Why is cooking a food item method called different things by what the item is, or what is the criteria?
On the Food network they boil potatoes, but they poach carrots. They poach turkey, but they boil eggs. They sauté' onions, but they fry eggs in the same pan. Likewise, they fry hash browns, but they sauté' onions in the same pan before adding the potatoes.
I can go on for days.
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Yes, there are differences between those things.
Poaching is cooking in hot liquid, but the liquid is not boiling or even simmering, so it is a lower temp than both.
Saute generally means you're using a small amount of oil/fat and stirring/tossing the food to spread the oil/fat around on everything while cooking everything. Pan frying generally means you're cooking a larger piece of something and not tossing it around.
So is Saute the same or similar thing like stir-frying?
Similar, but I've only ever heard the term stir-fry used in combination with a wok over EXTREME heat.
Ah, ok, thanks to the both of you!
I think you saute at a lower heat than stir-frying
I guess you replace the oil with the extra stirring to stop it sticking when you stir-fry
It is actually the extreme heat that prevents sticking more than the oil. You can stir fry in a dry wok. The stirring is for even cooking.