HOW TO SAUTE (NOT PAN FRY)
To sauté is to cook food quickly in a hot skillet.
To saute causes the exterior of meat to brown.
Browning adds flavor and makes a crisp crust, when coated with bread crumbs, flour, etc.
It also produces flavorful browned bits in the pan, which are tasty in gravy
Saute is good for tender, quick-cooking BONELESS meat cuts of chicken, pork, steak.
Ideally, chicken should have a nicely browned exterior and a tender juicy interior.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT PAN: Use pan with a HEAVY FLAT bottom.
Do not crowd food in pan.
Use only enough oil to COAT the bottom of the pan–NOT 1/8” to ¼” of oil.
If you add more than just a COATING of oil—then you are pan-frying and not sautéing.
In a 12” skillet, use 2T oil; heat about 4 minutes.
HEAT EMPTY SKILLET UNTIL BLAZING HOT. (Foods stick in cool pans.)
Add oil to either not or cold skillet and swirl all over pan bottom.
When it shimmers, the pan is ready to add food.
(Can add oil before heating or during.)
OILS: Use a vegetable, peanut or canola oil. (butter/oleo burns too easily)
MESS: USE SPLATTER SCREEN to minimize mess if you want.
PREPARE MEAT:
MOISTURE is the enemy of sautéing. It causes the oil to splatter and prevents browning.
THOROUGHLY dry items with paper towels just before sautéing
Don’t salt until just before cooking. (Salt draws moisture to the surface)
COATING:
FLOUR: May want to flouring some foods before cooking. Or coat with crumbs.
DIPPING: Lightly beaten egg thinned with a little water makes the lightest crispiest coating.
Can also coat with egg and milk.
Coating w/flour, then dipping in egg mixture; then in crumbs.
ADD MEAT: And turn to MED HIGH HEAT—the point at which oil sizzles, but doesn’t smoke. If you see a wisp of smoke—remove pan from burner and wait. Then return.
TURN meat with tongs (fork pierces and releases juices)
COOKING: To form good crust, MUST let the food sit after placing in pan.
Do NOT check bottom of meat constantly. Meat will release from bottom of skillet.
Lifting food from pan too early can cause crust to tear.
TIMING for EACH SIDE: Steaks-4 min; pork-2 min; chicken-3 min; shrimp-45 sec to 1 min-just til turn pink.
GRAVY: When meat is cooked, remove from skillet and make pan gravy from drippings. See Sauces & Gravy for Pan Gravy Recipe.
COOKING WITH WINE
Do NOT use cooking wine. Has lots of salt in it and isn’t really wine.
Dry = puckers your mouth – NOT sweet
Types of Dry Red Wine: (Nothing aged in Oak!) Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Burgundy, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay and Cabernet, Australian brand Lindemans
Types of Dry White Wines: Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc. Noilly Prat is good for white wine in recipes. Store bottle with yr oils/vinegars–does not go bad.
TIP: Keep small bottles in six-packs (187 ml each, which is 1/4 of a standard bottle) on hand for things that call for only a few ounces of wine.
TIP: Some grocery stores carry little four-paks of Sutter Home bottles of wine – red and white – the bottles contain aprox. 1 cup each. Easy to keep on hand for small amounts
Bain marie aka water bath
Use with cheesecake, custard style dishes, CremeBrulee – dishes containing eggs.
The French call this cooking technique bain marie . It consists of placing a container (pan, bowl, soufflé dish, etc.) of food in a large, shallow pan of warm water, which surrounds the food with gentle heat. The food may be cooked in this manner either in an oven or on top of a range. This technique is designed to cook delicate dishes such as custards, sauces and savory mousses without breaking or curdling them. It can also be used to keep cooked foods warm.
It’s especially important for dishes with eggs in them, since without a bain marie, the eggs cook too quickly and essentially scramble. It evenly distributes moist heat so the dish cooks evenly and there’s moisture in the oven. The water acts as insulation from the dry heat of the oven. It ensures that what you are making never gets hotter than the water itself. Those French bakers were pretty smart!!
