“Sweat the onions in a hot pan until they're brown.”
Usage Entry 1117 / 1350 60-second read
Sauté vs. Sweat
High-heat quick toss versus low-heat gentle soften.
The comparisoni
“Sweat the onions over low heat until they're soft and translucent; sauté is the faster, higher-heat technique.”
The ruleii
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SAUTÉ = fast, hot. SWEAT = slow, gentle.
SAUTÉ (French "to jump") tosses food in a hot pan to brown it fast. SWEAT cooks aromatics at low heat with some fat until they're soft and translucent without colour — the base of many stews and sauces.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Sauté colours. Sweat softens.