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The type of steamer Andiesenji mentioned is widely available in Asian markets across Canada, and an aluminium one will usually run you 20-30$ depending on size. I would agree that they are much more versatile and generally easier to use than bamboo steamers. But if you decide to stick with the bamboo steamers, a wok is generally best if you have space. You don't want to use a stir frying wok to steam though, as the prolonged boiling will eat away at all your precious seasoning. Remember to rotate the trays if you are cooking with multiple ones; the lower trays will cook faster than higher ones.

I use mine with both the wok and pots. I have a 10" triple layer, but I rarely use more than one layer. I often use it on top of a smaller pot, with the bamboo lid. I just place the food in the middle, in the area over the pot underneath. Having extra ventilation on the sides doesn't seem to be a problem. Heat rises pretty well. I don't know how well this would work with multiple layers. Also note that i live in Phoenix, my kitchen is never really super-cold. My go-to recipe for this is a simple dried pasta dish that I developed while single: I start the pasta cooking, then put trimmed veggies in the steamer and maybe a little glass cup of sliced garlic with creme fraiche or butter. The butter or creme fraiche melts into a simple sauce and everything is done all at once. All you have to do is drain the pasta, toss some salt on the veggies, and plate everything in one bowl. The only trouble I have had with the large size hanging over the edge of a pot was back when I shared a house with a roommate, and she fired up the gas really high, so that the ring of fire was outside of the pot. Of course, the steamer got a bit burnt underneath, but, I am still able to use it 20 years later. I am forced to have an electric stove now, so fire isn't so much of a concern. Hope this helps!

I've used mine in both a pot and a wok. With a wok, the cover on the steamer seems adequate, but with a pot, I find I usually have to use the pot's cover. I've also tried using it in a shallow pan, but this seems not to work as well. If I'm not using the wok for something else, and if it wouldn't take up too much real estate on the stovetop, I use the wok.

Seeing as I could find nothing in the archives on bamboo steamers and also woks were discussed in this forum: I gave away my bamboo steamer years ago in a former life and now want to buy a new one. I can't decide which size is the most useful: I would use it for steaming fruits and peels to be candied, Chinese food, making sponge cakes, etc. Who knows where this new life will take me? I had a charming little bamboo steamer in Moab which I gave to a friend there. Forgot that my own was no more. Now I am using a stainless double boiler steamer, but I don't really like it. Just a personal preference. The bamboo steamers come in 8", 10" and 12" from our local Asian market, 3 or 4 layers. Nothing seems to fit very well into the pans I currently own. Do most folks use the steamer over a wok? I don't cook with a wok: electric stove and the carbon steel wok is too heavy and too awkward for my hands. I use two stainless saute pans with encapsulated bottoms. There are too many choices here. What does anyone out there do? Thanks

Wow nice dishes and the mention of good wok hei. There was a place by my office that did it well. My assistant , the first time, ordered pad see ew and I was fearing mush but we got the perfect wok hei. A pleasant surprise. We went there weekly! Alternating with the Mexican mariscos place also around the corner. She couldn't handle a whole fried fish on the table so I only got to envy the other workers.

Thai. Returned to a place we visited a two months ago. Yum won sen. Mung bean noodles salad. Sweet-spicy-acidic, plenty of herbs. Phad phak bung. Stir fried morning glory and shrimps. Oyster sauce, fermented soy beans, soy sauce, nearly whole garlic cloves, chilies. Lots of "wok hei". With sticky rice. So good. Pad thai with eggs and shrimp (mixed it all up before remembering to take the picture). Really good, nice wok hei, well seasoned, not sweet or overly sauce. I'm always hesitant of ordering pad thai, it's often overly localized, but this place got my trust the last time. Still needed some extra chili sauce. Massaman curry with tofu, onions, potatoes, peanuts, fried shallots. A little too much tomato to my taste, but it was OK.