AVOCADO
Don’t wait for an avocado to ripen.
Simply poke the skin in a couple places.
Then microwave on HIGH for up to 1 min.
It’s then ready to use immediately.
CREAM CHEESE: To soften, remove wrapper and microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds
BAIN MARIE aka WATER BATH
Use with cheesecake, custard style dishes, CremeBrulee – dishes with eggs in them,
The French call this cooking technique bain marie . It consists of placing a container (pan, bowl, soufflé dish, etc.) of food in a large, shallow pan of warm water, which surrounds the food with gentle heat. The food may be cooked in this manner either in an oven or on top of a range. This technique is designed to cook delicate dishes such as custards, sauces and savory mousses without breaking or curdling them. It can also be used to keep cooked foods warm.
It’s especially important for dishes with eggs in them, since without a bain marie, the eggs cook too quickly and essentially scramble. It evenly distributes moist heat so the dish cooks evenly and there’s moisture in the oven. The water acts as insulation from the dry heat of the oven. It ensures that what you are making never gets hotter than the water itself. Those French bakers were pretty smart!!
TOPPINGS FOR CASSEROLES
**Durkee’s french fried onion rings, crushed slightly** (excellent!)
Onion soup mix
Herb seasoned stuffing crumbs, browned in butter
Croutons (homemade are best!)
Chow mein noodles, corn chips, potato chips, crushed in melted butter
Soft bread crumbs with garlic, parsley in melted butter
Grated Swiss, Parmesan, cheddar or Romano cheese
Sauteed chopped mushrooms
Toasted almonds, whole or chopped or nuts
Sesame or poppy seeds
Paprika, chili powder
BLUSHING PINK JELLY (WINE JELLY) (made 12/99)
Makes 28-30 oz. jelly
1 cup Rose Wine*
3-1/3 c white granulated sugar
3 oz. LIQUID pectin
7 (4) oz. jars
1. Jar preparation: Wash jars, lids, bands, ladle, wide-mouth funnel, tongs in hot sudsy water and rinse. Dry bands by hand. In large pot, cover jars with at least 1: water and boil for 10 min. Reduce heat to 180° and add lids. Keep hot. Do NOT boil lids. NOW, start making jelly.
2. JELLY: Use burner separator–keeps down foam!!. Mix sugar and wine in saucepan til mixture is very not, but not boiling, stirring til sugar dissolves completely and mixture is clear, about 5 minutes. Bring to rolling boil (212 degrees) and quickly stir in pectin. Return to boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon and discard.
3. With tongs, remove jars and lids from hot water and drain. Immediately ladle hot jelly into hot sterilized jars, using funnel and holding ladle close so bubbles don’t form as you pour. Leave 1/4″ space at top. Clean jar rims with damp cloth. Fasten lids and screw bands in place.
Jellying Point for sea level is 220° F
ANY type wine may be used.
*Rosy-red Jelly: Used Grenache Rose’ Wine by Joseph Phelps VinduMistral/96
Pink: Used White Zinfadel (California)
Clear: Used Dry Chenin Blanc
Deep Red Jelly: Port Wines-Ruby Port, Pinot Noir or Zifandel (didn’t try)
OTHER WINE JELLY RECIPES
RECIPE #2 – Used 12/99: 1-3/4 c clear wine; 3 c sugar 3 oz liq. Pectin & makes 4 cups jelly – Foamed real bad and wouldn’t get thick tho.
RECIPE #3 (Untried):
4 c wine (red, concord or porto); 6 c sugar; 6 oz liq pectin
RECIPE #4 PORT WINE JELLY (Untried):
1 c Port wine; 1 c grape juice; 3-1/2 c sugar; 3 oz liq pectin
Makes 4-1/2 pint jars. Can use other wines and can substitute apple juice for grape jc. From book: Gourmet Preserves by Judith Choate