The Wonderful Wok: Stir Frying Basics
by: Dina Giolitto
Want to enjoy the tantalizing taste of Asian food at home? Invest in a wok! Stir-frying is one of the easiest ways to create a delicious, healthy dinner in minutes. Learn to prepare meals the Asian way: light on meat, heavy on the vegetables, and quick-cooked on high heat to retain vitamins and flavors. A few basics is all you need to get cooking!
Purchase your wok. You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on state-of-the-art cookware. A standard, stainless-steel wok, purchased for less than $50, will serve its purpose well. The heavier the wok, the better it will retain heat. This is important because you must cook at a high temperature to avoid stewing or steaming your ingredients.
Season your wok. Before you use your wok for the first time, you must season it. Seasoning the wok is a way to "break it in" to ensure even heat-distribution during stir-frying, and helps lock in the flavors of the food as it's cooking. When you remove your wok from its packaging, you may notice a greasy film on the surface. Wipe this film away, and wash your wok in warm, soapy water. To season your wok, put it on the stove over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add a drop or two of oil, and swirl it around to coat the surface evenly. Remove from the stovetop to let cool for a bit, and then use a paper towel to wipe out the oily residue. You may want to season your wok once more before you begin cooking with it.
Gather your utensils. Professional chefs use a mesh ladel to toss meat and vegetables around in the wok, but if you don't have one of these, a wooden spoon will do just fine. Place several large, clean bowls and plates on the counter next to your wok so you can set your cooked items aside as you prepare them in batches. Other items you'll need: a chef's knife, cutting board, and several bowls of different sizes to store liquid mixtures and chopped herbs and vegetables.
Cut and dry food prep. The most time-consuming part of stir-frying is preparing the ingredients. You'll want everything portioned out and cleaned, chopped, sliced and diced in advance. The actual stir-frying is fast and furious (you've probably heard those pans rattling like mad while waiting for your Chinese takeout!) so meat, vegetables, noodles, spices and oils should be ready and within reaching distance so you can grab and get on with it. Chop everything into bite-sized chunks to ensure quick and thorough cooking. Make sure there's no extra water or other liquid in your wok while stir-frying meat and vegetables. As mentioned earlier, liquid in the wok will cause your meal to stew instead of lightly fry.
Stir-fry in batches. Properly stir-fried food retains its crisp, firm exterior and tender, juicy inside by cooking small portions at a time. Heat the wok, drizzle in enough oil to coat the surface, and add enough small cuts of beef, pork or chicken to just cover the bottom. Fry on medium-high heat, tossing the entire time. When your first batch of meat is thoroughly cooked, remove from the wok and drain on paper towels. Fry the second batch in a little more oil, and then set aside. Oil the pan once more, toss in a few cloves of crushed garlic and/or ginger, and stir-fry the vegetables, adding the thicker ingredients like potatoes and carrots first, and then tossing in quicker-cooking ingredients like scallions and mushrooms at the end. When the vegetables are done, return the meat to the pot with the vegetables, and finish with your liquid sauces and seasonings. Give everything a quick toss, simmer for a few minutes and then remove from heat.
Learn the flavors. Thai cooking is immensely popular right now; similar to Chinese, but with its own exotic spices and flavorings, some of which take their cue from Indian cuisine. Malaysian, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean fare all boast their signature recipes as well. With practice, you'll learn which spices and sauces go with what and how to identify their flavors. You can buy most of what you need at an Asian specialty store.
Always have some Asian cooking staples on hand: soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce. Fresh ginger, garlic, chillies, galangal, Asian shallots, scallions, kaffir lime leaves, cilantro and lemongrass. Green or red curry paste, shrimp paste. Noodles and rice. And of course... plenty of fresh meat, fish, tofu and vegetables. Pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, prawns, scallops. Onions, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, bok choi (Chinese cabbage), mushrooms (regular, oyster mushrooms, shitake mushrooms).
There really is no limit to what you can do with a wok, an assortment of meats, vegetables, spices and sauces. If you're the creative chef, feel free to experiment. If you're a "by the book" cook, go out and purchase a stir-fry cookbook which will explain each technique in detail as well as familiarize you with the exotic ingredients. Above all: know that stir-frying is a healthy way to prepare and enjoy the foods you love in the comfort of home.
Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.
About the author:
Dina Giolitto is a New-Jersey based Copywriting Consultant with nine years' industry experience. Her current focus is web content and web marketing for a multitude of products and services although the bulk of her experience lies in retail for big-name companies like Toys"R"Us. Visit http://www.wordfeeder.comfor rates and samples.
