The steps you take

Let’s begin with some vocabulary: Sauter is the French word meaning “to jump.” In the kitchen, two different types of shallow pans are called “saute pans.” The sides of a sautoir are straight up and down, like an elevator to the stars, whereas the sides of a sauteuse are as sloped as the shoulders of an angsty teen. (You can impress friends with this tasty little mnemonic amuse: Sautoir ends with the letter “r,” which stands for “right angle.” Sauteuse ends with that “ess” sound, which stands for “sloped” or “slanted” sides.)

While a straight-sided sautoir is best for shallowfrying chicken and pansearing steaks, when you’re sauteing mushrooms (or anything else), a sauteuse is just what the doctor ordered. You probably have more than one clanging from a hook in your kitchen.

More vocab and a distinction: “Sweating” is a moist heat method of cooking in a small amount of fat over low heat. “Sauteing” is a dry heat method of cooking in a small amount of fat over high heat.

Sweated vegetables release water which, because of the low heat, pools in the pan and prevents the vegetables from browning. Sweated vegetables are appropriate as a base for soups, sauces, braises and stews.

Sauteing, on the other hand, with its high heat, evaporates any released water (hence the “dry heat” moniker). In this dry environment, our old pal Mr. Chemistry browns our veggies via something called the Maillard reaction. Maillard reactions begin in the mid- 200degree Fahrenheit range, above (and this is the important part) 212 degrees, the boiling point of water. Thus, if there’s water in the pan, the temperature must be lower than 212 degrees and the Maillard reactions can’t occur and your product won’t brown.

Sauteed vegetables, then, are somewhat crisp and golden brown, like autumn, whereas sweated vegetables are soft and limp and not brown at all, like a ghost