Should You Be Flipping The Pan When You Sauté?

In the culinary world today, there are various ways to approach a recipe you want to cook as well as tips and tricks to get there quicker. When it comes to doing it the "right way," there are stipulations. Whether you've attempted and failed on your own or watched a cooking show like "Master Chef," you likely know that some cooking methods (like sautéing vegetables) require a particular technique. 

To start with the basics, to sauté means to cook in a hot pan with a base like oil or butter. Because many vegetables are pretty dense, the goal is to brown them in the added base while adding flavor to the ingredients. You often see contestants on cooking shows using this method because it's a semi-quick way to cook and soften food. They also might be attempting to flip the food in the pan, which is to say they're using the pan itself to stir the food by tossing it into the air. If they're using a traditional sauté pan, though, this isn't actually necessary, even if it does look good when they do it.

While flipping the pan and tossing the food around in the delicious oils and butter seems correct, there's really no functional reason to do so. A pan meant for sautéing will have taller sides than a frying pan. Because of the pan's deep sides, more food can be cooked, and flipping isn't necessary. 

On the other hand, when it comes to a frying pan, you should use the flipping technique to ensure your food is cooked consistently and to save time. Traditional frying pans have more shallow, rounded sides, which allows a cook to move and flip the food around in the pan, saving time spent cleaning your favorite kitchen utensils after the meal. So whether you use the flipping technique for practical reasons or to impress your loved ones, know that sometimes, keeping it simple is the best bet.