What does sauting mean?
Sauting is the present participle of sauté, a culinary verb meaning to fry food in a small amount of fat or oil over medium heat. It is commonly used when describing the preparation of vegetables, onions, garlic, mushrooms, meat, and other ingredients, especially in formal recipes, restaurant writing, and food journalism. The technique usually involves moving or turning the food in a pan as it cooks, helping it brown without excessive oil. Sauting is closely related to shallow frying, although the verb is especially associated with relatively quick cooking and often includes butter, olive oil, or another cooking fat as the medium. The form is most naturally used after forms of the verb “be,” as in “She is sautéing the onions,” but it can also occur in other progressive constructions. The unaccented spelling “sauting” is accepted, while “sautéing” reflects the word’s French origins. The word is equally established in British and American English.
verb (present participle)The present participle of sauté: to fry food in a small amount of fat or oil over medium heat.
- To fry food in a small amount of fat or oil over medium heat.
"She is sautéing onions and garlic until they turn golden."
"The chef is sautéing mushrooms with garlic and thyme."
"Wild mushrooms are often sautéed before being added to a risotto."
Sauté comes from the French word for “to jump”—a small linguistic leap from leaping to tossing ingredients in a pan.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sauting come from?
Sauté comes from French sauter, meaning “to jump,” which developed from Old French salter and ultimately Latin saltare, “to leap.” The culinary use entered English during the nineteenth century as a term for frying food in a small amount of fat. Related English words such as saltation and saltatory also trace their origins to the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How sauting is actually used
Sauting is the present-participle form of sauté and normally appears in progressive or descriptive contexts. It is most common in culinary writing. The unaccented spelling is widely accepted, although sautéing preserves the French accent.
Easily confused with sauting
Sauting is a culinary process involving frying food in a little fat, whereas sorting means arranging or classifying items.