Best way to sautee hard food?

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TopHatFox
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Best way to sautee hard food?

Post by TopHatFox »

Simple question: for hard food like sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, broccoli, etc., is it better to boil/steam/bake it until it's mostly soft and THEN sautee it, rather than sauteing it hard until it turns soft? (Previously I've done the latter, to ill effect...)
Last edited by TopHatFox on Wed Mar 30, 2016 7:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

vexed87
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Re: Best way to sautee hard food?

Post by vexed87 »

I'm not expert chef, but when I stir fry harder veggies, I tend to boil/steam them first, then add them to the stir fry last minute.

steveo73
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Re: Best way to sautee hard food?

Post by steveo73 »

It depends what the vegetable is. Carrots work great in a stir-fry as does broccoli. Carrot takes longer to cook than broccoli. I never stir-fry (sautee) potatoes including sweet potatoes or turnips. I tend to bake them or you can boil them and then chuck them on the grill.

Tyler9000
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Re: Best way to sautee hard food?

Post by Tyler9000 »

Carrots and broccoli can be fried, but do even better if you toss in a dash of water and cover the pan with a lid to let them steam a little.

I personally love to roast carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, and parsnips. Just cut them into cubes, drizzle a little olive oil, season to taste, and throw them in a 400 degree oven until they're soft.

jacob
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Re: Best way to sautee hard food?

Post by jacob »

You either have to cut them thin or ... boil then---and this is very important---wait a couple of days storing them in the fridge before you fry them. Somehow they get less mushy if you wait a couple of days after boiling.

KevinW
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Re: Best way to sautee hard food?

Post by KevinW »

The larger the pieces of food, the longer it takes for heat to reach the center through conduction. Whole potatoes, carrots, etc. are too large to sauté because the surface will burn before the center has a chance to cook.

One solution is to use a gentler and slower cooking method such as steaming, braising, or baking. Another is to cut the food into small pieces so they can be sautéed. The latter is the principle behind the fine dice used for mirepoix/sofrito/tarka/etc.

For everyday cooking of the vegetables you listed, I prefer to steam bite-sized pieces. Steaming is efficient in terms of time/energy/water because only a cup or two of water needs to be heated to cooking temperature. Braising/boiling involves heating and discarding a lot of water, and baking/roasting involves heating up a whole oven-full of air.

Solvent
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Re: Best way to sautee hard food?

Post by Solvent »

If I'm going to fry potatoes I tend to parboil them first. Dice into smallish (say, 1.5cm) cubes, pop into boiling water for only three or so minutes, then remove, drain, and fry. Do this with some potato and carrot, throw in some spinach, garlic and some soy sauce and you'll be good.

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