How to Saute Vegetables

A Key Ingredient to Smothered Cooking

Ask multiple cooks how to saute vegetables and you'll surely get several answers. Since there's no one best way of how to sauté vegetables, I just stick with the time tested method of cooking and stirring my vegetables using vegetable or olive oil.

Bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, onions, mushrooms, celery, carrots, potatoes, etc. are all good for sautéing. No matter what you decide to use, here are some secrets to successful sautéing.

Here's How to Saute Your Vegetables

Here are the steps to creating some delicious sautéed vegetables:

•   Before cutting vegetables, wash and pat them dry using a paper towel. Next cut the vegetables into bite size or smaller pieces.
•   Choose a vegetable or olive oil with a high smoke point for cooking.
•   Select a suitable pan for sautéing. One that has a heavy bottom that allows for even heat distribution while you cook. Preferably you want a w ide pan with slopping sides.
•   Don’t overcrowd you pan by adding to many vegetables. This will hamper you efforts.
•   Mostly all vegetables are suitable for sautéing. However, harder vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and potatoes need to be steamed or blanched before they are sautéed.
•   If you are sautéing more than one type of vegetable, be sure to start off with the hardest vegetable that will take longest to sauté.
•   Throughout the cooking process be sure to frequently move the vegetables about the skillet for an even coating of oil and uniform cooking.

Now let's get down to the actual process of how to saute vegetables.

First select a suitable pan and use vegetable or olive oil to sauté your vegetables.

Heat the oil on high heat. This is essential to ensure the vegetables cook quickly before releasing to much water. Remember you want to sauté the vegetables in oil and not boil them in their own water.

Throughout the sautéing process don't overcrowd the pan, therefore you want to give the vegetables plenty of breathing room to allow for a quick brown. Cook until veggies are browned, about four minutes don't overcook. If you have many vegetables to sauté cook two batches.

Wondering which vegetables to sauté? Try whatever vegetables are in season.

More about Smothered Cooking
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