Sirloin+Stir+Fry

**This is an all American twist on traditional Asian style stir fry. The "special sauce" can be thrown together with items we all have on our refrigerator door. Stir things up and try this one out!**
 * Rachael Ray's Sirloin Stir Fry**

LAB PREP QUESTIONS media type="youtube" key="nyiaPDYhnYg" width="560" height="315"

1. What does it mean to stir-fry?
**Stir-frying is an Asian technique for cooking meat and vegetables quickly, so that they retain texture and flavor. Stir-frying typically involves a QUICK sauté over high heat, occasionally followed by a brief steam in a flavored sauce. A wok is used to stir-fry.**

== 2. Why is it absolutely crucial to have all ingredients prepped and ready BEFORE you begin? Because stir-frying is such a quick cooking method, Once you begin, there is no time between steps to stop and prepare ingredients. It is essential that everything be prepped and organized before you begin.==

**3. Why is it important to chop all the ingredients roughly the same size? **
====**Make sure that your vegetables and meats are all cut approximately the same size - bite size, as a matter of fact. Stir-frying uses high heat, so pieces must be small enough to cook through without burning. Ingredients are added in a particular order based on the amount of time it will take to cook each one. **====

**4, 5 & 6. What piece of equipment will you use to stir fry at the oven?**
==== **While you can stir fry in any skillet, the depth of the wok and sloping sides are ideal. It is cooler inside the sloping sides so you can move ingredients away from the direct heat on the bottom of the pan.** ====



Make a note on your recipe Before you begin to stir fry ALL ingredients must be neatly prepped and laid out on your orange tray to be checked by your teacher!
**8. Why pop meat in freezer before slicing? ** **[|Why freeze meat?]**
 * [[image:culinary1demovideos/yuxiang_ingredient.jpg caption="yuxiang_ingredient.jpg"]] ||

**Note**: Your teacher will "chill" the sirloin before class begins.
** You will use the RED cutting board to slice your meat! **

Your recipe calls for 1/4 lb. of meat. Using the equivalent 16 oz. = 1 lb; Set up the equation to solve
 * 9. How will you measure the steak? **

16/1 ÷4/1 = (Remember to cross multiply, to do so, flip the second fraction and multiply straight across) You will need to measure this with a scale, which will be on the ingredient table for you.

**"Halve" Meat** - to make meat less dense before stir frying, cut in half //HORIZONTALLY// before thinly slicing it.
 * 10. Describe how to halve the steak and thinly slice it: **

To cut //AGAINST// the grain simply means to cut in the opposite directions of the fibers running throughout the meat.

11.Why do you cut meat against the grain?
If you cut with the grain, you'll end up with long strands of protein, like this:

code

From what I understand, this means that it'll be pretty chewy. Your mouth has to work harder to break the strands up into smaller pieces to be more easily swallowed. code

code fall apart more easily (each strand doesn't have as much surface area to connect to adjacent strands) and will therefore be more tender. code ** Look at this example of a piece of steak cut with the grain vs. against the grain for evidence of the difference: ** ||
 * You can see that the strands are much shorter, which means the meat will
 * You can see that the strands are much shorter, which means the meat will
 * You can see that the strands are much shorter, which means the meat will
 * www.thefoodlab.com ||

How to cut meat against the grain
How to Prepare Sirloin Steak for Stir Fry

** 12 ** . ** What color cutting board will you use to cut the meat on? RED **

 * 13. What should you do with the cutting board and knife as soon as you are done? **

=
Two things - 1. To prevent cross-contamination, all equipment used to prepare the meat should immediately be taken to the sink. 2. Wipe down the space where you were working and rinse your rag before continuing.=====

** 14. Why is the oil heated in the wok before cooking the meat? **

Heating the oil is crucial to cooking stir frying your food instead of simply soaking it in the oil. Once the oil is heated it will "fry" your vegetables and meat.

The total amount of __ [|cooking] __ oil needed in a__ [| recipe] __ will depend on the type of __ [|wok] __ or skillet used. Those with a nonstick lining tend to use less oil than their counterparts. As a matter of safety, begin __ [|heating] __ the cooking oil in a cold wok. Avoid heating the wok first before adding the oil.

= 15. What does “wafts smoke and ripples” mean? =

= When waiting for the oil to be hot, use all of your senses.... the smell of heated oil should begin to //waft// through the air, you should see //smoke// and hear/see the oil begin to //ripple// in the wok. =

16.What does caramelized meat look like?
==Cooking your meat at this temperature will **//"sear"//**the meat. When caramelizing meat, allow it to sit in a hot pan to draw out the juices and brown the meat. Stir only after the meat has begun to brown for a few minutes.==

** 16. Reminder: How to work with peppers **


 * 17. ** **How to Cut Peppers**

** 18.What are scallions? How do you cut them? **

**Scallions are what many already refer to as “green onions.” More times than not, you will see them referred to as scallions. Scallions are a young onion with a small white tip and a bright, tall green stem. Both the onion bulb and green stem can be used in recipes, which add both color and flavor to a dish. Scallions have a milder flavor than onions and can be easily chopped or diced and added fresh to a recipe. **

Edamame /ˌɛdəˈmɑːmeɪ/, or edamame bean is a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod, found in the cuisine of China, Japan, Korea and Hawaii. The pods are boiled or steamed and served with salt.
 * 19. What is edamame? **

== To peel the edamame, simply pop open the pod along the line running along the top of each pod and scoop out soy beans or use a paring knife to carefully (so you don't damage the beans inside) slice open the pod and scoop out the soybeans. Since the edamame is frozen you may need to put them in the microwave to help thaw them out. Microwave on 30 second intervals until they are easily able to be removed from the shell. ==
 * How do you shell them? **


 * NOTE: The edamame may come already shelled depending on what is available at the grocery store. **

=For this lab you will also make brown rice for your group to eat with the stir fry. The head chef must bring 1 cups of water to a boil as soon as they wipe down their table. While you wait for the water to boil you MUST remain at the stove!!!!!=

** 20. Directions for brown rice ** Copy these instructions onto your recipe for preparing the rice


 * 1) Bring 1 cup water to a boil.
 * 2) Stir in 1 cup of rice; return to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.
 * 3) Remove from heat and stir; Cover. Let stand for 5 minutes until water is absorbed. Fluff with a wooden spoon.

===Once the water boils you will add the rice. Stir with a wooden spoon. Make sure the water returns to a boil once the rice has been added. When the water boils, COVER the rice reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the rice simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID UNTIL THE TIME HAS PASSED!!!! When time is up uncover and stir.===

** BE CAREFUL OF THE STEAM IT WILL BE VERY HOT!!!! **

** As a class, watch the video below of a stir-fry being prepared step-by-step. Although some of the directions & ingredients vary from your recipe, the video is an excellent demonstration of stir-fry techniques/tips. **

** Allrecipes.com Stir Fry Demo **