Not too long ago I was involved in a cooking demonstration where one of the viewers posed an interesting question. The demonstration followed a recipe that directed, “…saute the chopped onions until soften, but not browned.” The question that was posed, was regarding the difference between saute and frying and the process of not browning the onions as directed in the recipe. The contention is that the process of sauteing involves high heat. However, onions really wouldn’t sweat within this environment and actually begin to color. My reply expressed a loose interpretation and use of the word, “saute” and that in reality, we needed a lower heat than a saute in order to sweat the onions (rather than fry).
After the event, I drove home and realized I have never heard or read a really good definition for the various frying techniques - from deep fry, shallow fry, stir-fry or wok cooking, to saute, etc. or their proposed heat and oil environments and techniques. I know the various methods from experience to be able to have addressed that a saute is hot enough to quickly sear the food within a little bit of oil. At least so I’ve been taught. I would like to hear this group’s input as to defining the various frying techniques. Anyone interested?