Continuous wok-frying of vegetables:: Process parameters influencing scale up and product quality

A new process for continuous stir-frying in industrial scale has been developed for producing convenience high-quality vegetables. The understanding of the dynamics of heat and mass transfer during stir-frying is crucial for up-scaling and controlling the process. The effect of different factors, such as heat flux, contact surface area, frying temperature and type of raw material is discussed.

Part of the water content of the raw vegetables evaporates during the process; this keeps down the product temperature through an evaporation-cooling mechanism, resulting in an improved texture. This removal of loosely bound water from the vegetables allows the products to be frozen and re-heated without drip loss, and it is also an advantage when using them as ingredients in composite foods, such as pâtés.

Examples developed by a professional chef indicate that he saved up to half of the cooking time compared with the use of raw, cleaned vegetables.