Saute? Fry? What's the difference?

[SaucyChefette]

So basically saute is just a posh word for stir-fry? Hey, that's one fancy move I have in my repertoire now!!!

 

[pacanis]

Saute and fry can often be interchanged, but stir-fry is a whole nuther ball game. Just like saute and deep fry can't be interchanged.

 

[CraigC]

Last night, i started cooking dinner by browning (shallow frying) some chunks of seasoned flour coated chicken breasts. After removing the browned chicken, I drained off the oil, leaving about two Tbsp in the pan. I then browned some diced tasso in the pan for several minutes. Then I added the trinity in with the tasso and sauted until the vegis were soft. Next some garlic, sauted until fragrant. Then some large diced red bell pepper, sauted until beginng to soften. Next a can of diced tomatoes with juice and some chicken stock. Brought that to a simmer. Added large dice zucchini, simmering until beginning to soften. Added back the already cooked chicken and sauted until the sauce was thickened by the coating on the chicken. Dinner took several cooking techniques to complete with some jumping back and forth.

What technique are you using when making a red-brown roux?

 

[Andy M.]

I'd say you are frying the flour in hot oil.

 

[CraigC]

I'd say you are frying the flour in hot oil.

Isn't the process more like making a confit, except you have to stir a lot?

 

[Andy M.]

Isn't the process more like making a confit, except you have to stir a lot?

Confit is usually at a lower temperature, I think. Making a roux needs more heat to brown the flour. I could be wrong (it's happened before).

 

[GotGarlic]

The word "saute" is French for leap or jump, referring to tossing cut-up food in a small amount of oil. As others have said, frying is cooking food in a larger amount of oil, usually not moving it much.

 

[taxlady]

The word "saute" is French for leap or jump, referring to tossing cut-up food in a small amount of oil. As others have said, frying is cooking food in a larger amount of oil, usually not moving it much.

So, what do you call it when I cook a steak on a skillet and just grease the skillet by rubbing it with a piece of fat that was cut off the steak? Not much fat on that skillet and I certainly don't move it around much.

 

[pacanis]

So, what do you call it when I cook a steak on a skillet and just grease the skillet by rubbing it with a piece of fat that was cut off the steak? Not much fat on that skillet and I certainly don't move it around much.

I call it time to get a grill!
(sorry...)

 

[GotGarlic]

So, what do you call it when I cook a steak on a skillet and just grease the skillet by rubbing it with a piece of fat that was cut off the steak? Not much fat on that skillet and I certainly don't move it around much.

The temp is pretty high, right? Searing.

 

[no mayonnaise]

I differentiate them simply by the amount, and sometimes the type, of fat, the primary source of heat transfer to the food, and temperatures being used. To me, they make sense.

Saute is relatively little fat in the pan used to increase surface area contact with uneven foods and reduce sticking, while also providing flavor. More likely to use stuff like butter or EVOO for this. Though frying fats (listed below) I still often use as well, particularly canola for its smoke point and neutral flavor when necessary. Sauteing usually involves moving the stuff around in the pan to get even browning. You can typically deglaze a pan in which you've sauted something, and you can saute fine cuts like a mince. The primary transfer of heat is through direct contact with the pan and to a lesser extent the fat being used. The higher heat of sauteing encourages browning, which differentiates from sweating foods.

Frying uses larger amount of fat, such as in shallow frying or deep frying. Usually done at higher heat to differentiate from a confit or fat-poaching. Some versions of frying can also be called "blanching" when used in a certain way, such as double-frying french fries. More likely to use vegetable, canola, or peanut oils for this. Never butter or EVOO. Doesn't usually require much moving for even browning, though some stuff needs to be flipped (donuts) or held down in the oil (taco salad "bowls"). You can't generally deglaze the frying vessel because it's full of oil, and if you tried to fry minced garlic it would float all over be a mess. The primary source of heat transfer is exclusively through the fat.

So a "fried egg" is a misnomer, as well as "oven fried," in my opinion.

Stir frying is a different term that's unrelated to either definition I use.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

What do you consider is the difference between frying and sauteing?

I'm going to go out on a limb a little here, and try to give an actual definition to the terms.

