More stirfrys

[Marlene]

In the interests of eating healthier, and since it's the one thing my hubby excels at, we are making more stir frys. Our current wok is cheap, warped and on it's last legs. I need to replace it. Any suggestions on a brand?

[AzRaeL]

dont go for the brand

go get yourself a nice spun iron or steel wok.

they're ridiculously cheap and they last forever.

[Mabelline]

Marlene, do you have an Asian market close by? Because for high heat and efficient cooking, go for the real ugly looking ones. I know the type you've grown out of and it's the standard for Anglos to get. Find any Asian you can, ask where they'd buy one.

[slkinsey]

How well you can wok-cook totally depends on the strength of your burner. Fundamentally, there is only so much you can do with a regular residential burner. To compensate for this, you want something with a very high heat capacity. I suggest the Le Creuset enameled cast iron woks.

[Shiewie]

I second getting one of the huge old-fashioned cast iron woks from a nearby Asian market - they're ugly but wonderful to use (we use a gas burner). We used a stainless steel one for years and it was pain to wash it back to a gleaming state whenever something was burnt - it's now been relegated for steaming and blanching large amounts of vegtables.

Edited to correct typo

Edited January 13, 2004 by Shiewie (log)

[Mabelline]

OK, far be it for me to disagree, but there was a reason I suggested like I did. Most people do not understand metalleurgy. If Marlene has warped a skinny wok, I suggest a plain steel or easy-heat wok, because I think we are all agreed the heat's the thing- but I'm only a certified welder by trade.

[AzRaeL]

I second getting one of the huge old-fashioned cast iron woks from a nearby Asian market - they're ugly but wonderful to use (we use a gas burner). We used a stainless steel one for years and it was pain to wash it back to a gleaming state whenever something was burnt - it's now been relegated for steaming and blaching large amounts of vegtables.

mine is sooo ugly!

i need to get my lazy ass to file off the edges. The edges of my wok are so sharp that I could grab the handles and use it as a big assed Mezzaluna.

[Mabelline]

Well, now that's how it's sposed to be. Big cone pan, high heat, stir all the ingredients real good, done, there you go. The major problem most Anglos have is that we are not hard-wired to high, concentrated heat. We have not ever lived in a society where heat is limited, and a very short-natured thing.But I still stand by heavy steel, heat that puppy up,keep on oiling it and you will end up with something you could love.

Edited January 13, 2004 by Mabelline (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

Sam -- I remember you making the cast iron recommendation on another thread here, which puzzled me. I have a heavy steel wok that I have had for over 25 years. It works fine, even with residential gas burners.

[project]

For a wok, I got a 14" diameter round bottomed hand hammered steel wok, made in China, from

http://www.wokshop.com/

The 14" is the diameter at the top of the wok, that is, the largest diameter. They have still larger woks, but from taking a few measurements around my kitchen I concluded that 14" was about the largest diameter that would be easy to handle, store, rinse in the sink, etc.

The material is apparently sheet steel, possibly the mild cold rolled steel used in auto bodies. So, no, it is not "cast iron". Differences: Cast iron has a relatively porous surface, and sheet steel has a much smoother surface. Cast iron is brittle, and sheet steel is not.

The wok was likely formed by stamping, like auto body parts, but it may have been formed by spinning. I do not recall seeing any spinning lines. For the hand hammering, some small dents are visible. The dents don't hurt; I have no idea if they help.

The handle is also steel. So, the handle looks like they took a piece of steel tubing, say, like used for auto exhaust pipes (for a small car), hammered one end to a flat tongue, and attached the tongue to the wok with three rivets. The rivets look like an embarrassing first attempt by a junior high student in metal working shop, but so far they have been plenty strong.

For the free end of the handle, it looks like they used a tool to shrink the end so that the cut edges curled inside and out of the way. So, the end is smooth, not sharp.

So far, it's great. Ordinary usage quickly got it with a nice black coating inside and out; so, it quickly got 'seasoned', essentially just from burned oil.

I have done some Chinese cooking in the wok, but currently my favorite usage of it is browning the skin on pieces of chicken.

