Can I Fry in a Sauté Pan?

If you are a homeowner, you are likely to fry foods at least once a week. Additionally, even if you don’t cook and regularly eat from restaurants, you’re likely to eat a meal with fried food once in a while.

However, frying can be attained in different cookware and not just the typical skillets or frying pans.

Can you fry in a sauté pan? Yes, a sauté pan is versatile cookware that can handle different types of frying, i.e., deep-frying, stir-frying, shallow frying, etc. Therefore if you don’t own a skillet, don’t fear trying to fry on a sauté pan.

Keep reading down here to get more information that answers the above question.

What is a sauté pan anyway?

A sauté pan is simply a pan with straight vertical sides with an even and flat bottom. Most of the sauté pans come with a lid. Also, a sauté pan has deeper sides than a skillet.

The shape of sauté pans allows it to cook foods with liquids such as sauces. Additionally, it also enhances its versatility; thus, it can pan-fry, shallow-fry, braise and sear foods.

Now, let’s look into how you can fry on sauté pans.

How to Fry in a Sauté Pan

Frying entails cooking food in hot fat or oil in a pan over the fire. Frying is of three types, i.e., pan-frying, stir-frying, deep-frying, and shallow-frying. A sauté pan can handle either of them.

Generally, frying foods in a sauté pan entails heating oil (with a high smoking point) in the pan over medium to high heat. The amount of oil used depends on the exact frying method you want to attain (more details down there).

Add your dry food (meat, vegetables, etc.) to the sauté pan using a long tong or a slotted spoon.

Then let the food cook for about 30 seconds or more. The cooking time varies depending on the exact type of frying and the sizes of foods. Usually, smaller pieces cook faster and more evenly than larger pieces of food.

The last step of frying in a sauté pan entails removing the food from the pan. In case you used too much oil to cook, drain it using paper towels.

Below are ways you can fry foods using various methods in a sauté pan.

Can I deep fry in a sauté pan?

You can deep fry in a sauté pan. Deep frying is possible almost in all pans as long as the sides have a reasonable height to prevent oils from pouring.

Deep frying entails submerging foods in hot oils or fats for cooking. A sauté pan is deep enough to accommodate more oils/ fats for deep frying.

Here is how to go about it:

• Ensure your oils/fats cover about 4 inches from the bottom of the sauté pan. However, the amount of oil for deep frying might be more or less, depending on the size of the foods you’re cooking.
• Heat the above oil/fat for about 20 minutes before you start cooking.
• Then put your food in the sauté pan for cooking. Avoid adding too much food than what a pan can accommodate. If your sauté pan has a little surface area, you can cook the food in batches.
• Gently turn your food to cook on both sides. Well-cooked food is golden brown.

Among foods, you can deep fry in a sauté pan, include chicken, French fries, pickles, fish, etc.

Can you stir-fry in a sauté pan?

It’s possible to stir fry in a sauté pan. Stir-frying is frying quickly over high heat in a lightly oiled pan while stirring constantly.

It’s a simple and fast way to cook small pieces of food (such as seafood, meats, vegetables, chicken, etc.). You can stir fry on a sauté pan instead of a wok.

Here is how to do it:

• Start by cutting your food and ingredients into smaller pieces or slices. The first step is preparing your ingredients.
• Then place your sauté pan over medium to high heat and then add a few spoons of cooking oils in the pan. Swirl the oil to coat the entire cooking surface.
• Once the oil is hot, add your ingredients and foods for cooking. Stir-frying should be for about 1 to 2 minutes or until you attain your desired doneness on your foods.
• Remove food from the pan and serve.

Can I shallow fry in a sauté pan?

You can as well shallow fry in a sauté pan. The oil somewhat covers your food from the bottom of the pan.

The process of shallow frying foods in a sauté pan is similar to that of deep frying food in a sauté pan (as outline above). The only difference is the amount of oil used.

Also Read: What Type of Saute Pan is Best?

Can I use a sauté pan to pan-fry?

No doubt you can use a sauté pan to pan-fry foods. In simple terms, a sauté pan can substitute your skillet. However, if you want better results, use a large sauté pan. So how do you do it?

Start by heating the oil over medium heat. Then add your food to cook. Flip the food once or several times, depending on what you want to attain.

You can pan-fry about anything on a sauté pan, from eggs, meat, and fish to vegetables.

Bottom Line

Sauté pans are versatile cookware that handles any type of frying. However, if your sauté pan is not large, consider frying foods in smaller amounts.

Also, use the right cooking tools to prevent your hands from the straight and deep sides and cooking fats/oils that can get very hot while frying food.

Check out out Skillet and Frying Pans to cook food on a non stick deep frying pan.