There was a restaurant in Hunan that I used to frequent very often. I never really thought about it, until a friend from England came to visit and she had rather low chilli tolerance levels. So I warned the cook to rein it back for my friend. Said friend took one bite and almost screamed. I guess two things happened simultaneously: a) after years of normal Hunan cooking, the wok was infused with chilli heat . b) "no chilli" in Hunan translates as "less than usual, but anything less than volcanic isn't edible!

More than a few years ago I looked out the window to see my older son and his Chinese born Iberophile accomplice moving suspiciously about the tennis court across the street. When I went to enquire of their intent they informed me they were acquiring the bunny for the night's paella. The bunny proved too fast for them. That particular paella lacked nothing without the bunny. Be it known my sons won't even eat fish they have caught themselves. The friend described his mother's cuisine as burnt wok food.

I have no first-hand experience, but on an old episode of Cooking Issues they mentioned that commercial induction wok burners can be pretty righteous. The Museum of Food and Drink was doing an exhibit called "Chow: Making The Chinese American Restaurant" and they couldn't use gas in the space so were forced to use induction. Some of the Chinese chefs saw what they'd be cooking on, and being used to high powered gas burners, they raised their eyebrows in suspicion. The chefs changed their tune as soon as they started using the burners. They could apparently take the wok from cold to cherry red hot in no time. This is just an anecdote as reported on a radio show, but that story stuck with me as I was doing research on wok burners at the time. From photos of the MOFAD event, it looks like they were using Garland units.

Interesting. Makes me wonder about old-school commercial wok burners. How many of those 100K+ BTUs are actually making it into the pan? Edited to add: 100,000 btu/hr (typical for a Chinese restaurant) is equal to about 30,000 watts. I'm guessing an induction burner this powerful would turn a wok into a glowing puddle of steel juice in just a couple of seconds.

@KennethT - thanks for that! We're also considering various induction options for our main cooking surface, and you make a really good point about looking at available power levels for those as well. Also good to know that you haven't needed 100% of the output of the burner to stir fry in a flat bottomed wok. I've never had the chance to cook on anything but a low to mid priced 120v induction burner; have been stuck with radiant electric for quite a long time. Might be that we wouldn't end up needing a specialized burner after all. (Or maybe what I need is a butane burner for the occasional non-induction pan!)

Thanks for this. I do a lot of wok cooking with induction - I have a flat bottomed carbon steel wok that I use with a mid-priced (about $350) high power (3500W) 240V induction unit. Like a few of the ones above (like the Avantco), it has 10 power levels - from 400W to 3500W. For many things, I find that I really would like more power levels - and with the thin carbon steel, I don't think I've ever stir fried at a power level greater than what it calls 1200W. Any more than that and things burn before you can move your hand from the control panel and lift your wok scoop. One of the issues with the mid priced burners is that to decrease the power from maximum, they just turn the max on and off - but it's not pulsed many times per second, it's pulsed like 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off or something like that. If I have a small amount of liquid in the bottom or frying something in a little bit of oil at 800W, you can see it boil (or fry) for a few seconds, then nothing, then it starts over. This burner also has a few hot spots that's no big deal when boiling large quantities of water, but is a big deal when stir frying with thin carbon steel. I actually originally got this induction unit to bring large quantities of water to boil quickly, which it does well. I was planning to get a high power Vollrath as my main burner since it is adjustable in 1% increments from 1 to 100 with a knob, which they say makes it perform just like gas. And rather than just cycling on/off, it actually adjusts the power to the coil continuously and has a large expanded magnetic field so you can flip food and lift the wok/pan off for a second and it won't beep at you with an error message. I've just been waiting to save up a bit since it's kind of pricey. But I like the idea that I could potentially use it for my wok, but also with standard pots/pans, whereas the wok burner can only be used for woks. I don't have much storage space (NYC kitchen) so it's not like I can have an extra burner that I only use occasionally - otherwise, I would definitely consider one of these wok burners. Who knows - once i get the Vollrath I may find that it doesn't do a super great job with the flat bottomed wok and will look at these also. The one thing I didn't like about the Sunpentown is that while it has 20 adjustment levels, it's lowest setting is 1300W, which may still be too high for some things...

