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.
>
> 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...
>
> 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?
>
> Other questions I have a is it in fact OK to use a nonstick
> surface at such high temperatures? how do I cook in batches at
> high heat and at the same time avoid burning the oil? 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?
>
> Thanks for your stir-frying wisdom!
>
> Jill

Use cast iron. ;-)

C.