Sauteing is the preparation of vegetables using the pan frying method. We explain what you have to consider when sautéing and present you with a delicious recipe.
Sauté comes from the French language (sauter) and can be translated as jumping. It refers to the bouncing motion of the ingredients as they are tossed in the pan. With the cooking method, you cook vegetables, or traditionally meat or fish, for a short time at high heat.
Sautéing: That’s behind it
When sautéing, you sear your food with constant tossing. Temperatures of 160 to 240 degrees Celsius ensure that the ingredients are cooked quickly.
With classic sautéing, you don’t add any liquid. You only use a little fat in the form of butter, oil or margarine.
Sautéing has a number of advantages over traditional searing:
Thanks to the rapid cooking, the ingredients neither burn nor overcook.
Vegetables retain their freshness and a crunchy consistency.
You use less fat.
Tasty roasted aromas are created.
By the way: The traditional preparation of Chinese dishes from the wok is also a form of sautéing.
What is suitable for sautéing?
If you want to sauté, make sure you choose the right ingredients.
In addition to fish and meat, many types of vegetables and meat substitutes such as tofu, tempeh or seitan are also suitable for sautéing. Pay attention to the quality and freshness of your ingredients. It is also advisable to cut larger vegetables into small pieces beforehand so that they are cooked even with the short roasting time. The following types of vegetables are particularly suitable for sautéing:
Leafy greens, such as spinach, chard, or lettuce
Cabbage, such as bok choy or Chinese cabbage
crunchy vegetables such as carrots, asparagus, peas, beans
Make sure your ingredients are organic if possible. Organically grown foods are free from chemical-synthetic pesticides and are therefore gentler on health and the environment. When it comes to meat and fish, you should pay attention to particularly strict seals that guarantee species-appropriate animal husbandry. In general, we recommend avoiding meat and fish as much as possible and only eating them in moderation. In this way you not only avoid animal suffering, but also overfishing and a lot of CO2 emissions.
Tip: sautéing is also useful for reheating pre-cooked dishes without losing their freshness. To do this, toss your ingredients in the hot oil for three to five minutes.
Sauté with the right utensils
The best way to sauté is with the right tools. Choose a suitable pan, a good oil and prepare the ingredients accordingly.
You should keep these three things in mind:
Choosing the right pan: Traditionally, sautéing is done in a pan (sauteuse). This is not absolutely necessary. The pan should only offer enough space to turn and swivel. Therefore, choose a pan with a handle and a high rim (e.g. a wok).
Use Good Oil: When sautéing, you fry the ingredients without adding any liquid. Just use a little oil. Oils that can be heated to high temperatures, such as rapeseed oil, sunflower oil or peanut oil, are suitable for this. Caution: extra virgin olive oil is not suitable for frying at high temperatures, as this can lose its flavor and many health-promoting substances. And no matter which oil you use for frying, do not heat it above the smoking point. As soon as the oil smokes, the toxic acrolein is produced and you have to dispose of the oil. With extra virgin olive oil, this is the case at around 180 degrees Celsius. Refined olive oil, on the other hand, has a higher smoke point and, according to ÖkoTest, is also suitable for hot searing.
Prepare ingredients: Wash and peel your vegetables, pat dry meat substitutes or fish substitutes. Cut large pieces into small, bite-sized cubes or strips.
Tip: Be careful not to overcrowd the pan so you can continue tossing all the ingredients.
Recipe: Broccoli Tofu Skillet
Ingredients:
1 piece of red onion
150 g carrots
300 g broccoli
150 g smoked tofu
150 gbean sprouts
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 pinch(s) of salt
50 g roasted cashew nuts/regional nuts
1 handful coriander, chopped
Directions:
Peel the onion. Wash and dry the remaining vegetables.
Cut the onion into fine rings, the carrot into sticks and the broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
Pat the tofu dry. Cut it into small cubes.
Heat the peanut oil in a pan or wok on high. Tip: The refined version of peanut oil is also better for frying, even if it contains fewer health-promoting substances when raw.
When the oil is hot, add the vegetables and tofu to the pan. Cook the ingredients in the pan for 10 to 12 minutes. Give them a good stir regularly. You can also use a spatula for this.
Remove the pan from the heat when the broccoli is still slightly al dente.
Season the vegetables with soy sauce and salt.
Serve the broccoli tofu pan with roasted cashew nuts or regional nuts and fresh coriander.
