Heat
How to sweat onions (vs. sautéing)
Cook vegetables gently in a little fat so they soften and turn sweet without browning. Sautéing uses higher heat to brown them.
Step by step
- Melt a spoonful of butter or warm oil over medium-low heat.
- Add the onions or other vegetables and a pinch of salt, which draws out their water.
- Stir every couple of minutes; a lid for the first few minutes helps.
- Turn the heat down if you see any browning.
How you know it's done
The vegetables are soft and see-through at the edges, with no brown color. Onions take 8 to 10 minutes.
Common mistakes
- Heat too high, so they brown (that is sautéing).
- Skipping the salt, so they release their water slowly.
Simmerbee recipes that use it (1)
In those recipes the word is underlined in the steps; tap it for the short version. In hands-free cook mode, ask “How do I sweat?”