Stir Fry Guidelines

Stir Fry

Stir frying helps you use smaller portions of meat while using several vegetables.

Although the wok is the favored cooking utensil for stir-fry, a large, heavy skillet or an electric fry pan will do very well. The wok's advantage is that very little oil is needed as the flaring sides of the wok allow tossing the ingredients and searing them in a single layer.

One of the benefits of stir-fry and wok cookery is that it is fast. The food is cut into bite-sized pieces and tossed in sequence with a small amount of hot liquid (oil, broth or water). Ingredients are moved rapidly over the hot surface, making the vegetables translucent for a minute or two, and then their natural color intensifies. At the point, they are done and should be removed from the wok. They will finish cooking from their retained heat.

Many stir-fry recipes end with the addition of cornstarch dissolved in broth or water to thicken the pan juices. Rememver that the sauce is intended as a glaze, not a gravy.

Cutting the ingredients properly for stir-fry is important. Diagonally cut tubular vegetables such as celery and green beans. Slice meat, poultry, fish or other vegetables into thin strips 2" long by 1" wide; 1/8" to 1/4" thick. Shred hard vegetables such as carrots or turnips into cuts 1" to 2" long.; 1/8" wide and 1/8" inch thick. (If you don't have the patience for this, a coarse grater or a food processor works nicely.)