Hi Knight76,
You entitled this thread "SAUTÉEING AND GRILLING".
The reality is that, when it comes to cooking, they are two entirely different and discrete methods of cooking. The heat source and direction, at least in classical cooking, comes from a different direction for each method.
When an item is to be sautéed, the heat source comes from below, as in a frying pan or saucepan, and the heat may be regulated to ensure that the food cooks with or without browning (more heat reqiures to be applied for browning and less for sautéeing without browning as for cooking chicken fillets as in poéle which is cooking without colouring, IIRC. This method is used for classic dishes such as Veal Tallyrand or Fricassé de Poulet a l`Ancienne as described by Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child on pages 282-285, of their seminal text "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".
Grilling (conceptually and practically) is a method which has gone through some degrees of change in the last 20 years as the word "griddling" or process of cooking on a "griddle pan" has entered the culinary repetoire. Grilling traditionally meant the subjection of an item to heat from above and was used for whole fish like lemon/dover sole or fish steaks or meat (filet, lamb noisettes etc.,) which required the application of heat from above and turning half way through cooking.
Ridged "Griddle pans" have enabled people to cook the same items, dare I say, short order items on a griddle (base heat) as opposed to a grill or commercially via a salamander (top heat). Essentially, the items need to be composed of short fibres like those of fish or in the case of meat, derived from cuts from the body which are less exercised and short in terms of fibre length, connective tissue content such as filet, ribeye, noisettes of lamb etc.
More tomorrow!!!!