5 wonderful reasons we love stir-fries

If you already love stir-frying vegetables and protein sources, this post will make you love it even more! 

Stir-frying is an ancient dry-heat cooking method that involves cooking small pieces of food in a wok over extremely high heat. Thousands of years later, stir-fry dishes are still extremely popular for many wonderful reasons. Here are five of them:

1. They're the ultimate one-pan dish 

A stir-fry is an efficient cooking method that often involves only one dish, typically a wok. This means fewer dirty dishes and less time cleaning up after cooking. Win, win!

2. Wholesome and delicious flavor

Stir-frying results in tender-crisp vegetables that retain more nutrients than if they were boiled. And since stir-frying generally requires only a small amount of oil, the fat content is relatively low. (If you’re adopting an oil-free diet, don't miss our post on how to roast vegetables without oil.)

3. Stir-frying naturally encourages cooking practice 

To make a good stir-fry, you have to be great with your knife skills and cooking preparation. Over time, you’ll get better at thinking quickly and reacting accordingly, depending on what you’re cooking. Trust us, once you get it mastered, the process becomes more fun and your cooking intuition will improve.

Knife skills need some improving? If you're a Swich member, check out the following exercises (if you're not, now's a great time to sign-up—membership is free!):

• How to Cut Using a Chef's Knife
• Handling a Chef's Knife

4. It's an easy way to integrate more veggies in your diet

Another wonderful benefit of stir-frying is that it’s an easy way to incorporate fresh and seasonal vegetables in your diet. It also presents great opportunities to experiment with new ingredients and cook vegetables that you may have never tried before. 

5. Stir-fry dishes are versatile

With just a few different dressing and sauces, you can transform your meal every single time. The opportunities are endless! That way, you can master the stir-frying process while still exploring new and interesting flavors. Here are a few stir-fry recipes to get you started:

• Stir Fried Broccoli Tofu in Spicy Peanut Sauce
• Stir Fried Vegetables & Tempeh
• Teriyaki Tempeh & Vegetables 

Take the Swich Stir-Frying Course!

Now that you know the benefits of stir-frying, find out how to stir-fry like a professional chef! Take our free, 100% online Introduction to Stir Frying Course. In 20 minutes, you’ll learn more details about stir-frying and the pros and cons. Plus, we’ll share tips on how to choose, season, and care for your wok. 

Haven’t joined Swich yet? Join now for chef-curated recipes, cooking tips, and a like-minded cooking community. Come along and cook with us!