Katra wrote in
:

snip


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.

Certainly, thickening can be an option with both stews and soups. Often
I use no thickening in either. I guess by "thicker" I also meant that
for stew it is inherently thicker because of far less 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.

Great combination!


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!

I "hate" overcooked eggs! G



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.

To be sure, you can stir fry in almost anything. Usually high heat and
brisk stirring/tossing is the key. To do so in a wok is just a bit more
common. I have a flat-bottomed wok that I used when I had a glass top
stove. It worked rather well.


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

I had one for years that I used a lot until it finally burned out. I've
never gotten around to replacing it.

Wayne