A free companion to 15-Minute Chinese: Takeout
The Heat Card
One page, printed, and stuck where you can see it while the pan is on. It covers the seven decisions that happen too fast to look up in a book — and says nothing else.
Download the Heat Card (PDF)
1 page · US Letter · no signup, nothing to fill in
A small look at it. Print it at actual size.
What is on it
- Is the pan hot enough — the two things a drop of water can tell you, and when to skip that test
- How much oil — and the one sign that means you have gone too far
- What coating to use — dry starch, wet batter, or egg and flour
- How much food goes in — why one pound is two batches
- When to move it — the signal that says it is ready to turn
- When to take it out — and how to set it down so it stays crisp
- What to do when it goes wrong — smoke, a flare-up, and the one thing never to do
This is a tool, not a chapter. It does not repeat any recipe or
explanation from the book. It is just the seven moments in order, written
as things to do — the way you need them when your hands are already busy.
If you want the next one
Every so often I make another one-page card like this, or send a short note when a new book comes out. Optional — the card above is already yours.
Last updated: 4 November 2026
15-Minute Chinese: Takeout · by Martin Cao ·
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