Description
This article is from the Cooking
and Conversions FAQ, by with numerous contributions by Victor
Sack cooking.faq@mac.com others.
5.1 Woks
(thank you to Steve Hammond (and for a small correction to
Bill Boylan))
First of all, the best wok is one made of cold-rolled steel. Most of
them are round-bottomed and come with a ring to support it over the
burner. The support ring with the narrower diameter side up is used for
gas stoves and the larger diameter side up is used on electric stoves.
This seems to keep it the right distance from the burner.
Electric woks can be used for table-side cooking but they do not seem
practical for real cooking. With their thermostat, they go on and off,
on and off... the idea is to get the wok hot and keep it hot. Electric
woks never seem to get hot enough and stay hot for most uses.
A wok right out of the box will have a coating of machine oil to prevent
it from rusting. Wash the wok in hot water with soap. This is the LAST
time you should ever use soap in your wok. Next, it's a good idea to
boil some water in your new wok for 15-20 minutes to get it really
clean.
Seasoning a brand new wok involves heating the wok with some oil in it,
letting it cool, and repeating the procedure, say, three times. Heat
the wok over high heat, then add a couple tablespoons of peanut oil and
spread it around with a paper towel, being careful not to burn yourself.
Stop when the oil begins to smoke, and let it cool. Add more oil if
needed, and repeat a couple of times.
For actual cooking, put your wok over the burner on high for a few
minutes before cooking. To see if it is ready to cook in, put a few
drops of water into the wok and they should dance around and evaporate
almost immediately. Have *all* the food you need to cook, chopped and
ready. Next, add some peanut oil and swirl around to coat the bottom.
The oil will start to smoke a little. Immediately start adding the
ingredients for the meal you are cooking.
Clean the wok with hot water and some form of scrubbing tool. The
bamboo things they sometimes include actually work or one can use a
nylon scrubbing pad (no brillo, SOS, or equivalent). After the wok is
cleaned, put it back on the burner for a few minutes to heat it up and
evaporate any moisture. Then, add a little oil to it and rub it around
with a paper towel to keep it shiny and from rusting with any moisture
it may attract in between uses.
Another thing, when you are done cooking in the wok, put some water in
it to soak while you eat. Cleanup takes just a few work with a nylon
scrubbing pad and some hot water.
Taking good care of your cookware only requires a few minutes of time
and makes it much easier to use and cleanup. Food doesn't stick to a
well seasoned wok. If it starts to stick, scrub it well with something
like an S.O.S. pad and re-season.
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Tags
food, cooking, conversion, substitution, equivalent, measure, glossary, culinary
