Learning How to Wok

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by tabs

One 14 inch is shown as being SOLD for $500, the same guy has another smaller one for sale with a handle for $350.

I will let you have one of my 14 inch Woks for $495.00...never used, brand new, right from Shanghai.

And I bought 4 of them...

I wouldn't want to get between you and your making a handsome profit.
How about $80?

[tabs]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

I wouldn't want to get between you and your making a handsome profit.
How about $80?

I will think about it.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by craigster59

This would be comparable to a Cen Bros wok...
https://www.wokshop.com/newstore/product/the-wok-shop-hand-hammered-two-metal-loop-handles-wok/

By the way, I have a wok ring but never use it on my gas stove, the wok is stable enough and I'm usually holding it with one hand while cooking anyway.

My range burner racks (not sure what they're called) have no centers so I'd guess a wok would sit well onto them.

1. What's a good size in a wok? I'll be cooking for two and will want left overs.
.
2. Are the bigger ones easier to shovel food up onto the sides?
.
3. Are the ones with wooden handles easier to manage?
.
Thanks for the link. Great prices for what looks to be a good wok.
~~~~~~~~
Old joke:
New Chinese cook book - "How to wok your dog."

[tabs]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

My range burner racks (not sure what they're called) have no centers so I'd guess a wok would sit well onto them.

1. What's a good size in a wok? I'll be cooking for two and will want left overs.
.
2. Are the bigger ones easier to shovel food up onto the sides?
.
3. Are the ones with wooden handles easier to manage?
.
Thanks for the link. Great prices for what looks to be a good wok.
~~~~~~~~
Old joke:
New Chinese cook book - "How to wok your dog."

YOu need about a 22K BTU Burner to retain heat and to quickly recover heating the Wok. You also need a high capacity Range Hood..to get rid of the greasy smoke. Watch a few UTube Chinese restaurant videos and notice their kitchen set ups. Those Chinese restaurants are running 130K + BTU burners..

If you do not have the 22K BTU you have to cook in small batches and then assemble it at the end. That is why I bought a Propane outside burner..to get the heat..

14" is a good size for the home cook..per Grace Young

Carbon Steel...

The wood handle is cool to the touch. Also for the stove top a FLAT BOTTOM Wokl is easier, other wise you need a WOk RING which will move the WOK a bit higher off the flame.

[DanielDudley]

I don't pretend to know wok cooking at all, but I find that I add the ingredients slowest to cook first, work them all in and then stir fry. Given that I have a weak and meager regular gas stove, at the end I cover the wok and let the steam simmer the ingredients. The key is to let them simmer, then turn down the heat and let the food work its way to eating temperature, or thereabouts. I put whatever sauce I am using in just before the simmer, and flip it in.

I get easy and consistent results. For lager batches you stir fry longer, but the simmer is pretty much always the same. This is a simple way to get edible food.

[vash]

Wok cooked food to lose weight? I'd steam and boil.l

[jyl]

Don't spend more than $40 for a wok. Either get a cheap thin carbon (not stainless) steel one from an Asian grocery, or a thin (not thick) cast iron one. No stainless, no Teflon, no fancy woks, no stupid $500 woks.

Get a fairly large wok (at least 12"). Not because you want to fill it up, but because you don't want stuff to fall out.

Get a broad wood spatula. Shape the tip to match the curvature of your wok. Get a wire spider with a long handle. Each should cost like $1.

Prep all the food ahead of time. Cut into pieces of uniform size. Stuff that takes longer to cook needs to be in smaller pieces (meat), stuff that cooks quickly can be in larger pieces (some veg). Marinate meat if desired but pat it dry. Moisture is your enemy.

Cook each type of food by itself or with similar food. Heat oil in the wok, when the oil is shimmering and moving, add a small batch of the food, move it around with the spatula, then remove it with the spider. Batches should be small enough that it fries quickly rather than steams or boils. Meat should go from raw to brown, not spend much time gray. Undercook a little bit at this point. With a standard burner, each batch can be no larger than 1/2 cup if meat, 1 cup if veg.

Do not clean wok between batches. Add and reheat oil as needed.

When all batches are cooked, if you want a sauce then put some flavorful liquid (like a broth) with a little thickener whisked in (cornstarch, about 1-2 tsp per 1 cup liquid) in the wok and boil it until it thickens. Pour the sauce into a container.

Reheat wok, combine all the cooked batches for a final short toss in the wok. Add sauce at this time.

Do not clean the wok with soap. Use hot water and a stiff brush to knock off solid bits and let the rest of the oil and food residue "season" the wok. After a few uses the wok will be non stick.

The above is a process that will work even if you have a standard burner of 6-8K BTU. If you do have a 20K BTU burner, then you can do things a little differently.

The above is a process for stir frying. You can also use a wok to boil, steam, poach, whatever.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

I don't pretend to know wok cooking at all, but I find that I add the ingredients slowest to cook first, work them all in and then stir fry. Given that I have a weak and meager regular gas stove, at the end I cover the wok and let the steam simmer the ingredients. The key is to let them simmer, then turn down the heat and let the food work its way to eating temperature, or thereabouts. I put whatever sauce I am using in just before the simmer, and flip it in.

I get easy and consistent results. For lager batches you stir fry longer, but the simmer is pretty much always the same. This is a simple way to get edible food.

Simmering is not Stir Frying. Steaming is not Stir Frying. What u are making is mush. Simmering is what I used to do and that is why I never thought I had cooking the yellow peoples food down.Now I have a better understanding of the process.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by jyl

Don't spend more than $40 for a wok. Either get a cheap thin carbon (not stainless) steel one from an Asian grocery, or a thin (not thick) cast iron one. No stainless, no Teflon, no fancy woks, no stupid $500 woks.

