How to Sauté, Roast and Braise: A Beginner’s Guide

Sautéing uses a hot pan, a little fat and frequent stirring. Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash (Unsplash License)

Sautéing, roasting and braising are three of the most useful cooking methods you can learn. Once you understand how each one works, you can cook almost any vegetable or cut of meat without a recipe, and you will understand why recipes ask you to do what they do.

The short version: sautéing is fast cooking in a hot pan with a little fat, roasting is dry heat in a hot oven, and braising is slow, gentle cooking in a small amount of liquid.

Quick comparison

Method	Heat	Fat or liquid	Best for	Typical time
Sauté	Medium-high on the stove	1–2 tbsp oil or butter	Onions, garlic, mushrooms, greens, thin chicken or shrimp	2–15 minutes
Roast	400–450°F (200–230°C) oven	A light coating of oil	Root vegetables, broccoli, whole chicken, larger cuts	20–90 minutes
Braise	Low: simmer on the stove or 300–325°F (150–165°C) oven	Liquid partway up the food, pot covered	Tough cuts (chuck, short ribs, thighs), beans, cabbage	1–3 hours

How to sauté

The word comes from the French for “to jump,” because the food moves around a hot pan. The goal is browning and flavor on the outside while the inside cooks quickly.

1. Choose a wide pan. A stainless-steel or cast-iron skillet browns best; non-stick is fine for eggs and delicate fish.
2. Heat the pan first, then the fat. Warm the pan for a minute or two, add oil and wait until it shimmers. Butter burns more easily, so mix it with a little oil.
3. Cut food into even pieces so everything finishes at the same time.
4. Do not crowd the pan. Leave space between pieces. Too much food releases steam and it will boil instead of brown. Cook in batches if needed.
5. Stir or toss, but not constantly. Let food sit long enough to color before moving it.

Slow, gentle sautéing is how you make deeply sweet caramelized onions, the base of our Classic French Onion Soup. A quick, very hot version is the idea behind Easy Chicken Fried Rice.

How to roast

Roasting surrounds food with dry, hot air. The surface browns and crisps while the inside becomes tender.

1. Preheat the oven fully. For most vegetables, 400–425°F (200–220°C) works well.
2. Dry the food well and toss it with just enough oil to coat, plus salt and pepper.
3. Spread it out in a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan. Use two pans rather than piling food up.
4. Turn once halfway through for even browning.
5. Check doneness properly. Vegetables are ready when a knife slides in easily and the edges are browned. For meat, use a thermometer: poultry is safe at 165°F (74°C).

Dense vegetables such as potatoes and carrots take longer than broccoli or peppers, so cut dense ones smaller or start them first.

How to braise

Braising turns tough, inexpensive cuts into tender, spoonable meals. It usually combines two methods: browning first for flavor, then slow cooking in liquid.

1. Brown the meat in a heavy pot (a Dutch oven is ideal), then set it aside.
2. Soften aromatics such as onion, carrot, celery and garlic in the same pot.
3. Deglaze. Pour in a splash of stock, wine or water and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom; they carry a lot of flavor.
4. Add liquid partway up the food, about one-third to halfway. The meat should not be fully submerged.
5. Cover and cook low and slow, either at a bare simmer on the stove or in a 300–325°F (150–165°C) oven, until a fork slides in with no resistance.

Many curries and stews use the same idea. Our Easy Chana Masala and Chicken Tinga Tacos both rely on gentle simmering in a flavorful sauce.

Which method should I use?

• Tender, quick-cooking food (shrimp, thin cutlets, spinach, mushrooms): sauté.
• Food you want crisp and browned (potatoes, cauliflower, chicken pieces): roast.
• Tough, well-used muscles or fibrous vegetables (beef chuck, lamb shoulder, chicken thighs, cabbage): braise.

Common beginner questions

Why is my food steaming instead of browning? The pan was not hot enough, the food was wet, or the pan was overcrowded.

Can I braise in a slow cooker? Yes. Brown the meat in a pan first for better flavor, then transfer it with the liquid.

Do I need a lid to roast? No. A lid traps steam, which prevents browning. Leave roasted food uncovered.

Quick summary: sauté hot and fast with a little fat, roast uncovered in a hot oven, and braise low and slow with a little liquid and a lid.

Find more cooking know-how in Kitchen Tips & Guides and Cooking Techniques, or put these methods to work in our Classic British Shepherd's Pie.