Chinese Cooking Techniques

Chinese cooking involves all kinds of techniques from stir-frying to steaming to simmering. This table lists a variety of Chinese cooking techniques and what you use them for, and a few tips as well.

Technique	The Results	What You Need	How Long?	Tips
Stir-frying	Crisp, brightly colored foods with lots of nutrition and flavor, but little fat	A wok or large frying pan	Lightning-quick — there’s not time.	Have all your ingredients and sauces prepared ahead of time; cook ingredients in stages.
Steaming	Healthful, almost fat-free foods whose fresh, natural flavors stand out	An electric steamer; a wok or pan with a steamer rack	Not too long — as long as it takes to fully cook the food	Be careful when removing the steamer lid so you don’t get a painful steam burn.
Blanching	Softened — not fully cooked — foods that are now ready for complete cooking via another method	A wok or pot big enough to hold plenty of boiling water	Brief — just a few minutes or long enough to soften	Make sure to stop the cooking after removing the food the food by rinsing it with or plunging it into cold water.
Simmering	Gently cooked, tender, juicy, and flavorful food	A wok or pot that can hold enough water to cover the food	A while — from a few minutes to more than an hour	Gentle is the key word: After you bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and gently cook the food until it’s done.
Braising	Flavorful, tender, morsels from the toughest cuts of meats	Same equipment as simmering	A long time; normally a couple hours will do the trick	Browning the meat first adds flavor and color; just be patient and don’t put too much meat in the pan at once.
Deep-frying	Food that’s crisp and golden on the outside, tender and fully cooked on the inside	An electric fryer; a large pan or wok with a flat bottom or a ring stand	Not too long, because the quicker the food fries, the better the texture becomes	Don’t let the oil temperature drop! Be careful working near the hot oil, too.
Roasting	Foods with a crisp, caramelized exterior and juicy, tender flesh (but they get that texture from dry, circulating heat rather than from hot oil, as in deep-frying)	An oven	Depends on the food’s thickness, but generally a longer, less fuel-efficient method	Make sure that air circulates around the food, and baste it with the marinade or pan juices to add flavor and keep it moist.
Smoking	Foods with a distinctively smoky, aromatic flavor	A wok, which easily turns into a smoker	A longer, slower cooking method	Choose from many flavoring agents, such as tea and rice, to flavor your smoke.

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