Learning How to Wok
 

All these recent threads on physicality and food has me more motivated to lose 30 lbs. I need to get serious...diabetes, gout, heart issues, fat & ugly, etc.
30 years ago I used to stir fry in my cast iron skillet...but now I want a wok.
So, talk to me about a good wok. 'Been on Amazon looking at the carbon steel ones.
I bought a beautiful used one at a thrift shop recently but I was on a moto...came back the next day and they hadn't marked it SOLD so they sold it again.
BTW, I have a gas range...if that matters.
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Looked at these cook books on Amazon, too:

Stir-Frying - Grace Young
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Thug Kitchen
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Spare no details on anything related to woking, boys.
What to cook, oils, seasonings, technique, body language, background music, naked or fully-clothed, what to avoid, etc.
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SmileWavy

What I know. ................stay away from 'Americanized' versions. IE: Non- stick coatings, very smooth surfaces, very thin construction. The ones I see the pros using appear to be hand hammered where there are ridges all along inside. This is to pull up and hold the ingredients away from direct heat at the bottom, still keeping them warm.

Very little oil is used, must have a high flash point like peanut oil. Open flame burner is the only way to go because the heat / temperature needs to rapidly increase or decrease as needed. Sounds like you have that part licked.

See if your model of range has a wok burner replacement you can buy for one of the regular burner grills. You'll have more fun if you can get the wok really hot. Make sure to use an oil with a high smoke point.

Those are my big ones. Have fun!

Found this for starters....
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Stir-Fry 101: A Guide to Quick & Healthy Meals – Cook Smarts

I cook Asian food almost daily, and grew up in Asia, so a few tips:

Your stove burner will likely only put out maybe 10-15% of what wok stove will, so that's your first hurdle. Using a heavy wok (or other pan) that you can pre-heat to super hot before starting and that will retain heat when food is added will help. Some burners don't have gas jets in the center, so the center of the pan will be cooler. You'll have to experiment a little.

Prep everything before you start. Everything. If it takes more than 2 seconds to add any ingredient to the pan, you are not ready.

Cook in small quantities.

Use quality ingredients sourced from an Asian market. Buy nothing "oriental" from a regular grocery store. Consider the sodium levels on soy sauces, fish sauces, etc. Taste them all, you'll find a favorite. Some are better for cooking, others better as condiments.

Make all you own stocks. Do not use a pre-packaged stock. Buy good rice. Thai jasmine rices work for me.

Don't over eat. You can make all the healthy food you want but if you eat a ton of it, you'll gain weight.

Use cookbooks that are used in Asian cooking schools. You'll probably have to buy them online. The crap you get from your normal bookstore is, well, crap. Start with a crap recipe, you won't like it. Stick to the recipe quantities, measure carefully.

If you get the pan super-hot, then throw in the aromatics first, like most recipes suggest, you'll not always like the outcome. Garlic, in particular, burns quickly. Learn to add it when you can control how long it's cooked, before the addition of another ingredient cools the pan.

Cook the rice an hour before the rest of the meal, so it is ready to eat when you finish the stir frying. You can cook rice in 10 minutes; it's better if it sits a while. Don't bother with a rice cooker.

JR

The Grace Young book "Breath Of A Wok" is another great book from her. Try and buy a carbon steel wok. If you are on FB she has a group Wok Wednesdays that has lots of info. A good place for ordering stuff is here: https://www.wokshop.com/newstore/

In Breath Of A Wok and Stir Frying To The Sky's Edge she explains all the utensils and sauces that you should keep on hand.

And an FYI on the group buy that Shaun did for the Cen Bros woks. They are no longer in business and there is one on Ebay for $350, they've become unobtanium.

You need HEAT to flash sear the goodies, and you need heat retention (so you do not lose heat when putting in the goodies) that an 8K btu gas stove burner can not deliver. You need around 22K to get er done. You can order on line a Butane Burner for patio use that delivers around 75K BTU for around $80.

Chinese Restaurants are delivering around 100K burners...that is hot and fast.

U need the hi heat so it does not turn out soggy and mushy...but nice and crispy and crunchy.

Peanut oil yup. Hi flash point.

And you missed out on the Great Pelican Cen Ro hand hammered Wok direct from Shanghai adventure. Sadly those Woks are no more as the brothers who made them retired from the business. Those Woks are the ones Grace Young uses and has pictured in her book. This extravaganza was brought to the Pelican by Shaun and I.

I would also try and check out a Chinese or Asian market in your neck of the woods...I have often spent hours wandering about wondering what the fk do ya make with this here sauce?

One thing about this town is that there is no dearth of exotic foods to be had...there are Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Eastern European, Polish, Indian markets among others. A virtual culinary cornucopia.

Use peanut oil to fry in your wok. Pork, chicken, skirt steak, re-fried rice, veggies, and lots o' teriyaki sauce. La choi soy sauce is the best for taste. Have fun!:cool:

Cen Bros woks.
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Been reading online...it's crazy. Some folks are willing to travel to Shanghai in search of these.
You're right...one on eBay now for $375. :eek:

This thread is making me want to eat some Chow Mein

If no one has mentioned it yet I just wanted to skip to the bottom and let you know that you need lots of heat


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KGqjS4Xz4NQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Oh yeah and get the wok really hot too

Gogar is a wok star!

...any tips on how to woll :)?

RARE Mr Cen Handhammered Carbon Steel Wok | eBay


And I bought 4 of them...

As I think may have been mentioned before (just maybe), if you don't have the right kind of way to apply heat (and enough heat) then a wok is probably a waste of time. I tihnk a wok will pretty much require a gas burner that can put out prodigious amount of flame.

http://www.esquireme.com/sites/defau...age-4-798_.jpg
If you want a bigger version of the image to read the text, it's here.

This ^^^^ is why I buy special Propane Wok burner.

That same wok that I saw on eBay did NOT sell for $375 so it's now relisted for $500.

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.

I don't know if the other Pelicans have used their Cen woks yet. They are carbon steel and very light and thin. I think this really helps in their being able to get hot enough on a residential stove and making a good stir fry.

Also, meat and veggies should be sliced small and thin and be patted dry before adding to the wok, this helps for fast cooking and no sogginess.

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.

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

I will think about it.

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.
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2. Are the bigger ones easier to shovel food up onto the sides?
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3. Are the ones with wooden handles easier to manage?
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Thanks for the link. Great prices for what looks to be a good wok.
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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.

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.

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

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.

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.

I find the method you espoused upon to be tedious.

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.

^^^
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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.
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SmileWavy

nailed it

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.





http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1488820161.JPG

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.

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.

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.

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.

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? :eek: