On Jul 4, 9:14 am, George wrote:
RJ wrote:
On Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:59:35 -0400, George wrote:

Mitch wrote:
I can't seem to get "that taste."
Don't even know how to describe it.

My fried rice is good, but it's just not like takeout, which I love.

When I was experimenting with Chinese cooking,
I got the wok, ingredients, cookbooks, etc.
No matter what I did, results tasted like "hash".

At some point, I gave up.
There are some dishes best left
to the people who do it every day.

rj

If you like using a wok the only thing missing in a typical home is a
really high output burner and appropriate venting. You can get various
gas burners that you can use outside and get a much better result.

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe one of those propane things you
use to heat the oil for deep frying turkeys would generate enough heat
to get the right result.

aem wrote:
On Jul 3, 1:41 pm, Mitch Mitch@... wrote:
I can't seem to get "that taste."
Don't even know how to describe it. [snip]

In almost all cases the missing factor is Heat. It's nearly
impossible to achieve at home the blazing heat and ultra-short cooking
times that characterize the best stir fries, but there are some things
that will help.

A well-seasoned wok or heavy pan.
The freshest produce possible.
Ingredients cut to small, uniform pieces.
Heat wok to point it begins to smoke, then add cold oil by
swirling it around the sides.
If you've washed or marinated the ingredients, they should be
dried or drained before going in to the wok.
Do not overload the wok -- no more than 1 lb. meat, or 3 to 4 cups
veggies (or rice) for a 14" wok.

Better to make two batches that the wok can sear properly than to make
one large soggy steamed batch. -aem



The other ingredients may need to be fresh, but the rice needs to be
stale rice.

The wok needs to be hot enough to actually brown the rice a little
(tough to do at home)

It's probably picking up flavors from the last thing that was cooked in
the wok. They just rinse them between uses.

Bob

zxcvbob wrote in news:5f1qrbF3ahfvdU1
@mid.individual.net:

aem wrote:
On Jul 3, 1:41 pm, Mitch Mitch@... wrote:
I can't seem to get "that taste."
Don't even know how to describe it. [snip]

In almost all cases the missing factor is Heat. It's nearly
impossible to achieve at home the blazing heat and ultra-short cooking
times that characterize the best stir fries, but there are some things
that will help.

A well-seasoned wok or heavy pan.
The freshest produce possible.
Ingredients cut to small, uniform pieces.
Heat wok to point it begins to smoke, then add cold oil by
swirling it around the sides.
If you've washed or marinated the ingredients, they should be
dried or drained before going in to the wok.
Do not overload the wok -- no more than 1 lb. meat, or 3 to 4 cups
veggies (or rice) for a 14" wok.

Better to make two batches that the wok can sear properly than to make
one large soggy steamed batch. -aem



The other ingredients may need to be fresh, but the rice needs to be
stale rice.

The wok needs to be hot enough to actually brown the rice a little
(tough to do at home)

It's probably picking up flavors from the last thing that was cooked in
the wok. They just rinse them between uses.

Bob


Don't forget to examine the rice....what kind does the restaurant use?
basmati, jasmine, plain old long grain, mid-sized grain, or short? This
will also affect the flavour as different rices taste different and
absorb flavours differently.

Also what the rice was cooked in, just water, salted water, a little
chicken broth, garlic, etc....rice like many things is best salted while
it cooks as apposed to salting afterwards. You'll get more bang (flavour)
for less buck (salt) if the rice water is lightly salted.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

hahabogus wrote:
zxcvbob wrote in news:5f1qrbF3ahfvdU1
@mid.individual.net:

aem wrote:
On Jul 3, 1:41 pm, Mitch Mitch@... wrote:
I can't seem to get "that taste."
Don't even know how to describe it. [snip]
In almost all cases the missing factor is Heat. It's nearly
impossible to achieve at home the blazing heat and ultra-short cooking
times that characterize the best stir fries, but there are some things
that will help.

A well-seasoned wok or heavy pan.
The freshest produce possible.
Ingredients cut to small, uniform pieces.
Heat wok to point it begins to smoke, then add cold oil by
swirling it around the sides.
If you've washed or marinated the ingredients, they should be
dried or drained before going in to the wok.
Do not overload the wok -- no more than 1 lb. meat, or 3 to 4 cups
veggies (or rice) for a 14" wok.

