1. Adding salt before stir-frying
If you are stir-frying with lard, chicken fat, or peanut oil that has not been finely selected, it is advisable to add a small amount of salt before cooking. For peanut oil that has not been fully refined, the iodide in the salt can remove trace amounts of aflatoxin present in the oil. For animal fats, adding a small amount of salt first helps to eliminate the residual amount of organochlorine pesticides.
2. Adding salt while stir-frying
If you add salt during the cooking process, this is generally for animal proteins such as fish, meat, and shrimp. When cooking animal meats, salt can form sodium amino acid salts with amino acid components, making the meat taste more delicious. At this point, the salt can act as a flavor enhancer. However, the amount of salt used for this purpose must be small; too much salt will反而 make the meat quality worse.
3. Adding salt before serving
If the oil we use for stir-frying is vegetable oil and there is no issue with aflatoxin, it is best to add salt just before the dish is served. This can reduce the loss of vitamins and other nutrients in the vegetables during cooking.