Are Stir-Fry's Healthy?

LFC5Times

Not the fondest of vegetables but have grown to like them a fair bit more and when cooking some fish I often stir fry some veggies to go with it and throw in a bit of soy sauce.

Tend to have carrots,onions,peppers,sweetcorn,beansprouts,mange tout in the stir fry.

So just wondering is it healthy? I sometimes steam them but much prefer the taste off a stir fry.

Thanks

EileenG

Yes, it's fine. Anything which gets veggies into you is good, and stir fries do it without cooking them to a mush.

Sapsorrow

Ya just use a heat stable oil (not olive) I use coconut fat. I seem to remember Temple saying avocado oil was very stable but it's very expensive.
What I do is steam my veg in the wok with a pot lid and then at the end when it's just about done I add in my fat and cook for another minute to get the fried flavour without exposing the fat to too much heat or air.

BostonB

khrystyna100 wrote: »

Ya just use a heat stable oil (not olive)....

Er why not?

El_Dangeroso

BostonB wrote: »

Er why not?

Smoke point could be too low unless you use mild and light (which is 60C higher). Once oil is smoking, the fats degrade, becoming more volatile and prone to oxidisation. Which is a bad thing heart-wise.

Here's a good list:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/50/Smoke-Points-of-Various-Fats

Sapsorrow

BostonB wrote: »

Er why not?

Certains oils are extremely sensitive to oxidation, heat and light damage, the more unsaturated the more liable they are to this sort of damage. Olive oil is a MUFA so it has more potential than saturated fats (but less than PUFAs) to react with oxygen radicals which is a bad thing.

Sapsorrow

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Smoke point could be too low unless you use mild and light (which is 60C higher). Once oil is smoking, the fats degrade, becoming more volatile and prone to oxidisation. Which is a bad thing heart-wise.

Here's a good list:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/50/Smoke-Points-of-Various-Fats

Crap coconut's not nearly as heat stable as I thought it was according to this. Any ideas for a good vegan substitute Temple?

BostonB

khrystyna100 wrote: »

Certains oils are extremely sensitive to oxidation, heat and light damage, the more unsaturated the more liable they are to this sort of damage. Olive oil is a MUFA so it has more potential than saturated fats (but less than PUFAs) to react with oxygen radicals which is a bad thing.

Why is that a bad thing?

Its all new to me.

Sapsorrow

BostonB wrote: »

Why is that a bad thing?

Its all new to me.

The chemical structure of the fatty acids is changed and they form toxic substances (fumes and free radicals) that have been implicated in chronic disease. Also the antioxidants in the oil (like phenols) are ruined.

El_Dangeroso

khrystyna100 wrote: »

Crap coconut's not nearly as heat stable as I thought it was according to this. Any ideas for a good vegan substitute Temple?

I don't think it's that low is it? Does it smoke on you? From wikipedia (however reliable that is!)

Coconut oil is very heat stable so it makes an excellent cooking and frying oil. It has a smoke point of about 360°F (180°C). Because of its stability it is slow to oxidize and thus resistant to rancidity, lasting up to two years due to high saturated fat content.[1]

It never smokes on me.. some oxidation is inevitable with all frying no matter what. I try not to think about it too much and I don't fry everything I eat.

I love avocado oil, you can do really nice searing with a griddle pan and avocado oil. 'spensive though. For everyday cooking I use a combo of mild and light olive oil and butter for low n slow frying. A blend of a little sesame seed oil and coconut oil for stir frys/curries.

Sapsorrow

Ya no it only smokes if I leave it too long by accident. I was assuming that whether it smokes or not it is going to undergo more damage than the oils with a higer value at the same temperature?
Maybe that's not good logic on my part though
Guess i'll stick to the coconut, I like sesame too. Fraid I can't afford to go on the avocado these days, forking out all my savings and some on a camper van so gonna be on the tesco value for the next few months.

Pete M.

I threw together a stir fry yesterday, not half bad either.
Had in it green beans, peas, onions, carrots and quorn 'chicken'.
Cooked in a wok with olive oil with noodles

Went down grand, but I had the most awful reaction to the quorn.
I've had it a few times before and it never sat right, but I was a mess after it yesterday. Cramps, hot sweats, felt truly, bloody awful

Will never eat that crap again, just hope it don't put me off stir fries.

BostonB

khrystyna100 wrote: »

The chemical structure of the fatty acids is changed and they form toxic substances (fumes and free radicals) that have been implicated in chronic disease. Also the antioxidants in the oil (like phenols) are ruined.

Do you have any links so I can read more about it?

Sapsorrow

BostonB wrote: »

Do you have any links so I can read more about it?

No just google it yourself and I'm sure you'll find some info.

BostonB

Most of the links seem a bit vague, tis all.

rubadub

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

It never smokes on me.. some oxidation is inevitable with all frying no matter what.

My coconut oil does not smoke either, lard was slightly above it on that list at 182C, I cooked a steak in lard last night and wanted the pan really hot, I usually look for the smoke before I put it on but it never smoked with the lard.

stir fries do it without cooking them to a mush

Yes, if doing lots of veg you can do them separately, or in small batches, otherwise water can all fall out and they stew.

El_Dangeroso

rubadub wrote: »

My coconut oil does not smoke either, lard was slightly above it on that list at 182C, I cooked a steak in lard last night and wanted the pan really hot, I usually look for the smoke before I put it on but it never smoked with the lard.


Yes, if doing lots of veg you can do them separately, or in small batches, otherwise water can all fall out and they stew.

OMG Where did you get lard?? I have been looking for some for months.

EileenG

Try the local Polish shops. They have kefir too!