I found a heavy wok at the Thrist store the other day. I would like advice in cooking in one. I have never really used one before. Where do I find a fire ring to use it on the stove? Does it need to be seasoned? Any thing else in the use of it would be helpful.
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I remember ordering a Wok set back in the 80's and I burned it up because it was not made of good material. Hopefully the one you have is very thick and sturdy. I never tried another Wok again. Tell me how you do and perhaps Ill buy one. -
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I am going to try to cook in it next week. I will doa blog post on it and let you know how I do. -
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I’ve been cooking in woks for decades. Finding one in a thrift store is a great way to get your feet wet and find out whether or not it’s for you. Once you get used to them, they’re a quick and easy way to prepare healthy meals. Virtually any food that’s prepared in small bite sized portions can be cooked in a wok. Oh, and don’t worry about the flame ring. They’re not necessary and they can cause problems. I’ll explain later.
Woks are easy and fun to use but not always cheap. The rule of thumb has always been that the best woks were hand-hammered steel or black iron. This is true, for the most part. Those cheap spun aluminum or spun steel woks are useless. The inside must be smooth and it must be able to withstand extremely high temperatures.
Heavier is not always better. However, when dealing in steel or black iron, it must be heavy enough not to warp under high heat. One of the problems I have with a heavy wok is that I play with my food in the pan and it gets tiring and tough on the wrist after a while. As my mom would tell people, “The kid can flip anything but soup… and I’m not so sure about that.”
Okay, so now you’ve fallen in love with wok cooking and you realize that you need or want, a better grade wok. What do you get? As I stated earlier, steel and iron are the industry standard.
Okay, so you’re looking at a hand-hammered wok. Make sure that it is perfectly smooth inside; no bumps or ripples; and definitely no hammer marks. It will need to be seasoned just like any other steel or cast iron pan. It also comes with a flame ring. There’s another problem. If you have cast aluminum burner grids or heads, you can melt or warp them. Most range manufacturers warn against trapping the burner head flames. If you melt it or warp it, they’ll void any warranty that you have. Cast iron grids can be affected as well, especially on a non-commercial range. Don’t worry about the flame ring. I had worked without one for many years.
Now let’s look at the Teflon coated ones. They’re okay for small light cooking and not real wok cooking. When heated to super high temperatures, as required in wok cooking, the coating can release a toxic gas, Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). I’m very familiar with this because, many years ago, it almost killed all of my little birds. Besides, a well seasoned pan is better than any Teflon coating that I’ve ever seen.
It’s a given that woks can only be used with gas, not electric. There are electric units out there, but they’re totally useless. They are incapable of reaching any respectable temperature and they’re always Teflon coated.
Let’s look at another alternative. It’s one that I’ve been using for over 30 years: Titanium. Sounds expensive? It is, but it is oh-so worth it. I have managed to dent and warp every other wok I’ve ever owned, except this one. With the exception of the seasoning discoloration, it’s still as good as the day I bought it.
It has a small flat on the bottom so a flame/stabilizer ring is unnecessary. Many purists scoff at that. It’s true that you don’t get the full action of the wok. It’s just something that I had to get used to.
What ever you do, have fun. God bless. -
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One thing I forgot to mention, use a top-notch peanut oil. It imparts a little bit of flavor and has a very high smoke point. I've also gotten lazy in my old age. Instead of making a usual blend of spices, soy sauce, Hoisin and Sake, I finish off many of my dishes with Yoshida's Marinade and Cooking Sauce. It's great.
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Christopher51 Good morning. This is such thorough response and so informative. I had never heard of a Titanium Wok before today, although I have heard this metal is very strong indeed. My Great Grandfather X1 X2 and Grandfather were all blacksmiths and iron workers, so when you mentioned hand-hammered, at once I envisioned men hammering these cooking woks in the smithy work area, coal fires blazing in the background.
I always wondered why they insisted on the little wok ring. It seemed useless to me as I was scorching the inside of my very inexpensive wok ensemble. I could only wish for a gas range, but alas, for the past thirty years it's been nothing but electric. I learned on gas and it provided me so much better cooking leverage.
There have been such controversial discussions recently about Teflon and the irreparable harm they can cause to people, and even pets living in the homes where they are being used. However, having said this, chefs and cooking channels keep touting their greatness. I believe a well seasoned pan (stainless, copper, cast-iron, titanium) will do a fundamentally better job, even though the temptation to stick with the non-stick pans is hard to resist.-
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Hopefully I didn’t overwhelm “amybyrd21” with my response. I’m sorry, I’m an engineer. I get technical.
Basically, you’re right. Hot metal is hand hammered, either freehand or onto a wooden or iron mold.
The ring under the wok is there primarily to elevate and stabilize the wok. All of them have rolled edges so that you can move the wok around at different angles if necessary. It’s difficult to explain but in essence, one can cook several different types of foods, at different temperatures, all in the same wok at the same time. Like most cooking, it’s a technique.
