What are the fundamentals of stir frying?

Stir frying is the act of tossing ingredients in a wok or pan over high heat. It is almost a combination of sautéing and searing, but with more motion:

• The vigorous tossing prevents steaming and clumping, especially in the case of fried rice or noodle dishes.
• The high heat easily evaporates moisture off the airborne ingredient to brown or even char their edges.

Do you need a wok to stir fry? Not necessarily. A large, deep frying pan or skillet can work just as well on high heat.

Note: When stir-frying on a home range, it is best practice to cook in batches and combine everything at the end. This will let you get browning on each ingredient without crowding the pan and overwhelming the heat source.

🍳 Kitchen Tool: Wok or pan

🔥 Heat Type: Conduction w/ fat

🌡️ Pan Temperature: 400°F/204°C+

🧪 Food Reaction(s): Maillard Coagulation Dehydration

Example Foods

• Pad see ew
• Chicken & young ginger
• Fried rice