Definition, use, and examples of the word pinch.
For further reading, check out “Meet the Woman Who Brought Potstickers & Stir-Fry to America” by Lindsay Patton-Carson on ChowHound.
Hosted by Jenn de la Vega
Research by Alicia Book
Videos edited by Chris De Pew
Knife logo by pixel artist Rachelle Viola
Links
INTRO
I’m Jenn de la Vega and this is your culinary word of the day.
[INTRO MUSIC]
Today’s word is stir fry.
It is spelled...S-T-I-R space F-R-Y.
According to the Culinary Institute of America, stir-fry is a verb that starts with:
“Foods [that] are customarily cut into small pieces, usually strips, dice, or shreds, and cooked rapidly in a little oil. They are added to the pan in sequence; those requiring the longest cooking times are added first, those that cook quickly only at the last moment. The sauce for a stir-fry, like that of a sauté, is made or finished in the pan to capture all of the dish’s flavor.
Lan Lam of Cook’s Illustrated writes about “ch’ao, the Chinese word for [stir-fry].”
In [Buwei Yang Chao’s] How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, the seminal 1945 cookbook produced with her husband and daughter, ““Roughly speaking, ch’ao may be defined as big-fire-shallow-fat-continual-stirring-quick-frying of cut-up material with wet seasoning. We shall call it ‘stir-fry’ or ‘stir’ for short.”
The main thrust of Chao’s definition is that stir‑frying employs high heat and constant motion to cook food so rapidly that proteins brown uniformly and vegetables lose their raw edge but retain vibrant color and fresh crunch. As soon as the food hits the wok, it’s repeatedly pushed, flipped, and swirled all over the vessel’s surface, which allows its moisture to evaporate quickly. When that happens, existing flavor compounds in the food become concentrated, and new, more savory compounds develop as the cooking surface gets hot enough to produce Maillard browning.”
Furthermore, the Michelin Guide states:
Stir frying, the cornerstone of Cantonese cooking, is all about wok hei, that complex charred aroma that fleetingly cloaks the piping-hot stir-fries served in Cantonese restaurants. The hallmark of an outstanding chef, wok hei - literally translated as ‘breath of a wok’ - results from a complex interplay of factors that is part science, part art, part magic.
Wok hei can only be achieved under conditions of intense heat, at levels that are difficult to achieve without a commercial cooking range. The wok should always be heated until it just begins to smoke before adding cold oil. Never heat up the oil together with the wok or the food will stick and begin to char.
In a classic stir-fry, the food has to be tossed about non-stop. Exceptional chefs demonstrate their skill by momentarily tossing the cooking flames into their woks. Never crowd the wok with too much food or temperatures will plummet and the food will end up being steamed.”
Sho Spaeth for Serious Eats explains,
“On top of that, the vaporized oil generated by that high heat will combust as you toss it over an open flame, creating dramatic pyrotechnics and, more importantly, wok hei, the singular flavor that defines stir-fry. The result: tender bits of great-tasting meat, and tender-crisp, somewhat smoky vegetables.
You'll want to take out some insurance against overcooking your proteins, whether that comes in the form of dry-brining shrimp with baking soda or velveting slivered proteins.
Finally, to ensure that all the elements of a stir-fried dish cook properly over a home stovetop burner's lower heat (compared with a wok burner), you may want to try stir-frying in small batches, whether you're making kung pao chicken or the fantastic Chinese-Peruvian dish lomo saltado.”
For further reading, check out “Meet the Woman Who Brought Potstickers & Stir-Fry to America” by Lindsay Patton-Carson on ChowHound.
OUTRO
Follow culinary word of the day on Twitter at Culinary W-O-T-D.
If you’d like to support culinary word of the day visit patreon.com/randwiches That’s patreon dot com slash R-A-N-D-W-I-C-H-E-S.
I’m Jenn de la Vega and this has been your culinary word of the day.
Next time on Culinary Word of the day, you’ll need a coat.
[OUTRO MUSIC]