Pan-fried is a cooking technique that involves cooking food in a pan with oil or fat. It is similar to sauteing, but the food is cooked for a longer period of time and at a lower temperature. SAUTEED and saute are two variations of this technique, with SAUTEED being the more common term. The difference between the two is that SAUTEED is cooked over higher heat for a shorter period of time, while saute is cooked over lower heat for a longer period of time.