Dejah: Zha Jiang Mian in Cantonese is Jah Cheung Meen. Jo-mel: I have a different process: First brown the pork (should marinate it a bit) with a little bit of oil, remove from pan. Then heat the wok with a bit of oil, add garlic, cook for a few seconds, add the chili bean paste, brown bean paste and hoisin sauce and "cook" the sauce for a few seconds until high heat, then dash in the sherry. Add chicken broth and sugar until boil. Add corn starch slurry to thicken sauce. Then lastly re-add the meat and cook for a few more seconds before pouring over the noodles. Sesame oil is to be dripped on top at last. The difference is all in the process...

This is the one I use. Some recipes seem to have either all hoisin or all brown bean, and some have a combo. This is a combination of several recipes that I've come across. Not sweet, not salty, -----just right to my taste. ZHA JIANG MIAN ---------BEIJING NOODLES WITH MEAT SAUCE Ingredients: 1 pound fresh noodles Optional vegetable garnish: 2 Tbsp. oil Blanched bean sprouts 1 Tbsp. minced garlic Julienned cucumber 1 pound ground pork 2 Tbsp. sherry 4 whole scallions, chopped Seasoning sauce: ¼ cup brown bean sauce ¼ cup hoisin sauce ¼ tsp. chili paste with garlic (Optional seasoning sauce: 1/2 cup brown bean sauce 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper) Sauce: 1 cup chicken broth 1 tsp. cornstarch 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. sesame oil (Optional vegetable garnish blanched bean sprouts julienne cucumber) Preparation: ----Boil the noodles until just tender – about 4 minutes. ----Drain. Mix with a little oil and keep warm. ----Mince the garlic and have ready. ----Pour sherry in a small cup and have ready. ----Chop scallions and have ready. ----Combine seasoning sauce in a cup. ----Combine sauce in a cup. Cooking: Heat a wok. Add oil and heat. Add garlic and stir till aromatic. Don’t burn . Add pork and break up while browning until all pink is gone and pork is somewhat dry. Add sherry and mix in. Add scallions and mix again. Add the seasoning sauce mix and stir well. Stir the sauce to loosen the cornstarch and add to the wok. Stir until all is smooth, thick, and bubbly. Place warmed noodles on a serving platter, pour sauce over and serve. Optional vegetable garnish may be placed on top.

It is a fairly common Chinese cooking technique called 走油 in Cantonese. I learned that it is called velveting from this forum. Basically meats taste better if you brown them alone in oil first before cooking with seasoning and sauces. The key is actually that you should cook your sauces (brown bean sauce, hoisin sauce, etc.) in high heat along with the aromatics (garlic, shallot, onion and such), and dash in either some vinegar or xiaoxing wine -- get the wok/pan flame up would be even better. Then you add in chicken broth and sugar and bring to a boil. At last, thicken the sauce (corn starch) and re-add the meat (so it would not be overcooked) to finish. Then you drip on top sesame oil or shredded scallion. Most of the stir-fried dishes are cooked best this way. If you have a chance, try the 2 different methods side by side. You should be able to observe the difference in the taste. Also, forgot to mention previously: Zha Jian Mien is slightly hot/spicy. I use chili bean paste 豆板酱 along with brown bean sauce and hoisin sauce.

Ironically it is ingrained in my brain "hot wok, cold oil, food won't stick" from my time watching Jeff Smith's cooking show on PBS as a young adult.

It is standard practice in Chinese wok cookery. There is a Chinese saying which translates as "Hot Wok, Cold Oil" to remind people. I'd guess pretty much every Chinese cook, pro or home cook, knows it.

