17
COOKING TECHNIQUES
STIR-FRYING
Recommended Temperature Probe
setting: High Sear for meats.
12–14 for vegetables and seafood.
• Stir-frying is an energy efficient and
healthy way of cooking foods. The
benefit of this method is its speed and
the flavor result. The non-stick cooking
surface on your Wok also means that
less oil is required for cooking. The
cooking action for stir-frying is a
continual tossing motion to ensure the
food is evenly exposed to the heat and
cooks quickly and evenly in a couple of
minutes.
• Stir-frying should be carried out using a
high heat setting.
• Preheat your Wok before adding any
ingredients, allow the temperature light
to cycle ON and OFF as over cooking
will give a tough, dry result. Cooking
times depend on the size and thickness
of the cut, as the bigger the cut, the more
time that is needed.
RECOMMENDED CUTS FOR
STIR-FRYING
Beef
Lean beef strips prepared from rump, sirloin,
rib eye and fillet.
Chicken
Lean chicken strips prepared from breast
fillets, tenderloins, thigh fillets.
Lamb
Lean lamb strips prepared from fillet,
lamb leg steaks, round or topside mini
roasts and loin.
Pork
Lean pork strips prepared from leg, butterfly
or medallion steaks or fillet.
Veal
Eye of loin, fillet, round, rump or topside.
NOTE
Make sure to carefully cook the
meat to the minimum temperature
required to prevent contamination.
STIR-FRY TIPS
• Buy meat strips from your butcher or
supermarket, or prepare meat strips from
recommended cuts listed previously
by removing any fat and slicing thinly
across the grain (across direction of
meat fibers). Slicing across the grain
ensures tenderness. Cut into very thin
strips, approximately 2–3 inches
(5–8cm) in length. Partially freeze meat
(approximately 30 minutes) to make
slicing easier.
• Stir-fry meat strips in small batches
(approx ½ pound; 225g) to stop meat
from shedding its juice and ‘stewing’,
resulting in tougher meat.
• When adding meat strips to the Wok, the
strips should sizzle.
• Stir-fry meat strips for 1–2 minutes. Any
longer will toughen meat.
• Remove each batch when cooked and
allow the Wok to reheat before stir-
frying the next batch. By cooking in
small batches, the heat of the Wok
remains constant, ensuring the meat
does not stew and toughen. A small
amount of oil can be mixed through the
meat strips before adding to the Wok,
along with any other flavoring such as
garlic, ginger and chili peppers. A little
sesame oil can also add flavor. Mixing
the meat with the oil rather than heating
it separately in the Wok eliminates
using too much.
• Drain off thin marinades from meat
strips before stir-frying to prevent
stewing and splatter.