What's the difference between sear and sauté?
Searing and sautéing are similar cooking methods in that both use direct, dry heat and cook uncovered. With searing, the food is often not cooked through at this stage, rather the sear develops a flavorful crust on the food before it’s finished with lower or moist heat. When searing, the Smart Cooker sets the temperature very high. Like searing, sautéing also involves cooking with direct, dry heat. However, food is usually cut up into smaller pieces, and is moved around in the pan as it cooks. (Sauté in French means to jump.) When sautéing, your Smart Cooker allows you to adjust the temperature as needed.