am i cooking wrong

[jamie128]

I keep trying recipes online of stir frys and such and the texture keeps coming out soggy and nothing that i would expect. The meats im using have no added water and the recipes dont state i should have to drain water at any point, yet everything is so flavourless. Could the heat im cooking at or the pans quality make any difference to this?

I cant figure out what im doing wrong.

[jamie128]

Asin it always comes out soggy and not crunchy etc like it should

[marshalla]

Not hot enough, and probably cooking it for too long.

[grumbledoak]

You need a serious gas hob to get the wok properly hot. Most domestic hobs just don't cut it.

[sidekickdmr]

I add my onion and pepper at the start to wilt and get rid of the strong flavour and texture

But my mange tout, broccoli, baby corn, bean sprouts etc go in at the last second, toss in the sauce, job done.

Also, don't use a jar/sachet of sauce, just a big knob of peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, fresh garlic and chilli and a final glug of sweet chilli at the end

Perfect

[bloodorange]

The key word you used was flavourless..
That's a seasoning problem..
Your crowding the pan if everythings mushy..

[jamie128]

bloodorange said:

The key word you used was flavourless..
That's a seasoning problem..
Your crowding the pan if everythings mushy..

I mean soggy rather than flavourless, i do have a gas hob

[ali_kat]

How much is in the wok?

Are you using canned bean sprouts, water chestnuts etc? Do you drain them & dry them a bit before you add them?

Watch a couple of YouTube videos of Asian cooks &'watch their wok techniques

[sherman]

Much like Yorkshire pudding. If the pan is not smoking before you start its not hot enough. If there is juice in the bottom of the wok before you add the sauce drain it off and last but not least you are using a frying pan or a wok?

[Mobile Chicane]

Wok needs to be hotter than the sun. If you're not choking from the smoke, then it isn't hot enough.

[Wadeski]

chop and prep EVERYTHING first.

wok so hot the oil smokes immediately.

cook FAST.

I like this aussie chappies recipe shows, heres a pork stir fry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEy8jLegmo4

[bloodorange]

This thread stinks..
You have no friends..
I ain't buying the fact you know nothing about frying and stiring..
You mention moisture,texture and trip over with flavourless..
This is a petrol head site..
But belive me..
When it comes to the whole subject of scran..
This site can not get any better..
Plus..
There's many many funny intelligent worldly people..
I'm insulted..
I feel you're an imposter.


Could you do me a favour?
Take your shoes and socks off..
Turn all the lights off..
Run down your stairs and step on a plug placed on the bottom step.
Much liove x

Edited by bloodorange on Wednesday 2nd October 02:22

[PiB]

For advice on cooking I enjoy and learn a lot flipping through youtube videos on the subject.

If you have an iron wok but not a massive btu output burner you can try leaving it on the heat for a bit to get it really hot then cook in smaller batches. You should prep everything so you can focus on wok.

[jamie128]

ali_kat said:

How much is in the wok?

Are you using canned bean sprouts, water chestnuts etc? Do you drain them & dry them a bit before you add them?

Watch a couple of YouTube videos of Asian cooks &'watch their wok techniques

I must admit the woks pretty full but i dont understand because its a big wok and my portions arent ridiculous, am i supposed to do it in stages or something and do i do the meat in a seperate pan?

[AJS-]

Agree with those saying use a really hot pan.

Also, I use lard rather than cooking oil as it has a higher smoke point and gives a clean, crisp taste rather than the dirty taste and slightly soggy texture you sometimes get from manufactured cooking oils.

Cast iron pans are great but they do need to be hotter than hell.

[Type R Tom]

I would say you could be over crowding the pan, I find when I try to cook too much at once it doesn't fry and you end up with a load of liquid sitting in the bottom.

[Frik]

I tend to cook the meat first and then start afresh with the veggies. You can get the pan nice and hot before doing so. Chuck the meat back in just before any sauce.

[krallicious]

Wadeski said:

chop and prep EVERYTHING first.

wok so hot the oil smokes immediately.

cook FAST.

I like this aussie chappies recipe shows, heres a pork stir fry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEy8jLegmo4

He has a great book too. 'Songs of Sapa' is a fantastic introduction to southern Asain cooking.

[jamie128]

Type R Tom said:

I would say you could be over crowding the pan, I find when I try to cook too much at once it doesn't fry and you end up with a load of liquid sitting in the bottom.

Should i maybe use 2 pans then and put it all together for one minute for the sauce?

[TIGA84]

Heat, speed, space and keep it moving. Look at how much stuff is in a wok relative to its size when the chefs are cooking in them, so they retain more heat.

Everything should be same size and pre done before even starting. Smoking hot pan, do meat first and re-heat pan if its going to be crowded with the veggies, sauce/season then plate.

I had the same problems as you, the batch method works well.