J Krugman wrote in message ...
I have always been intimidated by stir frying: the high heat, the
smoke, the bazillion ingredients... Maybe I spooked myself out,
but these fears were amply confirmed when I attempted my first stir
fry last Monday. What a nightmare!

I followed the instructions I had to the letter (well, almost; see
below): during what seemed like an eternity of chopping and other
prep work, I let my 12" skillet heat up slowly over a very low
flame; then I cranked up the heat to high for 3-4 minutes, added
to 3 T of peanut oil to the skillet, let it heat up for about 1
minute, and then added my first batch (of 2) of marinated, bite-sized
chunks of chicken breast (about 1/2 pound's worth). My instructions
said that these should be stir-fried for 2-3 minutes, until golden
brown. At around the 2 minute mark I noticed that the oil was
burning badly (it was turning dark brown), and right about then,
the building's smoke alarm went off, even though the smoke detector
is outside my apartment, behind a thick, firmly-shut door (I had
turned off the power to the smoke detector inside my apartment
before I started cooking). Needless to say, I had to abort the
project...

In the aftermath, I discovered that the oil's high heat had melted
off the edge of my nonstick-friendly spatula, a veteran of many a
sauteeing campaign.

Your heat was too high.


The one thing I did not do according to the instructions that might
have prevented this little disaster was to use a nonstick skillet.
(My biggest nonstick skillet seemed too small for the task, so I
opted for my 12" stainless-steel one.) Perhaps with a nonstick
skillet, and consequently less oil, I would have had less smoke...

And less heat. I stir-fry in my non-stick all the time. I also don't
use peanut oil, though, because we hate the taste.


My kitchen, and hence my stove, is far away from any external wall;
there is no reasonable way for me to vent my stove to the outside.
Right now my stove is equipped with a puny recirculating fan (which,
incidentally, was turned on during the episode I described above,
to no avail), tucked somehow under and around a microwave oven. I
imagine that any scheme to take care of stir-fry smoke will involve
relocating the microwave oven and installing a better hood/fan. My
main question is, is there an indoor venting system that can handle
the smoke generated by a stir-fry well enough to prevent smoke
alarms from going off? If so, what brands/models/styles should I
be looking out for?

Well, I have a Jenn-Air stove with built-in fan/vent to the outdoors,
so this isn't an issue for me. I dunno if there is any portable or
non-permanent thing you can buy to remove the smoke/steam. You need
an overhead venting system.


Other questions I have a is it in fact OK to use a nonstick
surface at such high temperatures?

Not at that high. Reduce your heat. If the temp is too high, the
non-stick coating will change composition, and the pan will get
runined.

how do I cook in batches at
high heat and at the same time avoid burning the oil?

What I do is heat the skillet with oil on a setting of about 8 (out of
10) for a couple minutes, add meat in batches, and let them brown,
turn/stir them, and let all sides brown. Remove them to a warming
dish to finish cooking, and do another batch. You get brown burned
goo on the bottom of the skillet, from the meat, but that is deglazed
between batches and set aside for the sauce. I always clean my
skillet between batches after deglazing - even if it is just with
water and a paper towel. I do all of the veggies last, remove them,
and then return the glaze into the skillet to finish the sauce (adding
spices, cornstarch thickener). After the sauce is done, I add the
meat back in, then the veggies, and serve immediately.


where can I
find a spatula that is both nonstick-friendly and capable of
withstanding the very high stir-frying temperatures? is there any
way to minimize the smoke that does not detract from the quality
of the stir-fry?

My spoons/spatulas are all Calphalon brand, but I don't think that's
necessary. Any non-rubber, non-metal utensil will do.


Thanks for your stir-frying wisdom!

HTH,
-L.