Better to make two batches that the wok can sear properly than to make
one large soggy steamed batch. -aem


The other ingredients may need to be fresh, but the rice needs to be
stale rice.

The wok needs to be hot enough to actually brown the rice a little
(tough to do at home)

It's probably picking up flavors from the last thing that was cooked in
the wok. They just rinse them between uses.

Bob


Don't forget to examine the rice....what kind does the restaurant use?
basmati, jasmine, plain old long grain, mid-sized grain, or short? This
will also affect the flavour as different rices taste different and
absorb flavours differently.

Also what the rice was cooked in, just water, salted water, a little
chicken broth, garlic, etc....rice like many things is best salted while
it cooks as apposed to salting afterwards. You'll get more bang (flavour)
for less buck (salt) if the rice water is lightly salted.


Chinese cuisine normally uses long-grain and, for special occasions,
jasmine rice. Short-grained glutinous rices go into different dishes
altogether, like those leaf-wrapped dumplings with pork or chicken and
split peas inside them.

The water for cooking rice is normally never salted. The exceptions are
when you're making congee or cooking in stock, and rice cooked in stock
is a special-occasion dish, not for later frying. Adding salt might
give more bang for your buck, but it will probably not get you closer to
what the Chinese chefs produce.

Chinese don't normally steam their rice either. They boil it hard, then
lower the flame and let it soak up the remaining water. Some people
start with extra water and pour the surplus off after a few minutes of
heavy boiling to get rid of loose starch. That might help if you want
looser grains for subsequent frying.

For mainstream dishes like fried left-over rice, think cheap and fresh.
Everyday Chinese cuisine, especially from the south (which is where
rice is eaten) is not about wealth or even adequacy.

"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
aem wrote:
On Jul 3, 1:41 pm, Mitch Mitch@... wrote:
I can't seem to get "that taste."
Don't even know how to describe it. [snip]

In almost all cases the missing factor is Heat. It's nearly
impossible to achieve at home the blazing heat and ultra-short cooking
times that characterize the best stir fries, but there are some things
that will help.

A well-seasoned wok or heavy pan.
The freshest produce possible.
Ingredients cut to small, uniform pieces.
Heat wok to point it begins to smoke, then add cold oil by
swirling it around the sides.
If you've washed or marinated the ingredients, they should be
dried or drained before going in to the wok.
Do not overload the wok -- no more than 1 lb. meat, or 3 to 4 cups
veggies (or rice) for a 14" wok.

Better to make two batches that the wok can sear properly than to make
one large soggy steamed batch. -aem



The other ingredients may need to be fresh, but the rice needs to be stale
rice.

The wok needs to be hot enough to actually brown the rice a little (tough
to do at home)

It's probably picking up flavors from the last thing that was cooked in
the wok. They just rinse them between uses.

Bob

I been thinking about wokking (never knew it was a verb, did ya?) on the gas
grill outside. With both gas rings blazing, it gets hotter than my
residential stove. Might work better there....
Edrena

On Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:03:32 -0000, levelwave
wrote:

On Jul 3, 3:41 pm, Mitch Mitch@... wrote:

And it's not MSG. The places around here don't use it.
And I'd know if they lied because my friend would have an instant
migraine.

There's is nothing you can do at home to get "that taste". You don't
have the same equipment they do in your kitchen to replicate exactly
what they're serving you.

~john

i think this is the crux of the problem. fortunately, i like my fried
rice better than take-out.

your smug pal,
blake

On Tue, 3 Jul 2007 16:20:33 -0500, "jmcquown"
wrote:

Mitch wrote:
I can't seem to get "that taste."
Don't even know how to describe it.

My fried rice is good, but it's just not like takeout, which I love.

And it's not MSG. The places around here don't use it.
And I'd know if they lied because my friend would have an instant
migraine.

It's a must to use rice cooked without added salt or fat, cooked the day
before and then refrigerated.

Jill


everyone says you must use day-old rice, but i don't find that to be
true. i use long grain white rice cooked with the water in a 1:1
ratio.

your pal,
blake

On Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:59:35 -0400, George
wrote:

Mitch wrote:
I can't seem to get "that taste."
Don't even know how to describe it.

My fried rice is good, but it's just not like takeout, which I love.

And it's not MSG. The places around here don't use it.
And I'd know if they lied because my friend would have an instant
migraine.

