does not become overcooked. However, the heat should still be high enough to cook the interior of the pieces.
Difference Between Sauté and Fry
- Sautéing is quicker than frying.
- Frying uses more oil than sautéing.
- Sautéing occurs at a higher temperature than frying.
- Frying requires a deeper pan than sautéing.
- In sautéing, you have to keep stirring the food items, but this is not required in frying.
- Sautéing needs smaller food pieces, whereas larger pieces can be cooked with frying.
- High heat in sautéing means food items become brown outwardly quickly, and they have to be stirred.
- More oil is needed for frying than is required for sautéing.
