The two techniques are similar in that they are both dry heat cooking methods in which foods are cooked over direct heat. The differences between the two are subtle, but it is worth making the distinction, just so there is no confusion, especially when reading a recipe.
Sauté
To sauté means to cook small pieces of food over medium-high to high heat until browned on the outside and cooked through. As a Kenyan, the first thing that comes to mind is potatoes, cut vegetables and meat that has been cut into small pieces. The term sauté comes from the French “to jump.”
The jumping is of two types, one more important to the technique than the other. The jumping refers to the way the pieces of food appear to jump in the pan as the moisture is forced out by the high heat of the pan and oil. Jump also refers to the very chef-ly manipulation of the pan, allowing the cook to toss the pieces a bit into the air so they cook evenly.
While that manoeuvre is impressive, it is not necessary to achieve a sauté since all it really does is make the food leave the cooking surface, and therefore slow down the cooking process a bit. It would be better, to make sure that the food cooks evenly while sautéing, to move the food around with a wooden spatula.
Stir-fry
As far as I can tell, the only real difference between a sauté and a stir fry is the shape of the pan. Both techniques require small pieces of food, high heat and a very little oil. Both techniques generally end with the making of a quick sauce through deglazing the pan.
One difference might be, although any solid evidence other than experience to back this up is unavailable, is that in a sauté, the food is generally taken out of the pan and kept warm while you make the sauce. In a stir fry, the sauce is generally made with all the food still in the pan so it all gets evenly coated.
This is clearly one of those “agree-to-disagree” arguments. The common ground shared by supporters of both methods is definitely the results. Done correctly, both a saute and a stir-fry are likely to yield delicious results. If you’re looking to try it for yourself, here’s something to get you going: for sauteing, try Prestige Margarine, original variant. For a stir fry, you have a few more options: Rina Vegetable Oil, Rinsun Sunflower Oil or Olivia Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
