The art of stir frying

Basically, stir-frying involves the slicing of ingredients into small pieces then cooking them at heat in a small amount of oil.  With a few exceptions, it’s important to keep the ingredients moving constantly during stir-frying.

A special pan called a wok is used for stir frying. The wok’s round bottom and high sloping side conduct heat more evenly than other cookware, so food stirred over a high heat cooks quickly, retaining bright color, fresh flavor, vitamins and nutrients.

The essence of stir-frying is to make sure that everything in the wok comes into contact with hot oil in the bottom of it. The method depends on the amount do ingredients in the wok.

The constant stirring motion ensures that all the food comes into contact with the bottom surface of the pan, where the heat is most intense. It also keeps food from sticking to the pan.

Although stir-frying is quick and easy, preparation of ingredients is very important and every one must be prepared before cooking begins.  To ensure food cooks quickly and evenly, cut or chop all ingredients into relatively small, evenly shaped pieces. It takes only five to seven minutes to stir-fry a dish.

Most stir-fry recipes call for meat, poultry or seafood to be marinated prior to stir-fry. A marinade helps tenderize meat, and it’s a great way to add extra flavor to a stir-fry.

Stir-frying looks more complicated that it is, mainly because everything happens so fast. With a high flame, meat shreds will cook in 2 minutes.
The art of stir frying