Stir Fry Newbie

at least medium heat.. are you using a wok?

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I can't seem to find what you should cook your stir fry (high , med
heat) . If you have a gas stove ? what is the best tool to flip your
stir fry ?

Stir fry is all about ripping hot. Crank the gas to on but be sure
everything is ready to rock else you could end up with overcooked items.

Preparation is everyting in stir fry. Make sure meats are
marinated/drained, vegetables and aromatics chopped and ready, etc.

Drew Cutter said:

I can't seem to find what you should cook your stir fry (high , med
heat)

It's called a wok. Always at the highest heat possible.

Quoted message said:

If you have a gas stove ? what is the best tool to flip your
stir fry

A spatula, if you must. I use a grip-handle wok and don't need
anything to flip it. I just toss/flip it unassisted by utensils.

-sw

T said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I can't seem to find what you should cook your stir fry (high , med
heat) . If you have a gas stove ? what is the best tool to flip your
stir fry ?

Stir fry is all about ripping hot. Crank the gas to on but be sure
everything is ready to rock else you could end up with overcooked items.

Preparation is everyting in stir fry. Make sure meats are
marinated/drained, vegetables and aromatics chopped and ready, etc.

What about noodles ? Brand ? Type of noodles ? Length of time to cook on
gas ? or electric ? I don't recall seeing the steps when cook stir fry ?
especially when it came to the sauces ?

Drew Cutter said:

What about noodles ? Brand ? Type of noodles ? Length of time to cook on
gas ? or electric ? I don't recall seeing the steps when cook stir fry ?
especially when it came to the sauces ?

There are several thousand answers to the questions you just
asked.

You should really get a book or do some reading on the Web first.
Then come back with specific questions after you've tried a few
dishes yourself.

This was my "stir-fry" (a too-generic term) tonight consisting of
fresh rice noodles (from sheets), broccoli, cabbage, green
onions, garlic, home mode pork stock, and minced shrimp and chili
sauce:

http://tinypic.com/fullsize.php?pic=67zosok

-sw

In article <[email hidden]>, Drew Cutter <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

T wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Stir fry is all about ripping hot. Crank the gas to on but be sure
everything is ready to rock else you could end up with overcooked items.

Preparation is everyting in stir fry. Make sure meats are
marinated/drained, vegetables and aromatics chopped and ready, etc.

What about noodles ? Brand ? Type of noodles ? Length of time to cook on
gas ? or electric ? I don't recall seeing the steps when cook stir fry ?
especially when it came to the sauces ?

Noodles are in the advanced class, and it sounds like you are in the
beginning class. I would recommend starting with simple vegetable and
meat stir fries, accompanied by steamed white rice, and graduate to
noodles once you are comfortable.

the only problem with cooking at high GAS heat with a wok is that the flames
on most stoves tend to spread out when they're very high. Woks are designed
to use a small amount of intense heat at the very base.. items are moved to
the bottom to cook, and then up on the side to stop cooking while other
items are cooked. With this method you can cook a wide range of items at
the same time, each to the optimum temperature (with practice).

So yes they're supposed to be used at high heat, but that heat should be
concentrated at the very base of the wok. If the flames are heating the
entire wok to high heat, it might be too much. So that's why I use medium
heat.. it's high enough at the base but not so hot as to make the entire wok
the same temp.

Quoted message said:

Noodles are in the advanced class, and it sounds like you are in the
beginning class. I would recommend starting with simple vegetable and
meat stir fries, accompanied by steamed white rice, and graduate to
noodles once you are comfortable.

Very very true good advice. start with broccoli beef, then maybe orange
chicken, then maybe shrimp, then when you can make those taste good,
advanced stuff.

I just made one last night and I use high heat with my gas stove for stir
fries.

--
Helen
in
FERGUS/HARLINGEN

"Drew Cutter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I can't seem to find what you should cook your stir fry (high , med heat)
. If you have a gas stove ? what is the best tool to flip your stir fry ?

That can be controlled by the size of your burner. I use the medium size
burner for stir frying.

--
Helen
in
FERGUS/HARLINGEN

"Zippy P" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

the only problem with cooking at high GAS heat with a wok is that the
flames
on most stoves tend to spread out when they're very high. Woks are
designed
to use a small amount of intense heat at the very base.. items are moved
to
the bottom to cook, and then up on the side to stop cooking while other
items are cooked. With this method you can cook a wide range of items
at
the same time, each to the optimum temperature (with practice).

So yes they're supposed to be used at high heat, but that heat should be
concentrated at the very base of the wok. If the flames are heating the
entire wok to high heat, it might be too much. So that's why I use
medium
heat.. it's high enough at the base but not so hot as to make the entire
wok
the same temp.

