Bell peppers become either crunchy or soggy
Why can't I ever cook bell peppers to the right consistency?
Particularly in Asian dishes, and I have cut them various ways-- I continue cooking if they seem hard, then they become soggy and/or bitter.
Is there carry-over cooking that happens with bell peppers as there is with eggs?
Do the restaurants have a trick to get them to the proper consistency?
Maybe par boil or blanching prior to stirfry?
Best Answer
There is a slight carry over with most things you cook. However I think the answer to most "Why is my stir fry not like the restaurant's?" questions, has to do with heat. Their stoves are much, much more powerful. You simply can't get that with a typical home stove.
So, the way to get closest at home is to preheat your wok (or your largest flat, not non stick skillet) till it is screaming hot, add a bit of oil and cook your food in batches; No more than 1 layer and nothing crowding one another. Chef Ming Tsai suggests if you have a stainless steel wok that can go in the oven, to preheat it in there.
It should sizzle and keep sizzling through your cooking. If it isn't, you are steaming it, which will cause your softer texture. The key to stir fry, is to cook it really quickly. With the smaller batches, it'll all cook pretty quickly that in the end it doesn't take that much longer.
Edit: You asked about blanching. You might blanch some harder vegetables, to cut down on stir fry time but I can't see that helping for peppers of any sort.
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Answer 2
Bell Peppers have a very fast change from crisp to soft
This is why you usually encounter them either raw or fully roasted and peeled. They change quickly. In a stir fry, cook them just a couple minutes and accept the slightly crunchy texture, or cook them through. I find this leads to a sometimes 'rubbery' texture, as the skin will not soften in the same way.
Char and peel them
This is the next most common preparation. Accept that cooking them through means soft texture and use them that way.
Cut in thin strips and quickly sautee
This is seen in steak sandwiches and american-mexican restaurant sizzling fajita platters. This way the texture difference between skin and flesh is not noticeable.
Answer 3
If what is desired is a slightly denser texture, oil blanching (a polite term for quickly deep frying the vegetables) might help - the pepper pieces will shrink slightly, reducing water content and potentially intensifying taste. Obviously, they can also be easily overcooked that way, and will be best suited to oily or emulsified sauces since they will be quite oily, especially with the skin on (which does not absorb oil much - but is great at getting plenty of oil stuck to it!)
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