How to Sweat Aromatic Vegetables

Sweating is a method of dry heat cooking used to soften finely cut vegetables. During sweating, the flavors of aromatic vegetables like onions, leaks, garlic, celery and peppers and carrots are extracted and concentrated. The process is similar to sauteeing, but done over very low heat, so there is very little sizzle. Enough moisture is retained in the vegetables so that their sugars do not caramelize, and little or no golden color develops. Sweating often is used to develop the first layer of flavor for light colored or delicate flavored cream sauces and soups. Follow these steps to perfect this cooking technique.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Aromatic vegetables like onions, garlic, leeks, carrots or celery
• Pan
• Lid for the pan (optional)
• Fat or oil for cooking the vegetables
• Stove

1. 

   Cut your aromatic vegetables into small, even sized pieces. A 3/16-inch dice is good for most vegetables. The small size allows the vegetable to cook all the way through before beginning to brown on the outside. Garlic and shallots may be cut smaller, but they should not be minced. Minced vegetables will brown quickly, defeating the purpose of sweating. It's important that all the vegetable pieces being sweated together are about the same size so that they cook at the same rate. So, you should sweat vegetables that are cut very small separately. Delicate vegetables like leeks should sometimes be sweated separately as well.

2. Place your pan on the stove over the lowest heat setting. You should not preheat the pan.

3. Place the vegetables in the pan. The amount of aromatic vegetables you can sweat at one time will depend on the size of your pan. Generally, a layer 1/4-inch thick will sweat well. If you put too many vegetables in the pan at one time, moisture will accumulate and the vegetables will steam rather than sweat. The resulting flavor will be less intense and the texture will be mushy.

4. 

   Add enough fat to coat the vegetables. One tablespoon will be enough fat for 2 cups of most vegetables. If the vegetables stick to the pan as they cook, add a little more fat. Also check that your heat is not too high. Since you will be sweating the vegetables over very low heat, you can use a fat with a low smoking point like butter or extra virgin olive oil.

5. 

   Stir the vegetables frequently as they cook, keeping them evenly distributed in the pan.

6. Monitor the heat in your pan closely. Pay particular attention to the amount of sizzle that you hear in the pan--you should hear almost none. More sizzle means that moisture is evaporating from the vegetables and they will caramelize. Caramelizing adds a bitter flavor to some aromatic vegetables, especially garlic. This deeper flavor is undesirable for delicate cream sauces and soups.

7. Watch the color of your vegetables. Any golden color means that your heat is too high.

8. 

   Remove the vegetables from the heat when they have become soft and translucent. Note that carrots and peppers will become only slightly translucent. Combine your sweated aromatic vegetables with your other ingredients according to your recipe.

Tips & Warnings

• To keep your vegetables from drying out and caramelizing, you can cover the pan with a lid. However, if you cover the pan, monitor your vegetables carefully to be sure they don't over cook.

• Don't allow your pan to become too hot. If you hear too much sizzle in the pan, cool it quickly by lowering the heat and adding a teaspoon or two of water. Do not add too much water, or your vegetables will become mushy.

Resources

• Cooking tips for the average home cook