Wok Cooking TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-230 -- More Projects » Professional cook Heather Jansz demonstrate fun and easy techniques for cooking with a wok.
- Always season an iron or stainless-steel wok (these are the best kind), before storing by rubbing oil on it.
- A wok spoon is a great tool for wok cooking.
- Prepare all ingredients, sauces, pastes, thickeners, etc. in advance before beginning the cooking process because once you begin cooking in the wok, the process moves pretty fast.
- Slice meat thinly in order to cook quickly without losing nutrients. Slice when meat is partially frozen in order to get thinner slices.
- Spices often called for when wok cooking are garlic, soy sauce, hot peppers and gingerroot. A little ginger goes a long way, so to store the excess by slicing it and placing it in jar with olive oil. Store in the refrigerator for future uses. It will last nearly indefinitely. You can also store in the freezer in a plastic bag. When needed, simply grate off the amount needed, and put it back.
- To get flavorful pork, beef, tofu or chicken in your stir-fry dish, marinate the meat in the refrigerator for a few hours prior to cooking in your chosen spice mixture.
- To retain moisture in meats, marinate the meat in a mixture of cornstarch and cold water. When the meat cooks, the cornstarch solution forms a tight outer coating, which prevents the juices from escaping.
- Vegetables should be heated through but remain crisp and firm. Add the harder vegetables first, in order to avoid overcooking the softer ones. When the color of the vegetable deepens, proceed to the next step in the recipe.
- When stir-frying in your wok, use vegetable oils that can be heated to a high temperature without smoking. Peanut oil, corn, canola or soybean oil also work well, but if you are worried about saturated fats, you should use olive oil. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil to it for flavor.
- For fresher spices, use a wok to roast herbs, spices, nuts and seeds. Try spices such as cumin, coriander and peppercorns (individually) and toss on high heat for a few minutes (no oil). Grind up and store in jars. You could also try pumpkin seeds, slivered almonds, mint and rosemary.
- Woks make great deep fryers. The next time you make French fries, try them in the wok.
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