Get a fairly large wok (at least 12"). Not because you want to fill it up, but because you don't want stuff to fall out.

Get a broad wood spatula. Shape the tip to match the curvature of your wok. Get a wire spider with a long handle. Each should cost like $1.

Prep all the food ahead of time. Cut into pieces of uniform size. Stuff that takes longer to cook needs to be in smaller pieces (meat), stuff that cooks quickly can be in larger pieces (some veg). Marinate meat if desired but pat it dry. Moisture is your enemy.

Cook each type of food by itself or with similar food. Heat oil in the wok, when the oil is shimmering and moving, add a small batch of the food, move it around with the spatula, then remove it with the spider. Batches should be small enough that it fries quickly rather than steams or boils. Meat should go from raw to brown, not spend much time gray. Undercook a little bit at this point. With a standard burner, each batch can be no larger than 1/2 cup if meat, 1 cup if veg.

Do not clean wok between batches. Add and reheat oil as needed.

When all batches are cooked, if you want a sauce then put some flavorful liquid (like a broth) with a little thickener whisked in (cornstarch, about 1-2 tsp per 1 cup liquid) in the wok and boil it until it thickens. Pour the sauce into a container.

Reheat wok, combine all the cooked batches for a final short toss in the wok. Add sauce at this time.

Do not clean the wok with soap. Use hot water and a stiff brush to knock off solid bits and let the rest of the oil and food residue "season" the wok. After a few uses the wok will be non stick.

The above is a process that will work even if you have a standard burner of 6-8K BTU. If you do have a 20K BTU burner, then you can do things a little differently.

The above is a process for stir frying. You can also use a wok to boil, steam, poach, whatever.

I find the method you espoused upon to be tedious.

[vash]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

I wouldn't want to get between you and your making a handsome profit.
How about $80?

screw that!!

buy the wok online from the WokShop in San francisco.

i grew up as a kid in a wok family. it was the first cooking vessel i saw as a baby. ironically i dont use one now, and i'll tell you why. while my hood vent is a good hood vent; it isnt a great hood vent. you need a GREAT hood vent.

or..do it outside. we use a turkey fryer camping, and our wok is the 100% in use tool from warming tortillas to cooking dinner. and it makes the best camp sink ever for doing dishes.

somehow my brother ended up with the good turkey fryer. it has a ring that fits the wok perfectly. mine is a suckass balancing act and that makes it kinda sketchy.

[Don Ro]

^^^
.
That $80 offer was meant as a shuck.
I'll be buying from that SF Wok store....thanks for that link craigster59 and your endorsement, Cliff.
And thanks for all the advice from you Pelican cooks.
I'll soon be woking down the path to a new way of cooking good food.
.

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by don ro

i'll soon be woking down the path to a new way of cooking good food.
.
Smilewavy

nailed it

[vash]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

^^^
.
That $80 offer was meant as a shuck.
I'll be buying from that SF Wok store....thanks for that link craigster59 and your endorsement, Cliff.
And thanks for all the advice from you Pelican cooks.
I'll soon be woking down the path to a new way of cooking good food.
.

awesome.

if you're ordering. add these to the list. official wok spoon/spatula. using a regular spatula is an exercise in futility. that dome shape gives me fits when it comes to a straight edged spatula. and the spoon is my kitchen favorite multitasker. it fills canning jars so quickly. they come in multiple sizes. i got these from the Clement ST chinatown a few weeks ago for my brother. i got hosed pricewise. cheaper in the main chinatown.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by tabs

I find the method you espoused upon to be tedious.

No choice if you only have a standard burner and are trying to stir fry.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by jyl

No choice if you only have a standard burner and are trying to stir fry.

I just stopped doing it in the house because it is slow...and will go outside with the high BTU propane burner..VASH talks about a Turkey Fryer...that is essentially the same method.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by vash

screw that!!

buy the wok online from the WokShop in San francisco.

i grew up as a kid in a wok family. it was the first cooking vessel i saw as a baby. ironically i dont use one now, and i'll tell you why. while my hood vent is a good hood vent; it isnt a great hood vent. you need a GREAT hood vent.

or..do it outside. we use a turkey fryer camping, and our wok is the 100% in use tool from warming tortillas to cooking dinner. and it makes the best camp sink ever for doing dishes.

somehow my brother ended up with the good turkey fryer. it has a ring that fits the wok perfectly. mine is a suckass balancing act and that makes it kinda sketchy.

Screw that GO TO YOUR LOCAL THRIFT STORE...they have plenty of used WOKS. I saw a great one Carbon Steel and all for under $10. I bought an ATLAS 14 inch, flat bottom, Carbon Steel with lid for $4.00 (made in the USA).

I just do not need anymore Woks...and that is why I didn't buy that one for under $10..I did buy one of those Chinese Clay Pot cookery things that was there the same day though..I wanted to give it a try as doing something different.
I did convince some lady shopper to buy it though.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by jyl

No choice if you only have a standard burner and are trying to stir fry.

Another method is to use a Charcoal Briquet Chimney Starter putting the WOK on top to get high heat..that is considered to be more of a traditional method that was used before Gas burners.

[tabs]

My local Chinese/Oriental markets have those 100K BTU outside only Propane WOK Burners for around $75 to $80, and that is what the Chinese people around here buy...you can see them being used on U Tube.

[rusnak]

You mean you seen one o dem ornamental people cookin' an' it wasn't some ancient secret to them?

[tabs]

Originally Posted by rusnak

You mean you seen one o dem ornamental people cookin' an' it wasn't some ancient secret to them?

What does Vash know about Chinese cooking was he brought up by an Italian lady or sumthin?