Drew Cutter said:

I can't seem to find what you should cook your stir fry (high , med
heat) . If you have a gas stove ? what is the best tool to flip your
stir fry ?

I recommend you read this blog entry from Barbara Fisher's
"TigersandStrawberries" food blog. I also recommend you read Grace
Young's book, "The Breath of a Wok," but Fisher's tips will give you a
good start. -aem
http://tinyurl.com/fmc2d

aem said:

Drew Cutter said:

I can't seem to find what you should cook your stir fry (high , med
heat) . If you have a gas stove ? what is the best tool to flip your
stir fry ?

If your walk did not come with the curved tools to fit the wok they are
available reasonably priced in larger asian markets.
--
JL

Quoted message said:

I recommend you read this blog entry from Barbara Fisher's
"TigersandStrawberries" food blog. I also recommend you read Grace
Young's book, "The Breath of a Wok," but Fisher's tips will give you a
good start. -aem
http://tinyurl.com/fmc2d

all my burners are the same size 🙁

Zippy P said:

the only problem with cooking at high GAS heat with a wok is that the flames
on most stoves tend to spread out when they're very high. Woks are designed
to use a small amount of intense heat at the very base.. items are moved to
the bottom to cook, and then up on the side to stop cooking while other
items are cooked. With this method you can cook a wide range of items at
the same time, each to the optimum temperature (with practice).

That's all myth and placement of food on different sections of
the wok. Items are added according to the time they need to cook
and are all stirred together during cooking. To do it any other
way is not the way a wok is used.

-sw

guess I've been doing it wrong for 20 years!

Quoted message said:

That's all myth and placement of food on different sections of
the wok. Items are added according to the time they need to cook
and are all stirred together during cooking. To do it any other
way is not the way a wok is used.

"Not the way a wok is used" eh? Something tells me woks are used that way
quite often:

http://www.chinatownconnection.com/guide_to_chinese_cookery.htm
"Now add your other ingredients in the order stated in the recipe and toss
them over the surface of the wok ensuring that nothing rests in one place
for too long and moving the food from the centre of the wok to the sides."

http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/wok1.html
"Spread the food up along the heated sides of the wok rather than lump them
in the center."

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/cookingtechniques/qt/addwokoil.htm
"This is because food is often pushed up to the sides of the wok during
stir-frying. For example, in a chicken and vegetable stir-fry, the
vegetables may be stir-fried briefly, then pushed to the sides of the wok,
and the chicken meat added in the middle. The vegetables finish cooking (but
not burning) at a lower heat on the sides, while you are stir-frying the
chicken meat in the middle, hottest portion of the wok. "

http://www.luxuryweb.com/html/the_chinese_wok.html
"Frying and sautéing can be done on both the bottom and the sides of the
wok. And, by turning the flame lower and moving the ready food high up the
wok’s sides, you have a natural holding area keeping the ready food warm,
while preparing another step of a complicated recipe at the bottom of the
pan."

http://www.loris.net/soups.html
"The bottom of the wok is very hot. Once the food is done, you can push it
up the sides of the pan to a cooler area while you add more ingredients."

Drew Cutter said:

I can't seem to find what you should cook your stir fry (high , med
heat) . If you have a gas stove ? what is the best tool to flip your
stir fry ?

you will leaen

Zippy P said:

Quoted message said:

That's all myth and placement of food on different sections of
the wok. Items are added according to the time they need to cook
and are all stirred together during cooking. To do it any other
way is not the way a wok is used.

"Not the way a wok is used" eh? Something tells me woks are used that way
quite often:

http://www.chinatownconnection.com/guide_to_chinese_cookery.htm
"Now add your other ingredients in the order stated in the recipe and toss
them over the surface of the wok ensuring that nothing rests in one place
for too long and moving the food from the centre of the wok to the sides."\

You believe (and misinterpret, as above) whatever you want. IN
the meantime, watch a real Chinese kitchen in action. The time
the foods sit up on the sides of the wok is just a matter of 3-4
seconds, if at all. Doing it any other way for beginners.

Quoted message said:

Guess I've been doing it wrong for 20 years!

After 20 years, you should have learned. All you're doing is
simmering vegetables and meat. Which explains why you still use
the generic term "stir fry".

-sw

"T" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I can't seem to find what you should cook your stir fry (high , med
heat) . If you have a gas stove ? what is the best tool to flip your
stir fry ?

Stir fry is all about ripping hot. Crank the gas to on but be sure
everything is ready to rock else you could end up with overcooked items.

Preparation is everyting in stir fry. Make sure meats are
marinated/drained, vegetables and aromatics chopped and ready, etc.

And everything the same size so it cooks evenly.