Nibb's Top Ten Lunches in RTP (without further preamble other than to say that they are not in any particular order (other than some loose grouping by location) and to also say that I've tried to stay geographically within or close to RTP (but hell, sure, I'll drive out to Cary for Thai if the mood strikes me (but just because it is so don't make it right)) and hence some favorites won't make this list even though I go there for lunch all the time). Chosun OK (Korean BBQ): The single step as you enter Chosun OK takes you far from the strip mall in which it resides. It is the dining experience in the Triangle that feels the most authentically Asian to me, and I've been fortunate enough to travel to Japan and Hong Kong (ostensibly for work, but I was all about the food). My favorite is the BBQ box lunch of...hmmm... I think there is beef, but then also listed is Korean BBQ or BBQ box or something. So there are 2 ways to get the beef. Don't try and go cheap and get the $1 cheaper one just to see if it is the same. I've done it, it isn't, spend the $1 and get the Korean BBQ box. So much food in the box lunch - Sides of rice and kim chee for the table, excellent tempura in the box, along with some California roll just in case you weren't full already. I've also read good things about the kim chee soup. Get some green tea to go along with it and your meal is complete. Expect to spend about $10. Northwest corner of the intersection of 54 and 55, in the same plaza as the Pizza Hut and the Taco Bell. 9N9 (Vietnamese): Vietnamese sandwiches for $2 apiece. This is an absolute steal deal that fills me with guilt each time I go for it. 2 sandwiches for lunch are more than enough. They are on fresh tasting good French rolls, filled with bbq pork or ham or whatever else they feel like filling them with, along with marinated shredded carrots and plenty of cilantro. Go for the bbq pork or grilled pork, and order some spring rolls to go with it. The insiders tip is that the sandwiches are no longer on the menu, but they are usually on the dry erase board by the checkout. Hate to shoot the golden goose, but they could raise the price to $3 and I'd still order 2. Pho is also excellent here. It's an all around gem that I hope stays around for a long time. Usually somewhere around $8. Northwest corner of the intersection of Alexander and Miami, next to Jersey Mikes. Let's stay in this plaza for a while... Pipers in the Park (Sandwiches): A very cute place with art on the walls and a chalkboard menu. Get in line (usually 3-4 people long) and decide what you want. I can't get away from the chicken reuben (I think maybe its called the 'Ryed Piper'), but the Pipers' Pile Up (hold the onions) is also good. Good choice for a somewhat healthy and more than somewhat tasty lunch, and the only one on this list that has really good cc cookies (should you find yourself craving something sweet). We're talking about $5 per sandwich plus drink. They have my vote for the best sweet tea in the area. My tip for you is to ask for a little side of the chipotle ranch dressing when you pick up your order - Great for dipping your potato chips into. Danny's (BBQ): I need to start with a confession - The first real job that I ever had in the Triangle had a Friday tradition of going to a Danny's location that is now probably 8 years closed. When that location closed, we'd drive 1/2 hour to a location way down by Tryon Rd. Then when I got my new job, they put a sign up for a joint in RTP and I was so impatient for it to open that I called the main branch repeatedly for status updates. I've got some Danny's under my belt. Literally. Now is when I'll start a fight with a bunch of Carolina bbq purists, raise their ire and have to deal with all their piss and vinegar (mostly vinegar). Danny's pork q is consistently the best in the immediate area. The chopped pork has a great smoky flavor and has a mixture of textures, but it isn't shredded the way Carolina usually is. The sauces here (both the hot and the sweet) belong in Kansas City more than Raleigh. I'm not saying it is Authur Bryants and I'm not saying it is any kind of Carolina style bbq. What I will say it is - is great. Someone tell be about better pork in a 15 mile radius and I'll try it. Go with the chopped pork and 2 sides (and get the regular, unless your are super hungry for pork, in which case get the large with a side of Lipitor). I'd tell you what sides are good, but the only things I have ever had are the slaw, the beans, and the fries. And they are all good. I used to be beans and fries typa' guy, but Carolina turned me into a slaw man. The fries are usually the best in the area - The only competition in my mind are Hectors in CH and the James Joyce in Durham, and those all serve basically the same style of fry (something like 3/8" smooth cut well fried). They are almost always hot fresh and crispy. And with all that sauce, you sure don't need any ketchup. In addition to the 2 sides, you'll get a nice piece of Texas toast for sopping up pork and sauce bits. The sauce here is the real draw. The sweet is sweet and smoky, and the hot is fiery, with a type of heat that really fills your mouth but doesn't get in the way of the pork. When I did go to Arthur Bryants in KC, they had just released a 'Sweet Heat' sauce that reminds me of Danny's hot. I love the stuff and highly recommend a mix of the hot and sweet on your pork. There is a vinegar sauce for those that think they are in Rome and must do as if. And a mustard sauce if you can find it (usually there is only 1 bottle). If