stirfry problem

[bunty39]

I like to make stirfries but very seldom have success with making the beef/steak tender. anyone know the secret of success please.?

[snags]

Bash it and marinade it before cooking... cut it up small and use a high heat and don't overcook...

[bunty39]

thankyou snags. I'll give the " bash " a go. I do cut it up into small strips, and give it only two minutes in the wok after marinating it, but i'm not sure if I have the heat high enough. Does it need to be smoking? I'm maybe not brave enough.

[ummmm]

Cook it in a separate pan and add it when stir fry is almost ready. Also depends what type of steak you're using?

[snags]

Bashing it tenderises and reduces the thickness so it cooks quicker and means the meat won't dry out. Also important: don't overfill the Wok... cook separately then add with other ingredients at the end. Heat-wise, get the Wok lightly smoking (have you noticed how hot the Woks get in Chinese Takeaways!).

[ethandron]

yep, i do what ummm does. cook the meat first, put it on a plate then add it back into the veg when you're fried them. and as snags aays, don't over cook it, worst thing you can do. steak really doesn't need much cooking at all, it's not like chicken which needs thoroughly cooking right through.

[bunty39]

thanks ummmm. what's the best steak to use? I usually just buy the meat already diced, and make any big pieces smaller. would it be better to buy a piece of steak and cut it into strips myself?

[ummmm]

But if it's rubbish steak it doesn't matter how you cook it. It will never be tender.

I get my wok really really smoking hot. Don't add any oil when heating the wok....add it when it's ready to go..

[ummmm]

Bunty...if you're using meat already cubed then the chances are it's braising steak. This should be cooked long and slow.

You need to use something like Sirloin or Rump. Using steak above that quality is wasted in a stir fry.

[craft1948]

I'm starting to feel hungry now.....

[ummmm]

So am I Craft....I have a nice lunch coming up :-)

[pastafreak]

Semi-freeze your steak-then slice VERY thinly into matchsticks. Also-add a teaspoon of cornflour to your marinade. I don't know why-but it always keeps the meat-or chicken-much moister and less likely to get tough.

[heathfield]

Use best quality sirloin that's preferably been hung for 21 days. It's tender enough to be eaten rare, i.e. still bleeding in the middle! Even rump is a bit too firm to be tender when you stir-fry it, unless it's been marinaded first.

[bushbaby_de]

I marinade mine in egg whisked with cornflour, soy sauce and sherry or rice wine and its always lovely :)