me and my wok. 2 years now?

[vash]

this is my second wok. i bought it because i wanted that big handle so i can do the "wok toss". for the record, i suck with my left hand wok tossing. my right, i am okay.

i use it surprisingly often. i even taken to using it to make popcorn. seasoning #2 has been interesting. way more difficult than my #1 wok, which is black as coal. #2 is never and will probably never fully be black. hell, if i could weld a handle on #1, i would frisbee #2 over the fence. haha.

but honestly, a wok isn't just for Chinese food. its been a fun journey. this thing goes truck camping with me!! i seared tuna with it. steaks are fun..i deep fried a burger patty with it, just for science. popcorn has been my latest thing.

[stevej37]

What kind of lid do you use for the popcorn?

[berettafan]

Still love my wok cooking and my fried rice has ruined my family for any restaurant version. Just did pork fried rice Saturday with my daughter while wife and son were away. Was windy and cold outside so we used a flat bottom carbon steel wok on the stove. Worked just fine.

It's a handicap but my secret to great fried rice is a quart of white rice from the local chinese carry out. Just haven't mastered getting a good sticky batch at home.

[masraum]

Is that one of the woks made from the disk from a plow? Or one of the really expensive woks purchased from some special master hand made thing that Tabs gets from China for $100 each? Or is that just from the local Asian grocery store?

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by stevej37

What kind of lid do you use for the popcorn?

I just use one of the big "screen" splatter guards that you can probably find for $6 at the grocery store. You still get some oil out, but at least it lets the steam out so you don't get soggy popcorn.

After hacking a 140kBTU burner into a turkey cooker's frame it's as if I discovered a whole new world. Sure, I don't have hair on my hands and forearms anymore, but wow do I have (last night) some awesome dry fried asparagus! And I've never even dialed it past four, certainly not to eleven...

[vash]

Originally Posted by masraum

Is that one of the woks made from the disk from a plow? Or one of the really expensive woks purchased from some special master hand made thing that Tabs gets from China for $100 each? Or is that just from the local Asian grocery store?

no, sadly i missed out on that deal. i had a trip planned and expect to buy my own, but apparently they bulldozed the entire neighborhood and build condos. no more hand-hammered woks. my wife's cousin lived in the region and we were gonna visit him.

mine is a $40 from Amazon.

[craigster59]

Cen Brothers woks. Fortunately I was able to get in on the deal, I think it was around $50-60 for the wok.

It really is a great wok, light and heats up like nobodies business.

Don't you have "The Wok Shop" in San Fran up there Vash?

[masraum]

I wonder if you could get another cheap wok, drill the rivets, and then rivet that handle onto your other wok.

[vash]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Don't you have "The Wok Shop" in San Fran up there Vash?

i do. the ONLY reason to walk into the wok shop is Golden Gate Bakery across the street which sells the gold standard when it comes to Egg-Tarts.

the Wok Shop blows. the store is covered in this grease..most of it is the anti rust grease woks must come with. so imagine how the dust just builds up and sticks to everything. the owners are the surliest humans ever. i once got there at opening up, with egg tart crumbs all over my face, and they both acted like i was really annoying them and taking up their precious opening time. i went in for a cleaver, and they were super bummed i was looking for a CCK cleaver. which they dont carry.

wok shop..no thanks. they hypnotized the tourist market for sure. locals dont go in.

[gacook]

I love my wok. Probably had it 20 years, but don't think it was anything fancy...Never thought to season it. I don't do the "wok toss," though. Pretty much just use a utensil to mix ingredients around

Same way you'd season cast iron, Vash?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by gacook

I love my wok. Probably had it 20 years, but don't think it was anything fancy...Never thought to season it. I don't do the "wok toss," though. Pretty much just use a utensil to mix ingredients around

Same way you'd season cast iron, Vash?

I think just using a wok season's it. Oil and high heat that causes the wok/oil to smoke. The oil cooks/hardens on the metal until it's a slick, dark, non-porous surface. Which is the same as a cast iron skillet.

[matthewb0051]

I saw this family on Andrew Zimmern's "Family Dinner". Looks like some great stuff and easy to follow.

https://thewoksoflife.com/

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by masraum

I think just using a wok season's it. Oil and high heat that causes the wok/oil to smoke. The oil cooks/hardens on the metal until it's a slick, dark, non-porous surface. Which is the same as a cast iron skillet.

Some claim that flax seed oil is the best, but then some others claim that it gets too thick and flakes off. Smells like woodworking though! (I think it's just food-grade linseed oil)

My steel wok got the flax seed for a few cycles just empty and then some chives and peanut oil (not to eat). After that just peanut oil/pork/beef over and over and over. I wouldn't do a "sunnyside up" egg in it, but it's a beautiful black and more or less nonstick.

My steel pans didn't get the fancy oil but they did get a very through scrub to get the vendor's sealing goo off of them. From there with just peanut oil and heavy use we're a happy family.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

Some claim that flax seed oil is the best, but then some others claim that it gets too thick and flakes off. Smells like woodworking though! (I think it's just food-grade linseed oil)

My steel wok got the flax seed for a few cycles just empty and then some chives and peanut oil (not to eat). After that just peanut oil/pork/beef over and over and over. I wouldn't do a "sunnyside up" egg in it, but it's a beautiful black and more or less nonstick.

My steel pans didn't get the fancy oil but they did get a very through scrub to get the vendor's sealing goo off of them. From there with just peanut oil and heavy use we're a happy family.

Yep, flax (yes, linseed, but not boiled) is what is often recommended as best. It's a polymerizing (hardening) oil, so will create a nice hard shell, at least, that's what all of the folks that recommend it say. And I understand that several super thin coats are better than a thick one.