I want to emphasize: For its intended purpose, it's great. It's rugged. So far the steel has not warped at all, even with high heat (see below). The surface is easy to clean, and food rarely sticks. The wok doesn't look like a symbol of a perfect wife's kitchen perfection in the mind of a bride dreaming of being the next Donna Reed, but for cooking, it's terrific. For aluminum or stainless steel, an enamel coating, a Teflon coating, etc., no way. I have an old aluminum wok with Teflon coating on the inside and enamel on the outside, and it was a big mistake -- a big waste.

For a tool for handling the food in the wok, at a restaurant supply house I got a long handled all-stainless cooking spoon. I like this spoon, and so far I have not used the Chinese tools that I got with the wok.

When cooking, I have an insulating cooking mitt on my left hand for holding the wok handle and have the spoon in my right hand.

For cleaning, one approach is to put about 1 gallon of water in the wok, bring it to a boil, and use a long spoon to 'deglaze' the interior. The boiling water, then, goes 'over the side' onto the grass below. Surprisingly, the water has very little effect on the grass! But, I use the wok only about twice a month! A good alternative is to turn off the fire and just let the wok sit and cool while eating the food. When cool, just pour the water down the drain in the sink. But you won't find me carrying a gallon or so of boiling water in that wok to the kitchen sink!

More careful cleaning is easy in the kitchen sink: I have a stainless steel scrubber that works well. It is really easy to get the interior back to a smooth flat black. For the exterior, I get off the worst of the spilled oil and otherwise leave the rest for the fire on the next usage. To stop rust, I do remove loose water; that precaution together with good seasoning and/or a residual film of cooking oil are effective, even on the handle which so far is not 'seasoned'. I store the wok in a cupboard and let it rest on the steamer insert so that the possibly somewhat still sticky exterior does not touch the cupboard surface.

For a burner, some years ago I got a King Kooker propane burner, Model No. 88 PKP, from Sam's Club. Apparently King Kooker is still at

http://www.kingkooker.com/

The box my unit came in claims that the burner puts out 170,000 BTUs per hour. Some arithmetic shows that 170,000 BTUs per hour would be just under 50,000 Watts. In comparison, the larger burner on a electric kitchen stove may put out only 18,000 BTUs per hour.

The burner power level does adjust nicely and continuously. The lowest propane flow rates give a quite gentle flame.

This burner was apparently intended for heating pots of shellfish in Louisiana beach parties.

The construction is simple and rugged. So there is a simple frame of steel rods bent and welded. The burner is cast iron. A few of the minor burner pieces are stamped steel. The propane fittings are mostly brass.

The Kooker does support the wok, but the support is not very stable. Thus, there are likely risks of the wok tipping and spilling its contents. So far I have not had that accident, but I would not want to use the wok for deep frying. A wok 'ring' might help stability.

Of course, I only use the Kooker outdoors, on a high porch, fully open on three sides. My Kooker has been outdoors fully exposed to the weather for several years now with little apparent harm.

Recommendation: If you leave such things outdoors, then be sure to cover the regulator valve and the propane tank valve so that rain, snow, etc. do not get into the valves, corrode, freeze, etc. I use aluminum foil to cover these valves and eventually discovered that my local squirrels are convinced that any piece of foil must contain tasty food and, thus, tear into the foil and sometimes carry off chunks. I don't think these squirrels learned this lesson in my neighborhood; maybe the squirrels migrate!

I don't know what King Kooker is selling now. I understand that they have made some changes since I bought mine.

Just before Christmas I looked at a propane burner being sold for deep frying turkeys outdoors. The burner looked quite similar to the one in my King Kooker. So, such a 'turkey cooker' might be a substitute.

Still, I wouldn't try to deep fry over a propane burner, not even outdoors. Not me: My guess is that it would be all too easy to have some gallons of cooking oil at 400 F spill and get ignited.

