How do I make stir-fry sauces that don't get watery and thin as leftovers?
I often cook in bulk and then eat leftovers for several days. One area where I've struggled with this strategy is stir-fries. It seems that even if I get a well-thickened, flavorful sauce the day that I cook it, the sauce will go thin, watery, and weak-flavored as leftovers.
What I think is happening is that the salt and/or sugar in the sauce is putting osmotic pressure on the water in the vegetables. Since the sauce is added shortly before serving, the whole dish doesn't have time to come to equilibrium the day of. However, overnight, water leeches out of the vegetables and dilutes the sauce.
The same problem doesn't seem to happen with Chinese take-out leftovers, so I think it must be possible to avoid it. Does anyone have a suggestion?
Best Answer
This is pure conjecture:
It's possible that the issue is in how the vegetables are cooked -- commercial restaurants have crazy hot burners so the vegetables are cooked on the outside while still firm in the middle. It's very difficult to achieve this with a stove at home.
The closest that I've managed to get to it is by cooking in batches ... an ingredient or two at a time (or half of a given ingredient when I'm cooking for a crowd) in an oiled skilled that's heated to smoking ... and then move it to a bowl once it's cooked, and cook the next batch once the skillet is back to smoking hot again. (I deglaze in between batches, with mirin or similar, if needed)
Another possible issue is the ingredients. There are a few foods out there that will break down gels due to enzymes in them. So if you're making sweet and sour dishes with fresh pineapple, you're actually better off using canned as they've been cooked thoroughly enough to deactivate the enzymes. You should also only taste your sauce with a clean spoon (or using the two spoon method), so that enzymes from your saliva don't contaminate the sauce, as that can also break down gels given sufficient time.
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Quick Answer about "How do I make stir-fry sauces that don't get watery and thin as leftovers?"
I typically do it all in one pan, starting with firmer vegetables and adding soft vegetables just near the end. Once the vegetables are done, I pour in the sauce, thicken it with cornstarch. I take it off heat as soon as the sauce starts to bubble.How do you make a stir fry sauce less watery?
If your stir fry sauce gets too thick from too much slurry or from over-reducing, you can simply stir in water in small amounts to thin out the sauce.How do I make my stir fry sauce thicker?
Cornstarch! In his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Mark Bittman recommends mixing 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the same amount of water, and tossing this into the stir fry just when it's almost done. It thickens in seconds, picking up the flavors of everything already in the dish and coating evenly.Why is my stir fry always soggy?
If you add too many ingredients at once, they will overlap and steam, rather than saut\xe9, making them rubbery or soggy. "Cook each ingredient separately," advises Martinez. Not only does this ensure that you won't pile too much in the pan at once, but it will also account for different cooking times.How do you make stir fry taste like a restaurant?
Sauce is essential to a good stir-fry because it adds sweet, tangy and salty flavors to the dish. You can use a store-bought sauce or make your own from oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch and broth. Aim for about 2 to 3 tablespoons per person.delicious all-purpose stir fry sauce you need to try asap
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