Tips and recipes for easy stir-frying

Stir-frying is one of the easiest cooking methods for getting a delicious meal on the table in a hurry. Stir-frying is simply stirring and frying food at the same time.

Professional cooks have differing opinions on whether a wok or a skillet gives the best results. The testers at America's Test Kitchen prefer a skillet, while Lexington, Ky., cooking instructor Phil Dunn and restaurateur Suda Veerasethakul like to use a wok.

"I think the best pan to use is a wok because, basically, stir-frying and wok cooking are the same," Dunn said.

"Any pan with sloping sides would work. I always suggest that people work with small amounts of food in the pan at the beginning; sometimes they put way too much in a pan and make a big mess trying to stir it without having the food splattering out. And then there are those who graduate from stir-frying to sauteing, which requires more skill in keeping the ingredients contained in the pan."

Cooking authority Shirley Corriher classifies sauteing and stir-frying together because "both require rapid movement and turning of the food in a hot pan containing a small amount of fat."

Because stir-frying is done over very high heat, smoking can occur if you're not careful. If that happens, you have to clean out the pan and start all over.

The best oils to use are ones that can be heated to a high temperature without smoking: canola, peanut or grapeseed. These oils also have neutral flavors that work well with stir-fry sauces and ingredients, according to Bon Appetit.

Veerasethakul, one of the owners of Thai Orchid Cafe in Lexington, Ky., said it's also good to make sure your veggies are dry before they hit the hot oil.

"If there is a lot of excess moisture, it's going to spatter," she said. "Ouch!"

You can use your stir-fry skills on these recipes. This lemon chicken dish is ready, from start to finish, in 30 minutes.

LEMON CHICKEN STIR-FRY

1 pound uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded)

1 medium onion

1/2 cup sugar snap pea pods

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt (for cooking pasta)

8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups small broccoli florets

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 ½ teaspoons lemon-pepper seasoning

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Peel onion and cut into 8 wedges. Snap-off the stem end of each pea pod, then pull string across pea pod to remove it. Cut tomatoes in half.

Fill a 4-quart Dutch oven about half full of water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover with lid; heat over high heat until water is boiling rapidly. Add pasta. Heat to boiling again. Boil uncovered 3 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender but still firm to the bite.

While pasta is cooking, in a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and onion; stir-fry 5 to 6 minutes or until chicken is brown.

Add broccoli and pea pods to chicken mixture. Cook over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together broth, thyme, lemon peel, cornstarch and lemon-pepper seasoning; stir into chicken mixture. Cook over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes, or until sauce is thickened and vegetables are coated and the chicken is cooked through.

Stir in tomatoes; cook until thoroughly heated. Place a strainer or colander in the sink. Pour pasta in the strainer to drain. Serve chicken mixture over pasta. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 440 calories, 6 g. fat, 50 mg. cholesterol, 530 mg. sodium, 61 g. carbohydrate, 5 g. dietary fiber, 37 g. protein.

From "Betty Crocker Cooking Basics"

Almost any tender beef cut — sirloin, top sirloin, tri-tip, rib-eye, top loin, tenderloin — can be trimmed, cut into uniform strips and used for stir-fry. Even some less tender cuts, such as flank, top round and round tip steaks, are suitable for stir-frying when cut into thin strips.

Total preparation and cooking time for this beef stir-fry is 15 minutes.

SZECHUAN BEEF STIR-FRY

10-ounce package fresh vegetable stir-fry blend

3 tablespoons water

2 beef shoulder center steaks (ranch steaks), cut 3/4 inch thick (about 8 ounces each)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup prepared sesame-ginger stir-fry sauce

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 cups hot cooked rice or brown rice, prepared without butter or salt

1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts

Combine vegetables and water in large non-stick skillet; cover and cook over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove and drain vegetables. Set aside. Meanwhile cut beef steaks into 1/4-inch thick strips.

Heat same skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add half the beef and half the garlic; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Repeat with remaining beef and garlic.

Return all beef and vegetables to skillet. Add stir-fry sauce and red pepper; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Spoon over rice. Sprinkle with peanuts. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 351 calories, 11 g. fat, 64 mg. cholesterol, 1,147 mg. sodium, 29 g. carbohydrate, 3 g. fiber, 32 g. protein.

From Cattlemen's Beef Board