Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

for a pan to reach 350ºF—and I strongly suspect that most pans fail to reach this

The key to effective sautéing lies in the pan heat. It can take a good 5 minutes

surface heat. As a result, food tends to leak water as it heats, boiling rather
than frying, which holds back the browning effect and the release of natural

volatile oils in such vegetables as onions, garlic, and peppers.

One way to know just how long it takes for a pan to be

effective is to buy a small surface thermometer usually used

for outdoor grills. You put it in the skillet and it reads the sur­

face temperature. After a while you will know when the pan is
hot, but the temperature gauge is a good way to learn. Sautéed foods

can be tossed (great fun to learn) or stirred carefully and infrequently . . .

allowing time for the food to settle and get the browning effect. Again, season

lightly and add fresh parsley. Added oil or fat is not needed.

Stir -Fry

When Danny Kaye was alive, I used to cook with him on his full-size professional

gas range at his home in Beverly Hills, and I have a memory of his using a large

wok—a steel bowl-shaped pan that fit well on the large gas flame. Because I’ve

seldom met anyone else with a similar installation, I’ve adjusted the stir-fry
method to be done in a large flat skillet with reasonable sides, 2–3 inches. (Th ere

are, however, lots of styles of woks that are suited to both cooking on gas and

electric stoves. There’s even an electric wok, if you are so inclined to purchase

another appliance.)

Like in sautéing, the pan has got to be hot—but not incandescent! I prefer

good-quality nonstick, well-sealed cast aluminum that’s got a reasonably heavy
base. At about 350ºF and using just 1 tablespoon of olive oil for four portions,

add diced (to about ½ inch) foods in order of their texture: carrots fi rst and bean

sprouts last. Avoid scorching the likes of garlic, green onions, and ginger by add­

ing these later, after some fluids have been released.

It really isn’t necessary or beneficial to continuously toss and stir. In fact, it’s

COOKING METHODS FOR MAXIMUM FLAVOR AND NUTRITION • 55