sauté
4 synonyms and 3 antonyms for sauté, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To cook food quickly in a shallow pan over fairly high heat in a small amount of fat, tossing or stirring it so it browns without stewing.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
pan-fry
sear
Antonyms
How to use sauté
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
sauté pan
sauté the onions
lightly sautéed
Neutral culinary vocabulary; universal in recipes.
Etymology
From French sauté, the past participle of sauter, meaning to jump, because the food is tossed and made to jump in the pan.
Full origin of sauté →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between sauté and fry?
Sautéing uses a small amount of fat, high heat and constant movement, so the food browns fast and stays dry. Frying is the wider term and includes shallow and deep frying, where the food usually sits still in more fat.
What is the difference between sauté and sweat?
Sweating is done over low heat with a lid or a pinch of salt to draw moisture out, and the vegetables should stay pale. Sautéing is hotter and uncovered, and colour is the point.
Do you need the accent in sauté?
It is standard in careful writing and on menus, and it also signals the pronunciation soh-TAY. Everyday recipe writing and packaging often drop it, and saute is widely accepted.
