What does it mean when a recipe tells you to “sweat” the vegetables? “Sweat” means that the vegetables are heated in some fat, in a relatively shallow layer, until their internal juices are released and mingle with the fat. The surface of the vegetables will have little “beads” of delicious juices all over them, and the liquid in the pan will be glossy.
Sweating is sort of the opposite of stir-frying. When you stir-fry, you toss vegetables into extremely hot oil, “flash-cook” them, and add a tiny amount of water to create steam that tenderizes the vegetable slightly. But when you sweat vegetables, it’s more like sauteing on lower heat. You don’t sear the vegetables. You cook them by coaxing the liquid out of them.”
That said, you can sweat vegetables a little, or a lot. It really depends on the type of veggie, how well-done the vegetables should be, and how much extra liquid from the pan the recipe can tolerate. But the important part of the sweating process is the veggies must release liquid and should be cooked through, and that means a lower temperature and a longer cooking time.
Here’s the basic process for sweating:
1. You put some oil or butter in a cold pan. Warm the fat just until it starts to spread or the butter starts to melt.
2. Add unformly chopped vegetables, stir to coat them with fat, and slowly let the heat warm them through until you hear a faint sizzle.
3. Adjust the heat so you hear inly a very faint sizzle. Stir the veggies occasionally. Partially covering the pan will speed up the sweating, but don’t cover completely or you’ll have too much liquid.
4. When the veggies start to get a sheen on them from the “sweat,” taste to see if they’re cooked to your liking. If so, remove from the heat, stir again to coat them with the glossy liquid, and set aside to cool or to use in the next stage of the recipe.
Some vegetables are sweated more than others. Onions, especially potent ones, benefit from sweating before being added to soups, sauces, purees, fillings, or toppings. When sweated slowly, even the most tear-inducing onion becomes sweet and delicious. You can also sweat stronger-tasting vegetables, like cabbage or cauliflower, to mellow them out and blend their flavors with other veggies. Sweating ordinary bland mushrooms with a little onion and garlic can create an incredible culinary experience!