[BettyK]

After going through 2 non-stick woks in less than 3 years, I finally bought a carbon steel wok and I'm very happy with it. Unfortunately, I let my DH wash the wok (with just hot water) tonight but forgot to tell him to dry it right away. Oops. Rusted right away. Had to scrub it and reseason it. But that's ok. I'd still recommend a carbon steel wok over anything else. Just need a little extra care like cast iron.

You can read Ed Schoenfeld's advice on woks here

Edited January 13, 2004 by BettyK (log)

[bigwino]

I just want to second the advice on using an outdoor turkey fryer burner for the heat source. I know it's a bit extreme to have to go outdoors to do your stirfrying, but it makes such a difference. I tried using Cook's Illustrated's advice using a saute pan on high heat, but it isn't nearly the same experience as the turkey fryer burner.

The burners are really cheap through Walmart or Costco or whoever and the heat is unbeatable in a home environment. Just remember - always use it outside. I did one last night in the 20 degree Massachusetts winter. You're only out there for about 5 minutes, so it's not a big deal if its cold.

One more hint: I use a sheet pan to carry all of my mise-en-place out together and put it next to the wok/burner setup. It all goes out together in a nice package and comes back in the same way. Easy.

For a cookbook recommendation, try Nina Simonds' A Spoonful of Ginger. Really solid recipes throughout.

Have fun.

[Marlene]

I just want to second the advice on using an outdoor turkey fryer burner for the heat source. I know it's a bit extreme to have to go outdoors to do your stirfrying, but it makes such a difference.

Um, for the last 4 or 5 days it's been -39C here. Somehow, I don't think my husband would be whelmed at the thought of stir frying outdoors

[fifi]

But then he would miss that experience of having the mise en place blast frozen.

I second the steel wok and turkey fryer burner. Only way to go.

[bigwino]

-39 C?!??! I'd be sitting on a woodburning stove with a cup of hot coffee in my pants eating something braised.

No stirying near absolute zero!

[Rachel Perlow]

"The dents don't hurt; I have no idea if they help."

The dents in a hand hammered wok are there for a reason. Their texture helps hold the food up on the side wall of the wok when you add the liquid to the bottom when finishing the sauce.

Do not get a cast iron wok. Especially an enameled one, why pay for such a fancy wok that will is too heavy and will just get very beat up looking? A well used wok will develop a black patina from the oil and high heat, an enameled surface will get quite scratched up unless you only use wooden chans.

If you only have a regular stove top to cook on, be sure to preheat your wok for several minutes before adding anything to the wok. It should be smoking before the oil is added, and you should have your other ingredients ready to go so the oil doesn't burn.

If you are cooking on an electric stove or a gas burner where it is a very flat surface and you can't remove the grate, you can get woks that have a flattened bottom for maximum heat retention. We got one in San Francisco's Chinatown that's like that. Currently, we use it on our higher output (but still "only" 18,000 BTU) burner on our Garland stove. I remove the grate so that it sits even closer to the flame.

A chan (usually metal with a wooden handle) is the best utensil for cooking in your wok. It's edge is curved like the walls of the wok so that you don't miss anything. I also have a wooden chan (like a flat wooden spatula, but with a curved edge) I picked up on my last trip to the Chinese grocery, I used it the other night and liked it very much.

When you clean your wok, you don't want to scrub it till it shines. I once heard a story about a new (non-chinese) bride who wanted to impress her Chinese mother-in-law. After dinner she volunteered to do all the washing up. After a while, the mother-in-law went into the kitchen to see how she was doing, since she was taking a very long time. The daughter-in-law very proudly showed her the wok she had just spent so much time scrubbing to a shine!

[Jason Perlow]

In the interests of eating healthier, and since it's the one thing my hubby excels at, we are making more stir frys. Our current wok is cheap, warped and on it's last legs. I need to replace it. Any suggestions on a brand?

You want hand hammered steel from China. Not at all expensive.

Its not pretty looking and its not meant to be, if its well seasonsed and well used. But it does its job very well.

[Hest88]

I concur with most of the posts. Get a carbon steel wok from Chinatown. It's light enough to fling from sink to stove and back again. It's easy to clean (once properly seasoned) and it's cheap enough so it won't matter if you bang it up. I've had mine over ten years. It's black. It's ugly. It's irreplacable to me.

