A wok is a fun and useful addition to your kitchen arsenal, but it also requires maintenance.
Cooking with a wok can also be complicated if youve never done it before.
If you want to use one, the first step is picking the right wok to begin with.
Woks are made for high-heat, stir-fry cooking, andstir-fry cooking requires quick temperature changes.
Carbon steel allows for this.
It heats up and cools down quickly.
You dont want stainless steel or anything with a manufactured nonstick surface.
For one, stainless steel takes too long to heat up and cool down.
Your best bet is carbon steel, and they recommend a wok thats at least 2mm thick for durability.
This makes it easier to push food to the sides of the wok.
Other woks arehand-hammered for this very reason.
Finally, woks come in different shapes and sizes.
Of course, if youre cooking on your regular, old residential stove, thats not really possible anyway.
Plus, youd have to use a wok ring.
As Lower mentioned, though, woks with bottoms that aretooflat kind of seem pointless.
For example, Serious Eats recommendsthis Joyce Chen 14" carbon steel wok.
Wok handles come in two different styles.Cantonese-style wokshave one small handle on each side of the wok.
Northern-style woks have a long wooden handle with a small one on the opposite side.
This is what Young recommends, as it makes it easier to manage the wok and flip your ingredients.
Most woks are made with a protective coating to keep them looking fresh in-store.
You want to remove this layer before using your wok for the first time.
Over time, your wok will develop apatina, layer of seasoning that adds flavor to your cooking.
When your wok is new, youcan season it yourself.
Young shows you how its done in the above video.
Youdont want to use olive oil, though, because its smoke point is too low.
As Young demonstrates, you could also add some ginger or scallions (more on why later.)
The process should take about 15 to 20 minutes.
After cooking, rinse out the wok with water and a sponge.
The discoloration a seasoned wok sports is finedont scrub it off!
Otherwise, just rinse with water and sponge.
First, when it comes to stir-fry, you want to master the art of tumbling in your wok.
Before you go tossing in your ingredients, though, confirm your wok is at the right temperatureblazing hot.
Again, woks are designed to withstand the incredibly high heat you need for stir-fry.
This is not a problem, it just means your stir-fry will take a little bit longer.
Next, do the same for all your vegetables.
Most importantly, though, you want to verify youre working with the right wok to begin with.
Illustration by Angelica Alzona
Photos: By Dirk BrokeDirkb (Wikimedia Commons)