you're hungry (and I am now), they also have corn nuggets, which I have of late acquired a taste for. Creamed corn in a nugget form - Very dippable. The hushpuppies are only OK, and the beef never holds my attention for very long. They also have good sweet tea, although I'd rank it 1 point lower than Pipers. We're talking a 5 minute line and around $8 total most lunch times. If you go whole hog and get the corn nuggets, you might be closer to $10.06, give or take. At least that's what it was this afternoon. So if you are working in RTP and need some lunch, there are 3 great spots in that one plaza - Danny's, 9N9, and Pipers. That seems to be the strip mall lunch culinary limit, because as far as I'm concerned, the Jersey Mikes, Cheers Deli, Milano Pizza, PriddyBoys, Con-Fusion Japanese and 2 or 3 other places in there are worth neither the time nor the dime. In their defense, I've never actually eaten Milano's pizza. But I have walked in, looked at the pizza, and walked out twice, if that tells you anything. Randy's (NY Style Pizza): We'll jump to another strip mall on the other side of 40 - This time on Miami near the intersection of 54 (same side of the street as the Bojangles and Micky D's, opposite side from Wendy's). We're talking pizza, so we're talking Randy's. And since we're talking the only decent NY-style pizza by the slice available in RTP, we're talking a line that usually gets to the door. A great option is the 2 slices with 1 topping + drink for $4.95 or something like that. The slices are usually about as big as your head. OK, not that big, but 2 slices is enough to satisfy a lunch need. The atmosphere at lunch is pretty crazy, and the wait for a sandwich is usually about double what a wait for a pizza or calzone is. Plus there is limited seating and even more limited parking. The slices, tho, are consistently good - Not the best ever, but they beat the hell out of the 2 or 3 pizza buffets in RTP. (As an aside, the cooks/ovens there turn out consistently better pizza than at the Randy's on Broad Street. The Randy's in Hope Valley by Woodcroft is usually better than the Broad St. branch as well. I guess Duke students don't know or demand good pizza. I take this thing personally because I used to live 2 blocks from the one on Broad St, but it was always a lottery - We'd either get an imitation of a Papa Johns (relatively thickly crusted and maybe too much cheese) or a great pie. Subject for another rant, I suppose.) Serena (Sandwiches): Lets' say you try to go to Randy's and you can't find anyplace to park (because if you do, you won't). And by the time you ditch your car on the side road near the credit union and hoof it up to the plaza, you don't feel like waiting in a noisy line for pizza and a 1 in 3 chance at a seat. You want to wait in line for a sandwich instead. Well, Serena (in the same plaza) is a great bet. First off, they are one of the reasons that the parking in that plaza has gone from improbable to impossible in the last 3 months. Plus they have plenty of seating. Their menu says 'American menu featuring stuff from Spain' on it. Or something like that. I must admit that on our first visit, my buddy and I took to calling it 'that $10 sandwich place'. And that is marginally unfair, seeing as how you can get out of there with sandwich, drink and side for just under $10. So what's good? They had a stuffed peppers special (goat cheese stuffed, served on a grit cake over steamed spinach) that was the most complex culinary effort I've had for under $10 in quite some time. It was fantastic. There was some syrup around the outside that really set the dish off. The grit cake was crisped on the outside and gave some hunger defying substance to what seemed like a light lunch. The sandwiches (I've had the avacado BLT and the grilled portabello) are stellar as well. Really great ingredients in correct proportion. As a side, you can get fries, cheese grits, or asparagus for a buck. I'm a big fry snob and theirs don't cut it - but that hardly matters because the asparagus and cheese grits make it easy to pass on the fries. Get whichever you prefer, but don't plan on finishing the cheese grits. My only complaint is that the bread has taken a turn for the worse (used to be crusty, now it's just kinda soft). With the intense flavors inside the sandwich, they overcome this shortcoming easily. The advantage I guess is that the roof of your mouth isn't raw for a day after eating there. I'm starting to enjoy their sandwiches better than most that I get at the Guglhpf (you're on notice, Guglhpf reuben - More kraut or else), where the bread is vastly superior. Serana has been open less than a year and they are still getting the kinks out, but I think they're definitely on the right track. What are we up to here - 6? Four more to make 10? I'm running out of steam... But I still have plenty of smoke.