Because you are frying the foods fast, the ingredients stay fresh, crisp, tender, and juicy, all at the same time, making this a great method for cooking. But, part of the success of stir-frying depends on preparation and know-how. Let's take a look at a few tips to get you started learning how to stir-fry the right way.
Cookware
There is no doubt about it - a wok is an essential piece of cookware for successfully stir-frying foods. Of course, you will see recipes that say you can use a large skillet, and this is true. But, a standard skillet usually doesn't have the sloped sides to accommodate the cooking method needed for a stir-fry. If you have a very large skillet with high, sloped sides, however, you basically have a wok. So, semantics aside, what you need in order to stir-fry is a very large skillet with high, sloped sides, or what is better known as a wok.
There are electric woks and stove-top woks, the one you choose is totally up to you. You may find an electric wok is easier to control, but some find they like being able to turn the heat up when they want. An electric wok may cool down when it cycles on and off, so this is something you just want to be aware of.
You will also need a good stirring utensil, such as a wide paddle or spoon. Be absolutely sure it has a heat-proof handle as you will be in close proximity to a lot of hot surfaces. You'll want a slotted or mesh spoon of some sort, such as a 'spider' strainer, to grab the food out of the wok as needed. And don't forget having plenty of big platters to hold the food as you remove it from the wok.
Ingredients
No matter what you are stir-frying, you want the best possible ingredients. Because you are using quick hot frying, the integrity of the ingredients is important. Save your wilted broccoli for the slow-cooker and put your fatty pork roast in the oven. Lean proteins, fresh seafood, and crispy vegetables are best in the wok.
When preparing your ingredients for the wok, keep in mind the density. In other words, cut the ingredients up to cook at about the same rate based on how dense each ingredient is and how much cooking time each will take.
For instance, cut your broccoli into florettes, but make sure you cut your carrots and celery smaller, especially if you are cooking them together. Thinly slice the chicken or meat so it doesn't burn on the outside before it gets a chance to cook on the inside. Seafood can often be left in larger pieces as it cooks faster.
Learning this sizing trick may take a time or two, but once you learn the method, the cooking gets easier.
And last, but not least, is the oil. You will find some recipes for Chinese dishes that, remarkably, call for olive oil or sesame oil for frying. This is a definite no-no. Both oils burn at relatively low temperatures making them both unsuitable for frying. Choose a 'high heat' oil such as peanut oil for stir-frying. Check the smoke-point of any oil you choose before using it to make sure it can reach the high temperature required for stir-frying.
Timing
Stir-frying success requires good timing. In order to get all your ingredients together and cooked properly, you'll need some preparation time.
We talked about cutting up the proteins and vegetables to fry properly. Some ingredients by their nature are more delicate, and no matter how you cut them, they will fry up fast. So, you will need to put your ingredients in order of what gets added first, second, third, and so on. For instance, carrots and celery would be one of the first ingredients added, whereas spinach or green peas would definitely be added last.
After cutting up and arranging the ingredients, you will want to pre-mix any sauces you will be adding. Because stir-frying is fast, you don't have time to measure and mix cooking sauces in between stirring.
You will be cooking the ingredients just long enough to sear and seal in the juices. The produce should be crisp-tender and bright in color. The meat and seafood should be slightly browned on the outside while still juicy on the inside, but never raw. The quick cooking at a high temperature makes this possible. But, if you don't have your ingredients ready to go when you light that fire, the result will not be pleasing.
Do you feel like you could now tackle learning how to stir-fry? Go ahead! With these few simple tips, you are going to do just fine. Enjoy!
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