Shelf · Water & steam · Medium heat
Velveting
Coating sliced meat in cornstarch and egg white, then passing it briefly through warm oil or water before it meets the wok.
- The temperature band
- The liquid · 70 to 90 °C
- The time
- About 1 min
Why it works
The starch sets into a thin gel skin that holds the meat’s own moisture inside during the violent heat of a stir-fry. It is why restaurant chicken is silky and home chicken is often stringy.
The tell
The slices turn opaque and pale, separate cleanly from each other, and feel slippery rather than tacky.
How it fails
Passing them through liquid that is properly boiling cooks them through, and they overcook again in the wok. Keep it below a simmer, and lift them out while the centres are still underdone.
In the app, the card opens on the recipe step that names it, with the tell drawn.
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