To quickly brown vegetables or meat in a small amount of fat Scald (as in milk): To heat milk just to the point that steam is rising from it, but not to boiling Scraper/spatula: These terms are sometimes used interchangably Technically, a spatula is used to turn food in a pan, such as pancakes A scraper is a flat, flexible piece of rubber attached to a handle These are useful for scraping food down the sides of a pan or bowl
To cook quickly and lightly in as little oil as possible in a fry pan or skillet Usually you are just trying to soften something
When a recipe asks you to saute an item, it wants you to cook it over medium-high heat in hot fat with frequent tossing or turning To saute food, heat a small amount of fat in a skillet until a drop of water sizzles in it Add food and cook over medium-high heat, turning part way through, until cooked