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Cooking with a Wok

post #1 of 10
12/26/07 at 2:15am
Thread Starter 
Received a wok for Christmas, and now need some advice on how to use it. It is a high quality wok, able to cook on a electric stove.
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post #2 of 10
12/26/07 at 2:29am
I bought my brother and his wife a wok, along with the book The Breath of a Wok (one for myself as well). It's a beautiful and wonderfully written book. Not only will it give you some classic recipes, you'll also learn about the history and cultural significance of a wok. I suggest you get a copy as well. Check out this thread too: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=37584. A wok is one of the most versatile cookware you have in your kitchen. You can stir fry, deep fry, stew, make soup, steam, etc. There're very few things it can't do. I use it more than anything else in my kitchen.
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post #3 of 10
12/26/07 at 3:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Houndstooth View Post
Received a wok for Christmas, and now need some advice on how to use it. It is a high quality wok, able to cook on a electric stove.

Interesting...........not aware you could get enough BTU's going with an electric stove to cook effectively. The fundamental principal of the wok is to have the walls heated to high temperature allowing searing to take place with the contents, i.e. stir fry. A gas flame is the only way I know to do that; electric stoves generate heat by conduction and just can't get to those tempraatures.

Good luck, please let us know how you make out.
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post #4 of 10
12/26/07 at 4:33am
Before all else, be sure to learn how to season it properly. Some Chinese chefs say the best way is to simply use it first for a deep-frying job.
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post #5 of 10
12/26/07 at 5:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrDaniels View Post
Before all else, be sure to learn how to season it properly. Some Chinese chefs say the best way is to simply use it first for a deep-frying job.

After having seasoned two woks, if I were to get another one, this is how I'd do it:

1. Fill the work up to the very top with water, then boil for 5-10 minutes (watch for the spillover). This removes the oil coating from the factory.

2. Scrub off the remaining oil coating with a steel wool under running water. Then rinse, and wipe until dry.

3. Chop up a few slices of bacon, render out the fat in the wok. Remove the bacon bits for later use.

4. With the fat in the wok, put in a pound of beansprout and stirfry it at as high of a heat as you can give it for a few minutes. If done with really high heat, the bottom of the wok should start to blacken a little.

5. Remove the stirfried content, eat or discard. That's it, you're done.

For cleaning, just do a quick rinse in cold water, then wipe off all the water with a towel. If you're anal about it like me, then put the wok back on the stove and heat it up for a few minutes to remove all moisture.
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post #6 of 10
12/26/07 at 12:22pm
Thread Starter 
These are the directions I followed to season it.

"The wok is carbon steel and has to be seasoned to prevent it from rusting. The seasoning process is relatively easy to do. . Just wash and dry your wok thoroughly. Coat lightly, interior and exterior with cooking oil. Bake in hot oven, 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Place in oven upside down. (before baking, remove side handle and cover spool handle with damp dishcloth and cover dish cloth with alum foil.This will protect your wooden handle. You will have to dampen cloth each time you bake because heat will dry out dampened cloth..Remove from oven, let cool to touch and scour wok with an abrasive pad.Scour the "seasoning" or patina away...like you want the wok back to its original finish.Wash, dry, coat and bake again...same process. Do this 4 times. After the 4th baking, you will not be able to scour the seasoning away...and that is the result you want. The wok is seasoned.The more you use the wok, the better and blacker it gets., You cannot ruin the wok. If you neglect it and it should get rusty, not to worry, Just scour away the rust and season again. A wok should last almost a lifetime. A wok also gets better with age...the older the better."

This was recommended if using an eclectic stove. For gas, the water and salt method was recommended.
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post #7 of 10
12/26/07 at 1:29pm
I have always treated a wok just like I do my cast iron fry pans. Very similar to much of the above, clean well when purchased. Rub in veggie oil (not olive) and bake at 450 for 30 minutes. You should never scrub that surface again, just rinse and wipe. If something should happen where you need to scour things, re-season. A well seasoned wok or cast iron pan is at least as non-stick as any teflon item, except maybe for use with omelets.
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post #8 of 10
12/27/07 at 3:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by andyw View Post
Interesting...........not aware you could get enough BTU's going with an electric stove to cook effectively. The fundamental principal of the wok is to have the walls heated to high temperature allowing searing to take place with the contents, i.e. stir fry. A gas flame is the only way I know to do that; electric stoves generate heat by conduction and just can't get to those tempraatures. Good luck, please let us know how you make out.
You might not get proper wok hei, but you can get a wok pretty damn hot. The burner must be at max, nothing less. Don't start cooking until a high-smoke-point oil like Canola is smoking. I've been meaning to try putting a wok in a charcoal bbq - Alton Brown cooks over a chimney starter...
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post #9 of 10
12/27/07 at 5:17pm
Thread Starter 
My burner gets pretty hot. The key is to cook the meat in small quantities to start, so as to not cool the wok down. Or so I've been told.
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post #10 of 10
12/27/07 at 8:27pm
Couple of things: Make sure you season the wok by rubbing with oil then putting in a 400 degree oven for 20 mins. This keeps it from rusting. Also, when washing, you probably don't want to scrub it or use soap. Just try water and a soft sponge. Now, when cooking I actually heat the wok up on the stovetop at the highest temp for about a minute. Then put your oil in, when it starts burning, put your meat or veggies in. This way the wok is as hot as it can be. Sorry, I'm not sure an electric wok will get hot enough to really sear your food. If you ever looked in the back of a Chinese restaurant, those burners they use are like airplane jet engines. That's the way to go. Hope this helps.
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