Its called "wok hey" and it is because of a good wok heated by high
output burners. Thats why you can certainly use a wok at home on a
standard stove but never get a really good result.

i wouldn't say 'never get a really good result.' you won't get the
same result.

your pal,
blake

Christopher Helms wrote:

If you like using a wok the only thing missing in a typical home is a
really high output burner and appropriate venting. You can get various
gas burners that you can use outside and get a much better result.

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe one of those propane things you
use to heat the oil for deep frying turkeys would generate enough heat
to get the right result.


I have an older version similar to this:

http://www.amazon.com/Eastman-Outdoo.../dp/B0000CAQ0R

My burner is ~100,000 BTU. Here is a good shot of what a high output
burner looks like in action and a good description of why it works:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=77281

On Jul 3, 4:41?pm, Mitch Mitch@... wrote:
I can't seem to get "that taste."
Don't even know how to describe it.

Try making flied lice. hehe

My fried rice is good, but it's just not like takeout, which I love.
And it's not MSG. The places around here don't use it.

Where is "around here"? Even if they don't add MSG most all the
prepared ingredients they use contain MSG.

And I'd know if they lied because my friend would have an instant
migraine.

That's BS... bery, bery few people are actually allergic to to MSG.
MSG occurs naturally in many every day foods, including breast milk.
Chinese restaurant syndrome is attributed to consuming too much
ordinary salt in too short a time... Chinese restaurant cookery uses
lots of salt. Your friend would get the same migraine from consuming
kosher deli food too.

Sheldon

On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 16:22:32 GMT, "The Joneses"
wrote:


"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
aem wrote:
On Jul 3, 1:41 pm, Mitch Mitch@... wrote:
I can't seem to get "that taste."
Don't even know how to describe it. [snip]

In almost all cases the missing factor is Heat. It's nearly
impossible to achieve at home the blazing heat and ultra-short cooking
times that characterize the best stir fries, but there are some things
that will help.

A well-seasoned wok or heavy pan.
The freshest produce possible.
Ingredients cut to small, uniform pieces.
Heat wok to point it begins to smoke, then add cold oil by
swirling it around the sides.
If you've washed or marinated the ingredients, they should be
dried or drained before going in to the wok.
Do not overload the wok -- no more than 1 lb. meat, or 3 to 4 cups
veggies (or rice) for a 14" wok.

Better to make two batches that the wok can sear properly than to make
one large soggy steamed batch. -aem



The other ingredients may need to be fresh, but the rice needs to be stale
rice.

The wok needs to be hot enough to actually brown the rice a little (tough
to do at home)

It's probably picking up flavors from the last thing that was cooked in
the wok. They just rinse them between uses.

Bob

I been thinking about wokking (never knew it was a verb, did ya?) on the gas
grill outside. With both gas rings blazing, it gets hotter than my
residential stove. Might work better there....
Edrena


if you could arrange for the wok to rest securely on something (or you
have a flat-bottom wok), i would definitely give it a try.

your pal,
blake

On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:57:44 -0500, zxcvbob
wrote:

The wok needs to be hot enough to actually brown the rice a little
(tough to do at home)

Soy gives you that brown look.

--
See return address to reply by email

sf wrote:
On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:57:44 -0500, zxcvbob
wrote:

The wok needs to be hot enough to actually brown the rice a little
(tough to do at home)

Soy gives you that brown look.


Actually part of the reason why the restaurant version tastes better is
that the heat is so high that there is a little browning.

One time on Usenet, blake murphy said:
On Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:03:32 -0000, levelwave
wrote:

On Jul 3, 3:41 pm, Mitch Mitch@... wrote:

And it's not MSG. The places around here don't use it.
And I'd know if they lied because my friend would have an instant
migraine.

There's is nothing you can do at home to get "that taste". You don't
have the same equipment they do in your kitchen to replicate exactly
what they're serving you.

~john

i think this is the crux of the problem. fortunately, i like my fried
rice better than take-out.

your smug pal,
blake

I agree with you, Blake -- homemade fried rice is better that what
I can get around here. I do cheat and use the Sun Luck seasoning
packet, but at least my fried rice doesn't have bits of old BBQ
pork in it...

--
Jani in WA

One time on Usenet, said:
On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:57:44 -0500, zxcvbob
wrote:

The wok needs to be hot enough to actually brown the rice a little
(tough to do at home)

Soy gives you that brown look.

Especially if you rub it liberally into your skin before hitting
the beach...

--
Jani in WA