__NOTOC__
Sweating in cooking is the gentle heating of vegetables in a little oil or butter, with frequent stirring and turning to ensure that any emitted liquid will evaporate.
Sweating usually results in tender, sometimes translucent, pieces.
Sweating is often a preliminary step to further cooking in liquid;
onions, in particular, are often sweated before including in a
stew. This differs from
sautéing
Sautéing or sauteing (, ; in reference to tossing while cooking) is a method of cooking that uses a relatively small amount of oil or fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. Various sauté methods exist.
Description
Ingredients for ...
in that sweating is done over a much lower heat,
sometimes with salt added to help draw moisture away, and making sure that little or no browning takes place.
The sweating of vegetables has been used as a technique in the preparation of
coulis
A coulis ( ) is a form of thin sauce made from puréed and strained vegetables or fruits. A vegetable coulis is commonly used on meat and vegetable dishes, and it can also be used as a base for soups or other sauces. Fruit coulis are most often ...
.
In Italy, this cooking technique is known as ''soffritto'', meaning "sub-frying" or "under-frying".
In Italian cuisine, it is a common technique and preliminary step in the preparation of
risotto
Risotto (, , from meaning "rice") is a northern Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and Pa ...
, soups and sauces.
File:Sweating onions.jpg, Close-up view of sweated onions.
See also
*
Braising
Braising (from the French word ''braiser'') is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first browned at a high temperature, then simmered in a covered pot in cooking liquid (such as wine, broth, coco ...
*
Frying
*
Sautéing
Sautéing or sauteing (, ; in reference to tossing while cooking) is a method of cooking that uses a relatively small amount of oil or fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. Various sauté methods exist.
Description
Ingredients for ...
Notes
References
External links
*
Sweating - Braising - FryingHow to Sweat Vegetableshoc nau an
Cooking techniques
Culinary terminology
{{cooking-stub