* *(see segue styles: lame, forced, poorly executed) Rub's Smokehouse (BBQ): Let's go down the road to Rub's Smokehouse on 54 (between where 54 and Miami merge and the Airport Rd. intersection). Rub's is another relative newcomer - I believe they opened some time late last summer in the old Deli Box location. They are a BBQ joint that serves up some good 'q. I'm partial to the beef over the pork here, and they often run out of the beef at lunch (at least they did last time I was there), so that tells you what the popular vote is. The pork isn't really NC style here either, although the sauce has more vinegar than the sauce at Danny's and they will put slaw on your sandwich. All sides have been OK (not my style of fries - They somewhat recently changed them and they don't seem to have any crispness to them - but others I've eaten with really liked them. Maybe if they start par-frying the fresh cut fries they'll kick the pants off of anything in sight). Onion rings have been good and the slaw of cole is solid as well. One of the worst things about Rubs (and Danny's, and Randy's, and probably 10 other places in RTP) is trying to find a seat at 12:05 on a weekday. On the other hand, one of the best things about Rubs is that you can eat outside on a picnic table in the grass behind the restaurant and there are almost always some tables available. Rub's also has more of a BBQ joint feel than some of the other places in the area. I think they are still experimenting and improving and are well worth a visit - Especially if you're in the mood for a mid-day picnic during a North Carolina spring. Thai Lanna (Thai): The Thai situation in Durham has been dire for quite some time. I was introduced to Thai food in Detroit, where you can't take a left through a blinking red into a strip mall without running into a Thai place. That may be an exaggeration, but I can't say I've seen a better US city to pick to 'Thai one on' in (although Vegas makes a case for itself based on Lotus of Siam alone). So most of the local Triangle offerings have left me hungry. When I've got a craving for pad thai, and I don't feel like whipping out the ol' Cooks Illustrated and making it myself, Thai Lanna in Durham is the place I head to. They serve the best pad thai in the area. It isn't the best I've ever had, and I wish there was some more of it (I am such a hog for pasta…), but it is well executed and satisfying. The coconut soup is spicy and satisfying and the ginger dressing is what you should go for on your salad. Thai Lanna is in the Greenwood Commons shopping center - West side of 55, about 1 or 2 miles south of I-40, past the Golden Coral. Other things in the same plaza include an Indian buffet place (which is also quite good) and some trophy selling joint. Mr. Wok (Chinese Buffet): I must admit that I used to love a Chinese buffet, but in the last few years or so, they have become tiresome. Most of the examples in RTP are either boring or out of buiness. Mr. Wok, however, is an exception. So when I have that craving for all-you-can-eat Crab Rangoon and steamed rice, Mr. Wok is the antidote. What's different about Mr Wok? Number one is that it is almost always busy and crowded. While this can be a pain, in the buffet world it is just what is needed. There should be lots and lots of food turnover so fresh items are always on the buffet. The lunchtime clientele is usually a mix of RTP keyboard jockeys and lunch break construction workers, all jamming down 2 day's worth of calories in one sitting. The other thing that sets Mr Wok apart is the selection. They have most of the standards (chicken stir fried, fried or steamed about 3 different ways each, steamed rice, soup, rangoons, egg rolls, etc), but they also have things you usually wouldn't find on a buffet. There are usually sesame balls, which make a nice snack. There are dumplings that are good with a small bowl of the adjacent dumpling sauce. Thai curries are usually available. There are also delicious fried pork cutlets that are the closest thing to tankatsu that I have had in the US. My favorite item is a dessert offering – Banana hunks rolled in coconut and fried, served with a syrup that you can spoon over them. Between these and the little sugar donuts, I usually save at least one of the 3 plates I'll fill for sweets. That said, it is a buffet and you should be in the mood for a buffet if you go. This is not a Bellagio style gourmet buffet, but it is a cut above the rest in RTP. It is in the same plaza as the Big Lots, at the southeast corner of the intersection of 54 and 55. There is a McDonalds and a Bojangles in this plaza as well. Well, I only got to 9, but here's where I'll put in the honorable mentions. Someone can respond with their favorites and maybe I'll have somewhere new to try. I like an Indian buffet as much as the next guy, and Spice and Curry (in the same plaza as Chosun OK) is as good as any and a favorite of many. I prefer the Tandoor Indian Grill (in the same plaza as Thai Lanna). Also good is the Bombay Grille (on 55, just east of Chosun OK). I guess the ubiquity of the Indian buffet is wearing on me a little, but I must say that all these places please more than disappoint. Their only flaw in my book is that no one distinguishes itself from the others in my mind. But a 3-way tie for the 10th spot is not my style. I like El Dorado because every once in a while I like a chips and salsa Mexican lunch. My co-workers can order for me because my order never changes (lunch chimi – beef, rice instead of beans; and a sweet tea). It is in the plaza with the Food Lion, southwest of the 54/55 intersection. And Kemps, on 70, is about the only place to get some Carolina calabash style seafood, but I have to be in the mood for that - It can be a mite heavy... I guess that is it – I've been working in RTP for 6 years, and I've seen a fair number of places come and go. I must say that Danny's is probably the one I'd have to have 10 years from now if for some reason I moved away. But this list should get you through that 2 week project that strands you in the area. So wheredo folks think I missed? Because I'll try it if I haven't already - And if you are fairly enthused, I may even give a place I didn't like another chance. ~Nibbs

