Cooking in a type of pan known as a sauté is almost always synonymous with the cooking of meat, fish and poultry in their respective liquids. The French have long known the benefits of sautéing. The word, in fact, has both the meanings of “soup” and “dish”. So, how is a “soup” different from a “dish”? Quite a bit!
Sauteing, such as many other cooking styles, means cooking in the direct heat of an external pan. In sauteing, there generally is some oil or fat in the outer pan and mainly to provide flavor to the items being sauteed. Other terms, frequently used, lend to further confusion: grilled, for instance, refers to cook over an open fire, sometimes over the hot coals (but see grilling) or over a hot grill (also called hot-box).
A difference in cooking style arises when using frying pans, broilers or barbeque grills. These cooking methods tend to use lower temperatures, and require less moisture. However, they all require an external fat or oil to be added to the center of the food to prevent it from sticking. If no fat is used, the food may stick in the pan for a while but will eventually brown if not properly browned. The only exception to this rule is when a sauteing liquid is used, typically oil or vinegar.
One of the most common mistakes in sauteing is over-browning, especially in the case of barbeque or pan frying. This can usually be avoided by using a non-stick frying pan, which will prevent the fat from spreading all over the surface of the meat. The way to avoid this is to use a coating with an extra layer of fat, like butter, so that it can stick better to the outside of the meat. This coating should be a very thin one, only about half a percent, because the thinner the coating, the better it will be to retain the moisture. If a thin coating is used and the meat is browned, the next step is to brown the inside of the meat, usually by baking in an oven.
When broiling or grilling, heat methods used greatly affect how the food is cooked. At low heat, cooking times are extended and results are usually more tender. In contrast, when using high heat methods, foods tend to be dried out and the finish is often tougher. Foods prepared this way usually do best when cooked on the stove or over direct flames.
It has been suggested that there are advantages to both cooking in pans and cooking directly over high heat, but each method has its own disadvantages, especially when sauteing is concerned. Foods prepared this way do well when seared briefly over low heat. However, they do poorly when seared over medium heat for more than about a minute, because then the interior fat begins to collect, causing it to stick to the outer surface of the meat.