thread of stir-frying

Yeah, standalone propane burners are pretty easy to find now that deep-fried turkey has become a done thing. I don't know...it's a pretty big expense for I don't know how many meals.

I'm not familiar with chinkiang vinegar and will look for it at the asian grocery. Is it similar to any others?

I tried making a filipino-style adobo thing a while ago, but I pretty obviously need to work on the technique and ingredient balance after eating my first batch.

I have learned not to cook with the sesame oil - sesame oil is too low heat, it's a finishing oil.

Oh certainly, I have only ever really used it as a flavoring ingredient. Is it even possible to cook in it? Maybe at lower temperatures.

Not really but my wok is seasoned enough that I don't usually have to use much oil anyway.

mh, chinkiang vinegar is pretty standard - the one I get has a yellowish label? you should be able to find it at any chinese grocer

i keep meaning to get chinkiang vinegar. i just recently remembered how much i used to stir fry and don't remember why i stopped so i'm gonna do something like this chicken/pineapple thing http://www.graceyoung.com/recipes/ but i am adding jalapeno peppers and cabbage. i keep looking at "real" chinese recipes for stuff and feel like, eh, i'm never gonna do this right & like my stuff better so i just make things up most of the time.

oh also i realized it didn't have any ginger in it so i added it. this is gonna be good except i didn't realize quite how much a pound of chicken is so the pot was a little overcrowded and it will be a little soggier than i like. it's ok!

dyao should i get a wok? what kind is good and cheap?

oh man. I have a lot to say about this. I have not mastered the art of wok cooking. :/

I think basically, unless you have a high heat source and want to cook things at a high heat, a nonstick is probably better for almost everything you would want to do w/ a stir fry

really? i was watching this video http://www.graceyoung.com/2010/09/chow-video/
it is on normal gas stove. i really don't like to use nonstick for anything except eggs. last night i made the pineapple chicken in my stainless. the chicken came out perfect, no sticking w/ excellent browning.

hah! well, afaict, the advantages of a wok are

-high heat
-adaptable cooking (can just as easily cook for 1 as for 10)
-versatile

I think choosing a wok is probably the hardest part. there are the cast irons and the carbon steels but I don't know which ones are better, or which brands are reputable. there are also many schools of thought about seasoning a wok (some use oil, some use lard, some use big chunks of pig fat) (some say the only thing that should touch the wok is hot water, no soap).

what are you trying to do with a wok that your stainless doesn't do?

when I had a wok I don't think I ever got it seasoned correctly. stuff would stick invariably. I tried to season it with a piece of solid pig fat that I rubbed over it on high heat but it just made a bad smell. irc somebody posted a scientific way of seasoning wok that used... olive oil? or something. chinese people will probably tell you to use lard to season it.

i just make a mess when i stir fry with the stainless but i would probably throw things out of the wok too. most times i use a big stock pot to stir fry so i don't dump things out of it but it doesn't cook meat very nicely even thought the surface is like the stainless frying pan. the bottom is not so heavy.

the real answer is i already have too much kitchen things and should not get one because there is clutter

hah hah I think a wok is pretty good at keeping things 'in the pot' - you can usually 'rest' things closer to the edge. but the real secret is to do what grace does the video which is to cook each component individually and then combine at the end for a nice finish, that's what my parents always do.

if you are willing to buy wholeheartedly into the wok philosophy you could probably replace several pots and pans w/ it. in that case I would do some research and see what people consider to be a good wok.

Oh god I'm having stir-fried... celery. That's it. Well, there's rice too. I'm broke.

Let's say I've been to the pub. And on my way back I do a bad thing and buy one of those packs of pre-chopped vegetables for stir frying. And I want to knock up something in 5 minutes. What other things should I be accumulating on my kitchen counter, and how should I be using them?

iow school me quick easy stir fry

Fry the veg with chilli olive oil & five spice, throw in a bowl with some crushed garlic and sliced spring onions, squeeze over lime juice and some runny honey. Post-pub stir-fry in 10 minutes.

oil, cooking wine, bottle of heavily flavored chinese sauce (hoisin or XO or something like that)

you're good to go!

I forgot to add soy sauce to my "recipe". Pour some on along with the lime juice & honey.

generic stirfry:

simmer quantities of garlic & chili to taste; add and cook vegetables + any protein; deglaze with quick dash rice vinegar; add 2tbsp rice wine, 2tbsp dark soy; bring to quick boil, thicken with cornstarch

oh, xposts

Excellent will take all yr tips on board.

wait where's the frying xp

throw in some slices of ginger at the beginning. also you need hot oil. I usually heat the pan up real good before adding oil. don't use EVOO!

ha yeah for 'simmer' read 'saute', i need coffee

i would say use groundnut oil or similar high smoke point oil. maybe a dash of sesame oil if you like the taste of sesame oil.

Yes, sesame oil is a nice touch.

isn't it. another four or five minutes and we will probably have exhausted all that i know about cooking

my super lazy postpub thing would be: don't worry about aromatics, just put your vegetables and whatever in oil (say, canola with a lil' sesame) at high temp, stir it around. towards the very end throw in something like this http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSSO2Az1cRQm2M_8u5ZeSaQ6SF9ZnmLR8UMNjtZFihRfhr49FmF or some other sauce recommended upthread. then add some good soy sauce. that's it. the chili garlic paste + sesame oil + good ol' soy sauce is enough to make it good. i promise.

lazy "recipe" if you have more time: mince or grate some GINGER! maybe mince or press some fresh GARLIC! maybe even add some ONIONS (red are the best for this situation imo) or SCALLLIONS aka GREEN ONIONS. now, most ppl will recommend heating the aromatics on high heat very quickly while stirring and then add the other stuff...however, a common problem is that ppl end up burning the garlic, ginger, etc. my special technique involves heating up the oil at an extremely low temp, like just about as low as the burners will go w/o flickering out and filling up your home w/DEADLY GAS FUMES. place a little bit of ginger or garlic in the pan. when it finally starts sizzling a little, throw the rest in, stir it around for a few minutes on that very low temp. then when stuff seems to be getting translucent and you can imagine that it has delightfully flavored the oil, throw in the stuff you're going to cook, densest things first, and jack the heat way the h-e-double hockey stick up, and stir, baby, stir (via Sarah Palin!). then at the very end add yr sauce/paste whatever. and maybe some sesame seeds if you're feeling FANCY! then eat, rinse, and repeat. the end.

*btw, if you use green onions, they don't go in until towards the very end.

yeah, burning the garlic is a stir-frying tragedy

made nate's honey 'recipe', was excellent. raw spring onions added a good sharp tang, although will use a few less or fry half of them next time. was cautious with the sauce elements but after a few mouthfuls went back and added more - in total, half a lime, two generous teaspoons of honey, a few goodly shakes of the soy sauce bottle.

I wish I could take the credit but it's basically a Jamie Oliver recipe out of his (imo) essential 30 Minute Meals book & TV show. He does it with stir-fried rib-eye steak dressed with chilli and lime, and it's absolutely stunning.

Man now this is making me want to go buy a bunch of gai larn after work and make a stir fry of greens in mirin and soy over noodles for dinner.