What about the 54/55 area? To me just a cruise around that intersection, with the Wok Buffet extravaganza, hidden Asian groceries, and perhaps a dozen nationalities represented says a lot about the culture of RTP and what the workforce looks like. In particular, the following spots are tops on this cracker's list for RTP cuisine: - VIT Goal Tofu -- Korean tofu soups and barbeque. Perfect for the cooler nights. The tofu soups are as good as any I've ever had. - Sal's Birdland -- my favorite wing place ever, just be sure and get the sauce on the side. This place should be in Roadfood just for the crazy hotdogs (Jamaica style???) they serve. - Sarah's Empanada's, but alas they're not open for dinner. Bolivian baked empanadas; the feel of the turnovers is a bit industrial (I sense campbell's mushroom soup sometimes, but hell, the best crawfish pie recipe I have employs the same), and damn the salsa is good.

I've bought some stuff from Carniceria Superior on Roxborro. They seem pretty clean. The meat market at Grand Asia is also run by latinos FWIW. Another vote for Grand Asia BTW as a good food source. Other Asian stores of note are Asia Mkt on 15-501 Business and Silver Wok in Chapel Hill (also on !5-501). Neomonde in Raleigh is a great source for Middle Eastern supplies. Great pickles, olives, Lebneh, Ajvar, and other cool stuff. Their prepared foods are also delicious. The one in Morrisville is fine for the prepared foods but the groceries are a bit limited by comparison. As for Mexican, my favorite for prepared foods (though they don't do tacos) is Miss Tortilla way out East Durham on 98 and Mineral Springs. Rotisserie Chickens, braised beef cheeks, carnitas, salsa, lengua, fresh tortillas, and a bunch of other goodies. Certainly worth the trek. They do sell raw meats so that may be of help to Nibbs question as well. Best mexican grocery is... You know, I can get there but I forget the street. I think it's on Allendale in a shopping center behind an office furniture store. Like that's not cryptic enough.