My only other advice is to get the biggest one you can handle. Makes it harder for food to fly out.

[bilrus]

Especially an enameled one, why pay for such a fancy wok that will is too heavy and will just get very beat up looking? A well used wok will develop a black patina from the oil and high heat, an enameled surface will get quite scratched up unless you only use wooden chans.

I have one of the Le Creuset Woks and it is only enameled on the outside.

[lorea]

I have one of the Le Creuset Woks and it is only enameled on the outside.

What do you think your Le Creuset wok? Is it worth the price?

Traditionally, both cast iron and carbon steel are used, to my understanding. But are they used for different applications, or for the same?

[mudbug]

We used a stainless steel one for years and it was pain to wash it back to a gleaming state whenever something was burnt.

I'm very surprised by all the comments on cleaning woks and trying to keep them shiny.

Woks should be treated just like cast iron skillets. Season them when their new and never use soap to clean. As soon as you're done cooking, take a big natural hair heavy duty brush (sold for about $2.50 along side wok utensils in Chinatown and restaurant supply places) and rinse the inside under water.

Throw it back onto the burner you just used which is still hot and the residual water should evaporate in a few minutes.

Black isn't ugly when referring to cast iron or woks, it's the sign of a well used, high quality kitchen tool.

If you live in an area where they are readily available, you shouldn't have to pay more than $25 for a wok that will last you the rest of your life with every day use.

I've commented in the past on this at this thread on woks.

As Hest88 said, "Get a carbon steel wok from Chinatown. It's light enough to fling from sink to stove and back again. It's easy to clean (once properly seasoned) and it's cheap enough so it won't matter if you bang it up. I've had mine over ten years. It's black. It's ugly. It's irreplacable..."

[cheesecakegoddess]

unless you have a professional stove in your kitchen, I wouldn't use a wok at all. I usually use my All-Clad saute pan to do the individual ingredients, then pile everything into a preheaded oversize cast iron for the final mix/heat. stovetop woks can't maintain the necessary temps on residential stoves (all that surface NOT exposed directly to the heat). I own a wok, but it's been years since I've used it (eagerly awaiting a commercial stove in my kitchen, which will no doubt be a while).

[Bond Girl]

Here is some advice from a Taiwanese chick who grew up cooking on nothing but woks, go to China town and get yourself the cheap stainless steel version that comes with a ring on the bottom so that you can stand it on your stove top. If you are in NY, I'll show you where to go for it.

[Toliver]

I am a little confused as to why there seems to be a "if you can't do it 'right' at home, why bother" theme going on here.

So what if the burner on my stove doesn't put out the high heat like they use in a "real" chinese restaurant? I imagine most of the homes throughout Asia don't have stoves that do either. And yet these foolish people continue to use a wok at home. Go figure.

Last night I made a stirfry (scallops and baby bok choy) on my horrid electric stove using my $10 sheet metal wok that turned out great.

Sometimes cheap is good.

[Marlene]

Here is some advice from a Taiwanese chick who grew up cooking on nothing but woks, go to China town and get yourself the cheap stainless steel version that comes with a ring on the bottom so that you can stand it on your stove top. If you are in NY, I'll show you where to go for it.

Bond Girl, I'll be in New York in a couple of weeks. I could pick it up then

I am a little confused as to why there seems to be a "if you can't do it 'right' at home, why bother" theme going on here.

So what if the burner on my stove doesn't put out the high heat like they use in a "real" chinese restaurant? I imagine most of the homes throughout Asia don't have stoves that do either. And yet these foolish people continue to use a wok at home. Go figure.

Last night I made a stirfry (scallops and baby bok choy) on my horrid electric stove using my $10 sheet metal wok that turned out great.

Sometimes cheap is good.

Thanks Toliver. I was getting a little worried there that I should just give up and hang my head in shame much less try to cook anything in a wok on my poor little old cooktop I'm up for a cheap chinese wok!