How to Sauté Anything: Kitchen Voyeur Season 2, Episode 6

Whole Cooking With Evan Hendrix

I don't know about you, but I think making Chinese food is really, really hard—because it's all about timing.

Sautéing is no different; it has a lot in common with stir-fry. What's most important when you sauté, is staying ahead of the game with mise en place—putting everything in its place.

In this episode Evan shows us the principles behind sautéing just about anything. This is a high heat, flash-in-the-pan adventure. Don't blink, you might miss it:

• In order to sauté, you have to be ready to cook, not ready to prep. Prep should already be done.

• Make sure you've got a good hood above you with the fan turned on high; you are going to make some smoke.

• Begin with the longer-cooking veggies, like carrots. Save the veggies you want to wilt—like leafy greens—for last.

• Use mushrooms or meat to add depth to your sauté.

• Once you've added garlic, remember you only have about 45 seconds to finish up (unless you want your garlic to burn and taste bitter).

• Add a splash of water near the end to steam-wilt your leafy greens. This gives them the consistency you're looking for; delicate leafy greens taste good coated in oil, but not boiled in oil. Let steam do the job.

And that's it. This goes so fast, you'll wish you had called everyone to the dinner table before you started!

Please do try this at home! Because when it comes to cooking, all you need is curiosity, permission, and few techniques.

-bon appétit

Photo Credit: Clem Onojeghua on Unsplash