Frying - a general turm for any method of cooking that require medium to high heat, and either the natural fat in the food, or added fat to cook food through the transfer of energy primarily through conduction byt the food touching the metal, and the fat. It includes the following techniques;

Stir fry - to fry food in minimum oil at a very high heat, while constantly moving the food in the cooking vessel. Usually, stir-fried veggies are lightly browned, if at all, and maintain a degree of crisp texture. Stir-fried meats are lightly browned, and barely cooked all the way through.

Saute - similar to stir-fry, but at a lower heat. Again, the food is cooked until it's just done.

Pan fry - Usually a technique using a frying pan, that is a pan with higher sides and a flat bottom, with more oil. The oil is the primary medium that transfers the heat into the food, and replaces the moisture in the outermost layer of the food with fat. Most foods that are pan-fried can also be deep fried.

Deep fry - To immerse food in hot oil. The oil is the only heat transfer medium, and again replaces moisture in the outer surface of the food with oil, making it crispy and dry.

Oven Fry - a method that cooks food in a hot oven where the heat is transferred into the food by conduction with a hot pan, convection where hot air also transfers heat energy into the food, and radiation of heat energy from the oven sides, floor, and ceiling into the food. Usually the food is tossed with oil to coat it, again making the outer layer crispy.

Ok, that's my take on this subject, just out of my head, no professional references or documentation, so, take it for what its worth, but don't bet the bank on it.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind fo the North

 

[no mayonnaise]

a frying pan, that is a pan with higher sides and a flat bottom, with more oil.

I think you have that definition backwards, my friend.

Amazon.com: All-Clad Stainless 10-Inch Fry Pan: Kitchen & Dining

Amazon.com: All-Clad Stainless 3-Quart Saute Pan with Lid: Kitchen & Dining

But if it makes any difference, I strongly disagree with the naming of those pans and I think they should be reversed. I agree with the definition in your post.

 

[taxlady]

I think you have that definition backwards, my friend.

Amazon.com: All-Clad Stainless 10-Inch Fry Pan: Kitchen & Dining

Amazon.com: All-Clad Stainless 3-Quart Saute Pan with Lid: Kitchen & Dining

But if it makes any difference, I strongly disagree with the naming of those pans and I think they should be reversed. I agree with the definition in your post.

Yes, we have discussed that weird naming switch before.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Reading through this thread, I'm having flashbacks of "mumu".

I think that cooking is somewhat like music. You can give 10 pianists the same piece of music and every one of them will come up with their own slightly different interpretation. I'd argue that if you gave 10 different chefs the same stove, pan, and oil, and then asked them to sauté some chicken, they would all do it differently, too.

 

[Andy M.]

Reading through this thread, I'm having flashbacks of "mumu".

I think that cooking is somewhat like music. You can give 10 pianists the same piece of music and every one of them will come up with their own slightly different interpretation. I'd argue that if you gave 10 different chefs the same stove, pan, and oil, and then asked them to sauté some chicken, they would all do it differently, too.

Yeah, isn't it fun!?

 

[RPCookin]

Confit is usually at a lower temperature, I think. Making a roux needs more heat to brown the flour. I could be wrong (it's happened before).

Actually a roux is only browned if that's what the dish calls for. A roux is nothing more than a 1 to 1 mixture of oil and flour cooked together. It can be white, beige, tan, light brown, dark brown, all depending on need. Obviously you don't want a brown roux for a white sauce.

 

[Andy M.]

Actually a roux is only browned if that's what the dish calls for. A roux is nothing more than a 1 to 1 mixture of oil and flour cooked together. It can be white, beige, tan, light brown, dark brown, all depending on need. Obviously you don't want a brown roux for a white sauce.

You're right. I was focusing on the cooking method rather than the varieties of roux.

 

[CraigC]

Actually a roux is only browned if that's what the dish calls for. A roux is nothing more than a 1 to 1 mixture of oil and flour cooked together. It can be white, beige, tan, light brown, dark brown, all depending on need. Obviously you don't want a brown roux for a white sauce.

He was answerimg my question about what the technique used to make a red-brown roux would be called. Mainly refering to the long cooking time involved with most cajun rouxs. Prudomme has a quick method. done over high heat, but the end result isn't as good as the slow cooked method. In some gumbo recipes, a black roux is called for.

BTW, a roux is a ratio of fat to flour, not necessarily oil to flour.

 

[GLC]

The difference is about $20 in a really good restaurant. Fried is just so NASCAR. From now on, I'm serving Deep-Sauteed Encrusted Chicken.