Teflon has it’s place and it’s usually at fairly low temperatures. The toxic gas that’s released by the new cookware is very minimal. Small birds are affected by it first. It’s why they took canaries into coal mines. It’s not going to affect humans that much unless you crank it up dry and forget about it. Then you’ve got a problem. But there are plenty of other things that emit gas and whatnot into your kitchens atmosphere. Did you know that 99 percent of ALL granite countertops emit Radon Gas? Hmmmm.
I bought my titanium wok from a place called Bridge Kitchenware down on 52nd st. in NYC. Fred Bridge was a good guy. I was on my home turf which meant we haggled a lot. The pan was expensive. It cost me around $200. However, I’ve had it and used it and abused it since 1980. There’s a good testimony to its durability.
I hate cooking with anything but gas. I grew up cooking with gas. My wife and I moved from the Florida Keys to SC in 2005. I had to go back down to the Keys to bring the boat up. It took 30 days. In my absence she though she’d surprise me with a wonderful gift. She’d bought my first “Dual-Fuel” stove. It’s a gas cooktop with an electric convection oven. The best of both worlds. It’s great! I’ve been cooking more and enjoying it more. The only problem is that now she blames ME for HER extra baggage (weight). :-D -
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No ... Amy told me she had some plane and should be back in a few days.
She'll love all of this information, believe you me.
A duel stove and range sounds like a dream. I adore convection ovens especially when the calibration is perfectly set. And I'll agree and side with your Mrs. that men are the cause of our weight gain. Ha!
Why did it take you 30 days to get the boat, did you drag it home?
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Yeah, yeah, I know. She’s jealous of the fact that I’ve got no butt and no hips. All the men on the Curry side of the family are built like ‘fire plugs.’ It’s hell though, when I wear a tool belt. My pants just suddenly fall down every time I stretch or reach for something.
She did say something very sweet the other day. I was perusing one of the blogs here and it was something about having your own professional chef. She knows that it’s been tough for me trying to find a job. We were supposed to be retired. God had other plans. And as I’ve found out, nobody wants a 60 year old computer and electronics geek. And… I’m too old to be swinging through the rafters anymore. She read it and said, “Why would I want a professional chef? I have Norm Abrams, a little bit of Alton Brown mixed in with Tyler Florence and a lot of Mr. Wizard… all in one package.” Wow! That got me a little soggy.
Why 30 days? A 27 foot Tiara fishing boat that’s 27 feet tall, with the outriggers up, is not something I can just get on I-95 with. It’s an almost 900 mile trip by ICW. Besides, one must refuel often; with both diesel and Guinness. I’m not sure which tank took more. :-D-
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What high praise! Wonderful of her to acknowledge your good traits, plus, you probably spoil her just a little bit, too.
As for the boat, I thought you were driving it home with a boat trailer attached to the back of your car. Ha! ICW = inner connecting water I am guessing. You should get a map of the tributaries and using a red marker, draw your route and then snap some clear photos so we can see it. Sounds very interesting.
Be back later. Carry on. -
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ICW... IntraCoastal Waterway. Started by non other than George Washington. :-)
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Really. You learn something new everyday.
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Thank you for the info. I will take a pic of it in a few days. Thank you so much.
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Where's the pic? Have you cooked in the wok yet or are you waiting?
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I have not gotten to use it yet. I meed to scrub it really good. It has stains on it. It has been washed really well. I am waiting for my arm to get better so I can hold it and control it better.-
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Steel Wool or SOS pads should do the trick. Elbow grease.
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That’s pretty neat. My first one was in about the same shape. It took a lot to bring back to near showroom shape. Then I seasoned it, and seasoned it, and seasoned it. You get the point.
This appears to be steel. It also appears to be “Stamped;” meaning a stamp and die production set. The handles are also of a different material and appear to be chromed.
First thing I’d check for is pitting. Most people think nothing of it. However, it can be a harborer of all kinds of noxious critters along with rust and impurities that you don’t want leaching into your food. Me, I prefer to get my iron elsewhere. :-D
Personally, I’m lazy, I’d set in a bath of dilute ammonia for a couple of hours. That should loosen up all the old caked on… whatever. Do not immerse the chrome handles. It will discolor the chrome.
There’s another shortcut that I use but it usually scares people a bit. If anyone’s adventurous, I’ll tell you about it.
God bless. -
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@ Christopher51 ... I want to know. My late mother was always reading Heloise's Helpful Hints for getting rid of stains and such. Even if I never use the process, I like to learn new things, so please do tell.
I had a question For Amy and Christopher: Can you clean this with using sand in some way ... rubbing? This is ringing a bell ... something my Grandmother did to clean an old pot ... but it was so long ago I cannot recall properly. Any clues?
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I dont know about using sand I use sand paper on thatold cast iron I got from some one. They got it out of a barn. I am going to clean this up and try it out soon. I got it for camp fire cooking. Hubby uses them to fry fish in but Iwant to make stir fries so he may just have to stick to his cast iron for frying fish
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Sounds like a neat idea. Cooking outside is exciting. I don't get to do it.
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I used to have a wok many years ago but found it more trouble than it was worth. Give me a good quality saute pan and I'm happy.-
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I'm there with you on this one, but if I were cooking in a heavy-duty wok, over gas range and fully supervised with a Chinese Chef, I might learn to cook in a wok properly, and hence ... change my mind.
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