I have come to prefer hot water baths in the sink--i.e., pot of milk in the sink surrounded by hot water, thermometer in the sink and one in the milk. Kinda like a really, really ghetto sous vide. I've also used rings of crushed aluminum around a stove element to keep a pan elevated up from the burner. Not aluminum foil on the burner itself, but used in a way that many woks are to elevate them from the burner.

Plate charger—wok lid.

I agree. I've found in an area supermarket a really useful and really cheap non stick pan with high rounded sides, something of a blend between a frypan, a sauteuse, and a wok. They have a very thick aluminum body so they heat evenly. What with the high walls, they are a bit clownish looking, but so easy to work in that I bought a second as a spare. At the price, it seemed stupid not to get the second, since they are rarely on the shelf. Usually, thinner pans are all that I can find.

I've read somewhere to never use cooking spray on non stick pans, I guess there's silicone or who knows what in those sprays that will permanently attach to the non stick. Didn't matter to me, as I never use that stuff anyway, my can is years old and pretty much just a pice of kitchen decor As for heating, my non stick (I was silly enough to buy an expensive All Clad) goes on medium heat (between 5 and 6 on my electric junker) and I add a bit of oil or butter once it's hot. I also don't increase heat much for cooking, it never sees full heat. But then, I mostly cook eggs in it, or bacon (before I cook eggs in it), neither needs high heat. High heat is for the cast iron pan. After cooking I rinse it with hot water and a brush, nothing else. Never sees a drop of soap, just as my cast iron pan and wok. Never oil it for storage! Matter of fact, I just read in breath of a wok that it's not a good idea to oil any pan for storage, unless it's going to be used again within days. The oil does go rancid quickly and supposedly seeps into the cast iron pans and steel woks - and the rancid taste stays. I never oil mine after an old cheap wok turned all gummy, so I tend to agree with this. I wash with hot tap water, dry with a paper towel. The remaining heat from the water usually dries the rest quickly. The wok book does say to put the wok on med heat to dry it out completely, something that's probably also good with cast iron pans, but I usually skip it. Air is so dry here, I've never seen rust on my rustable things. After buying this rather expensive pan I did some research on non stick pans for somebody else, the wide spread conclusion seems to be is "buy cheap, replace often" since no nonstick pan lives for ever, and a $120 pan won't live 10 times longer than a $12 pan. Considering that my cheap nonstick from Safeway lived a good 5 or 6 years, I tend to agree with this advice and will not buy any more expensive ones.

We've eaten boiled crab at Santa Barbara, on the pier, and didn't get sick at all. It was one of those booths where you pick your crab, they'd boil it and charge you exorbitant prices. They gave us bibs, a hammer and lots of towels. As for frozen raw crabs, that was the only way we could get crab at the Chinese supermarket until fish tanks became popular. I used to thaw them in the fridge, then after I chop them up, I'd place them in a colander to drain for a little while. When I cook them, usually in ginger and green onions, I'd make sure the wok was really hot and cook a few pieces at a time so the wok doesn't cool down. I think high heat is the way to avoid watery flesh.