Sauté

A French word used to describe a method for cooking foods in a shallow pan using high heat. The food is cooked in the pan uncovered, in a small quantity of butter or oil. Unlike stir-frying where the food is continuously turned, when sautéed the food is turned only once in the pan in order to cook both sides. If the food, such as a thin cut of meat, is turned more than once, the cooking method is considered stir-frying or pan-frying rather than sautéing. Once the food has cooked (usually only 2 or 3 minutes per side), it is removed from the pan and a sauce can be quickly made with the pan drippings.