Question: Can I Use a Frying Pan for Stir-frying?
Answer: There is no question that a wok is the best choice if you are going to start cooking Chinese food on a regular basis. But it is also true that many satisfying stir-fries have been borne in a frying pan. Here are a few tips to help you choose a pan for stir-frying, or decide if your own pan is "stir-fry friendly":
- The frying pan needs to be made of a heavy material that can take the high heat needed for stir-frying, and distribute the heat evenly. Otherwise you may wind up with scorched food in certain spots.
- It should have deep, sloping sides. During stir-frying, you want to make sure that the food you are moving around the pan stays in the frying pan and doesn't wind up on the stove or the floor!
- It should have a lid for steaming. Even basic recipes such as Chop Suey may call for the food to be cooked under cover.
- The handle should stay cool when the pan is heated. This lets you hold the pan steady with one hand while using the other to stir-fry.
- A non-stick coating is great - it allows you to reduce the amount of oil used during stir-frying. Just make sure that the coating doesn't warp at high temperatures.
Recommendations:
If you do decide to stick with a frying pan for stir-frying, cast iron is an excellent choice. It conducts heat well, and distributes it evenly. (The original woks were fashioned from cast iron, which the Chinese have been producing since the sixth century BC). The Calphalon hard anodized pans make good stir-fry pans as well.
On the other hand, stay away from Teflon: despite the best efforts of its inventors, it can't take the high heat needed for stir-frying.More Chinese Food Q&A
