Cooking Class
Real Cooking Made Simple
By Chef Kurt Michael Friese
The Gentle Art of Sauté
A professional kitchen bears very little resemblance to a home kitchen, despite recent attempts by interior designers to replicate the dramatic, stainless steel appearance. Professional cooks in well run kitchens prepare food in very different ways than the home cook would. A person who thinks he or she can cook in a restaurant simply because they love to cook at home is akin to thinking that having a driver's license qualifies one for the Indy 500. However, there are a number of techniques used in the restaurant world that can help the home cook make delicious food more efficiently without having to resort to microwaves or "convenience" foods. One such skill is sauté.
"Sauté" is one of the least understood cooking techniques. Methods from steaming to frying can be mistaken for sautéing, and sautéing in turn can often be done incorrectly, resulting in food that is steamed or fried or (much worse) somewhere in between. Let us indulge, for a moment, in a nomenclature lesson.
> Frying: There are 2 types of frying, and sautéing is not one of them. Pan frying and deep frying both use far more fat than sautéing does, the items cooked are cut differently, are usually breaded or battered, and are never deglazed (see below).
> Sautéing: Done on the stovetop in a wide, shallow, flair-rimmed pan, sautéing is what's known as a "dry" cooking technique because it uses no moisture or liquid (water or stock), only a small amount of fat such as butter or oil. All sautés should be deglazed, and many are finished in the oven.
> Deglaze: This is a procedure used to lift flavorful, caramelized food particles that are stuck to the bottom of the sauté pan during cooking by adding liquid, typically wine. This is then reduced (partially evaporated) and used to make a sauce.
There are three very common mistakes made by the novice cook when sautéing. The first is choosing the wrong type of pan. It is not necessary to spend too much money on pans, but it is necessary not to spend too little. The most important aspect of a sauté pan is a thick bottom – 1/4" minimum is required. Also be sure the sides are flared outward, not vertical. The vertical side trap moisture, causing the food to steam rather than sauté, and making the meat tough. I use and recommend All-Clad®. Their pans have these attributes as well as the added benefit of a stainless steel interior, which will not react with some acidic foods the way aluminum can.
Second, be sure the heat is high enough. On most stoves this would be "medium-high," but for some weaker or older electric stoves, the "high" setting may be needed. There is an old adage, "Hot pan, cold oil, chef will never toil." This means add your oil to a hot pan moments before you add the item to be sautéed, and that item is less likely to stick.
The last, and perhaps most costly mistake to avoid is overcrowding. In the effort to get the whole family's meal done at the same time, it is tempting to shove all the portions into one pan. This causes the moisture from the food to be trapped, again steaming and toughening the meat. When sautéing meat (including fish or fowl) always be sure that the food items do not touch each other, that there is space between them to allow the moisture to escape. Use two or more pans if necessary, or cook the servings
This versatile technique can be used to prepare a huge variety of foods, from chicken to fish to red meat to many vegetables. Just be sure that the food is cut relatively thin (no more than 3/4" thick) and that you use tender cuts of meat, not stewing or roasting cuts.
With the hunting season near, try this autumnal favorite:
Sautéed Breast of Pheasant with Toasted Hazelnuts and Orange
4 Boneless, skinless pheasant breasts, 6-8 oz each
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 cup flour
1/4 cup clarified butter (melted butter with the milk solids removed)
2 oranges, zested and juiced
1/2 cup hazelnuts (filberts), toasted and chopped
2 T. chopped shallots
1 T. whole butter
1/4 cup sherry
After inspecting for buckshot, season each breast lightly with Salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour and shake off access. Heat a large sauté pan to medium high, add the clarified butter, followed immediately by the pheasant. Remember not to allow the breasts to touch each other.
Sauté 2-3 minutes on one side, until it is nicely browned, turn and sauté another 2 minutes, then remove and set aside in a warm spot, covered. Pheasant breast is best served medium, but if you are squeemish, finish the breasts in 350°f. oven for 3-4 more minutes.
Meanwhile in the original pan, sauté the shallot, hazelnuts and orange zest for a minute or 2, then add the sherry and orange juice. Be careful here, if you have a gas stove the sherry may ignite. Don't panic, just let it burn out. Reduce the volume of this liquid by half, then swirl in the whole butter. When the butter has melted, taste this sauce and adjust the seasonings. Serve immediately over the pheasant.
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Comments: 11
Good piece.
It's worth noting that if you plan to make a pan sauce then you don't want to use a non-stick pan because you want some sticking to create the fond.
Also, "Hot pan, cold oil, chef will never toil," isn't, in my experience, true. As long as the oil is hot when the food is added that's all that matters to minimize sticking and the amount of oil the food absorbs.
BTW, when Kurt says "Whole Butter" it just mean regular plain unsalted butter that has not been clarified. Whole Butter's burning point is about 250°f, where as Clarified Butter(the milk solids have been removed) burns at about 350°f
Kurt, do you have any really fantastic venison recipes you can share? We moved to Texas 2 years ago and people keep giving us Fresh venison! It is so lean if becomes a challenge to have it come out tender...any ideas?
Strip Sirloin is tasty, has texture that I like and is easy to serve.Deglaze , of course.