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Cooking encyclopaedia Techniques

Stir-frying

Very fast cooking of small pieces in a little fat over the highest heat available, in constant motion.

200–260 °C (392–500 °F)

What it is

Everything is prepared and within reach before the pan is lit, because there is no pause once it starts. Cook in sequence — aromatics, then protein, then vegetables in order of hardness — and add liquid last.

Why it works

The point is a very hot surface and a very short time, so food browns and keeps its texture instead of stewing. A curved pan concentrates heat at the base and gives somewhere to move cooked food out of the way, which is why a wok is shaped as it is.

When to use it

Sliced meat, prawns, firm vegetables, noodles, rice, greens.

What goes wrong

A pan that is not hot enough; too much food, which drops the temperature and floods the pan with liquid; adding sauce before the food has browned; slicing pieces of wildly different thickness.

Meridian cooking encyclopaedia — Watchman Productions

More on this shelf

  • Blanching Brief cooking in heavily boiling water, usually followed by cooling.
  • Blooming spices Heating spices briefly in fat or a dry pan to release their aroma before they meet anything else.
  • Braising Browning, then cooking slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot.
  • Deep-frying Cooking fully submerged in hot fat, usually 160–190 °C.
  • Deglazing Dissolving the browned residue in a pan with liquid, to turn it into sauce.
  • Emulsifying Dispersing fat and water into each other so they behave as one smooth sauce.
  • Grilling Cooking over or under direct radiant heat, close to the source.
  • Poaching Cooking submerged in liquid held below a simmer, around 70–85 °C.
  • Reducing Simmering a liquid uncovered to evaporate water and concentrate what is left.
  • Resting meat Leaving cooked meat off the heat before cutting it.
  • Roasting Cooking in dry oven heat, uncovered, so the surface browns while the inside cooks.
  • Sautéing Cooking small or thin pieces quickly in a little fat over fairly high heat, moving them often.