Stir fried vegetables wrong

Sautéing vegetables is a deceptively simple act. Chop them up, put them in a hot pan, and run them until they’re “done.” However, there is a lot of variation from vegetable to vegetable regarding density, moisture content, and starch content, to name a few factors. (I know, I hate it too!)

let them dry completely

Whether it’s a pot of mushrooms or a bouquet of broccoli, eliminating excess water from the cooking process ensures that you’re actually sautéing, not steaming. Water prevents food from making good contact with hot pans. That means less browning and less flavor. You can use a paper towel to soak up the veggies, but I prefer using a paper towel. salad spinner Skip the water to the last drop.

cut evenly

A 1/2-inch chunk of carrot will cook faster than a 1-inch chunk of carrot. It’s just physics. Slicing and/or dicing the plant parts so that they are of the same, if not the same dimensions, will cook at the same rate, so you may suffer from both mushy and crunchy pieces. You don’t end up with a pile of carrots.

When adding different types of vegetables to the same pot, a good rule of thumb is to add them “from scratch”, starting with root vegetables (like carrots) and things that grow quickly in the ground (like squash). Get close to leaves and flowers growing on the ground (such as cabbage or broccoli).

About those darker vegetables

At the risk of contradicting yourself, adding toughguys to the pot before softbore may not be enough. A small amount of parcooking (partial cooking) before putting it into the oven helps.

Soak sweet potatoes in water to improve flavor

serious diet I’ve found that precooking sweet potatoes in boiling water before roasting makes them brown and sweeter than freshly baked sweet potatoes. This same move can also be used for sautéing.

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 quart room temperature water. This will bring the temperature of the water down to about 175°F (79°C). Add a few pounds of sliced ​​or diced potatoes to that water and you’ll be within the range you want.

After the sweet potato bath is done, you can roast or sauté as usual.

Nucle your butternuts for easy peeling

Butternut squash is notoriously difficult to peel and chop, but it softens after a few minutes in the microwave. On each side of the whole pumpkin he makes 3 or 4 long cuts (to keep the steam from escaping and the pumpkin does not burst) and in the microwave he heats for 3-5 minutes until the skin is tender. Let stand for 1-2 minutes, then peel and dice as you normally would.

Boil white potatoes to improve texture

Boiling the potatoes for a few minutes will reduce the time spent in the pan while the salt water will infuse the flavors. You can park-cook a lot of spuds at once, then fry them when the appetite strikes, all week long: Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to 1 quart of water and bring to a boil. Add up to 2 pounds of 1-inch cubed potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.Drain and spread on clean kitchen towels or paper towels and let excess moisture evaporate he for 10 minutes. Sauté immediately or store in refrigerator until cooking time.

stop crowding the damn pot

All the stock photos of “Vegetable Sauté” show a pan full of vegetables too full to do a true sauté. steamedmama, steamed vegetables are not as flavorful as their sautéed counterparts.

If you put too much cold food in it, the temperature of the pan will drop, and the cold pan will not stick. Use a pot large enough that he can hang out in one layer without everyone touching or overlapping, so that as many people as possible are in contact with the pot and have room for the water to evaporate quickly. increase.

Make sure the pan is hot

Sautéing is done over high heat, so the skillet should be hot. Oil shimmers and butter froths. (remove fat It’s for mushrooms. Mushrooms play with their own rules. ) A good way to test this is to splash some water in there. If the water sizzles and quickly evaporates, you’re good to go. (but you don’t have to heat the pan roll into a small ball Dance around the bread. Save it for steaks and chops.)

stop messing around so much

Sautéing is action, but some people find it a little that too Active. Resist the urge to stir or scoop constantly, and let the pan touch just long enough for the vegetables to brown. Color is taste, my friend, let’s make it happen.