Basics of Sautéing Cooking Techniques

Sautéing is an essential cooking technique that most home cooks have trouble mastering. Sautéing is the cooking of food in a small amount of fat (oil, butter, lard, etc.) in a pan over direct heat. The idea is to brown the surface of the food item, thereby creating additional flavor. Picture this: You are sitting in a Chinese restaurant, above to dive into some yummy dumplings. Which would have more flavor, the sautéed brown dumplings, or the plainly steamed ones?
The following are directions on basic sautéing. The instructions hold true for chicken, beef, lamb, fish, etc. Even if I were to sauté a phone book (which of course I wouldn’t!), this is the way I would do it.
If the item to be sautéed is thick, preheat oven to 350 - 375, you will finish the cooking process in the oven.
Dry item to be sautéed with paper towels. (Absorbing moisture will help the food brown and not steam.)
Pour just enough oil in pan to coat pan’s surface.
Heat over medium-high flame.
When oil is hot (but not smoking), season one side of item with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, place item in pan (seasoned-side down) and brown first side. (You are looking for a shoe-leather brown color.) Be sure not to crowd the pan if you are sautéing several items at the same time, since moisture will be trapped and you will then be steaming and not sautéing.
When the first side is brown, season, flip and brown the second side.
If item is still raw or undercooked in the middle, finish cooking in the oven, using the pan in which you browned the food item (if it is oven-safe) or a cookie sheet.
Let rest for several minutes (preferably on a cooling rack) before carving and serving. This allows the juices to redistribute within the food item and to become cool and tender enough to eat.
Don’t forget about carryover cooking!