Wayne Boatwright wrote:

Katra wrote in
:

Dad and I were discussing the "soup" that I made this morning for
lunch, it was basically a chicken and oriental veggie soup, but I like
to leave stuff in fork sized pieces... so he said it was actually a
stew. Hmmmm...

It included cubes of chicken thigh, celery, bok choy, onion, scallion,
garlic, and 3 different types of mushrooms including button mushroom,
straw mushroom and oyster mushroom. I then stirred some egg into it
when it was done and added some bean sprouts.

This makes me wonder, what defines a stew vs. a soup?
What is the difference between pan frying and pan broiling?
What is the difference between stir frying and sautéing?

K.

First off, Katra, you soup sounds delicious!

Danke. ;-)

Something always magic about chicken soup...
Dad was kinda dragging this morning and he said that the soup gave him
some energy...

It was quite good and there is enough to warm up for tomorrow. :-)


I'm not going to look and cut and paste answers out of dictionary. I
think we all have our own perception of the things you're asking.

To me, the consistency, amount of liquid, and size of pieces define
whether something is a soup or stew. I also think there is a lot of
overlap. IMHO, stew is usually thicker with less liquid and much larger
pieces in it.

I did not thicken it at all, but I like to make "chunky" soups so that
was how I was defining it. :-) This is more to settle a disagreement
betwixt papasan and I. G There was quite a bit of liquid.

I forgot to add ginger. :-( I had some, just forgot it. I usually
combine Ginger and garlic, and maybe a dash of soy to get that
"oriental" flavor.

He admits that I am a better cook than he is, but when he tries to
duplicate my recipes, he makes two mistakes... He chops the food WAY too
fine so we end up with a overspiced mush, (not very appealing really)
and he has a heavier hand with some of the stronger spices/herbs than I
do, and, worst of all, he tends to overcook egg dishes as his technique
is totally different than mine!


Pan frying and pan broiling? Ya got me. However, pan frying seems to
indicate a certain amount of fat being used in the skillet, perhaps
1/8-1/4" or more. Pan broiling, if not actually put under the boiler in
a heavy pan, would seem to be cooking with very little if any fat, and
cooking at a higher heat to sear the food. Broiling also seems to
indicate no coating on the food, whereas much pan frying includes a
coating.

That's what I was thinking. Thanks! :-)


Stir frying is quickly done, usually with rapid stirring, and usually
done in a wok. Sautéing is usually done in a sauté or skillet The food
is usually moved about and turned over to insure even cooking, and is
often lightly browned.

And that is not done with stir fry's if you use a pan? G
With the glass top stove, I can't use a wok so I have to use the cast
iron skillet for stir fry's.

I have a brand new electric wok that I've never used yet. It's still in
the box in the store room..... G


These are my impressions and certainly may not align with a dictionary,
but they work for me.

Wayne

Thanks for the input. :-) I appreciate it!

K.

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