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Monday, December 18, 2006
A description of the new and exciting types of peppercorns & ways to use them.
A description of the new and exciting types of peppercorns & ways to use them.
by: Alex Hamilton
New and exciting varieties of peppercorns are becoming available to chefs everywhere. Pre-ground pepper out of the tin no longer provides the complex flavors and versatility that great cooks everywhere are looking for. A small collection of different types of peppercorns provides fine cooks with just the right pepper flavors and colors to create perfect culinary creations. Peppercorns crusts, rubs, marinades, dressings, and sauces are just a few of the creative ways these unique flavors and colors can be utilized.
Peppercorn sauces are a great way to present distinct and unique flavors to the pallet while providing a splash of brilliant colors. A rainbow of spicy flavors such as white, green, and pink can easily create an impressive dish.
Green peppercorns are a lively green color with a sharp, fresh flavor. These immature peppercorns are hard to find but well worth the search. Their fresh flavor is a perfect for making meat sauces for pork and beef. Green peppercorns are also a good match with salad dressings and vegetables.
Pink peppercorns are the rarest of the peppercorn varieties but provide an exquisitely unique flavor. These exotic peppercorns have a delicate, fragrant, sweet, and spicy flavor. Pink peppercorns also add a lovely dash of color to all kinds of cuisine. They go especially well in fruit sauces, vinaigrettes, and desserts.
White peppercorns are preferred in much of the world because freshly ground white pepper doesn’t leave dark, unappealing specks in food. It’s white color is especially important in light colored sauces and foods such as mashed potatoes.
Black peppercorns are the high quality equivalent of the stuff you used to get out of those little tin cans. Black pepper starts loosing its potency as soon as it is ground, and its flavor is significantly degraded after only a few months. Whole peppercorns retain their flavor for several years as long as they remain un-ground.
A blend of all these colors makes a beautiful and flavorful mix of pepper perfect for any pepper mill or stunning enough to place on display.
Go to Spice of Life Gourmet Peppercorns at www.bulkpeppercorns.com to find peppercorn: recipes, information, facts, and prices that can’t be beat.
About the author:
Written by Alex Hamilton, Spice of Life Peppercorns, www.bulkpeppercorns.com
Circulated by Article Emporium
©2005 - All Rights Reserved
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by: Alex Hamilton
New and exciting varieties of peppercorns are becoming available to chefs everywhere. Pre-ground pepper out of the tin no longer provides the complex flavors and versatility that great cooks everywhere are looking for. A small collection of different types of peppercorns provides fine cooks with just the right pepper flavors and colors to create perfect culinary creations. Peppercorns crusts, rubs, marinades, dressings, and sauces are just a few of the creative ways these unique flavors and colors can be utilized.
Peppercorn sauces are a great way to present distinct and unique flavors to the pallet while providing a splash of brilliant colors. A rainbow of spicy flavors such as white, green, and pink can easily create an impressive dish.
Green peppercorns are a lively green color with a sharp, fresh flavor. These immature peppercorns are hard to find but well worth the search. Their fresh flavor is a perfect for making meat sauces for pork and beef. Green peppercorns are also a good match with salad dressings and vegetables.
Pink peppercorns are the rarest of the peppercorn varieties but provide an exquisitely unique flavor. These exotic peppercorns have a delicate, fragrant, sweet, and spicy flavor. Pink peppercorns also add a lovely dash of color to all kinds of cuisine. They go especially well in fruit sauces, vinaigrettes, and desserts.
White peppercorns are preferred in much of the world because freshly ground white pepper doesn’t leave dark, unappealing specks in food. It’s white color is especially important in light colored sauces and foods such as mashed potatoes.
Black peppercorns are the high quality equivalent of the stuff you used to get out of those little tin cans. Black pepper starts loosing its potency as soon as it is ground, and its flavor is significantly degraded after only a few months. Whole peppercorns retain their flavor for several years as long as they remain un-ground.
A blend of all these colors makes a beautiful and flavorful mix of pepper perfect for any pepper mill or stunning enough to place on display.
Go to Spice of Life Gourmet Peppercorns at www.bulkpeppercorns.com to find peppercorn: recipes, information, facts, and prices that can’t be beat.
About the author:
Written by Alex Hamilton, Spice of Life Peppercorns, www.bulkpeppercorns.com
Circulated by Article Emporium
©2005 - All Rights Reserved
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Get One Million FREE Guaranteed Visitors
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