carbon steel Wok

[CrystalBay]

Originally posted by: kumanchu
a good seasoning will work very well, even for eggs.

carbon steel seasons fine. i have a couple of those. the main problem with teflon is that the temperatures that you are _supposed_ to be using is higher than what teflon is meant to be heated to. it will burn and flake into your food at the correct temperatures; whereas a properly seasoned wok will not do that. woks are meant to cook at extremely high temperature (basically as hot as you can get it) which is why restaurants and enthusiasts don't use normal stoves to cook on. they just don't get hot enough.

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This man Knows what he's talkin about. Teflon at high temp turn toxic and also destroy the finish

High Carbon Steel is where it's at in Woks and Knives....



Season you wok and never use soapy water to clean it out, just use hot water and a not to abrasive scrubber. Otherwise you'll rust.

1. To keep food from sticking after properly seasoning the steel .
2. Heat wok to high temp , than add peanut oil , swirl , add meat , no stick...

Hot pan, add fat , food wont stick.....Cold pan, cold oil ,food will stick


Also gas stoves are almost a must with any wok, tough to do on electric ranges , but can be done in batches.

 

[CrystalBay]

Originally posted by: shoegazer
Thanks for the deal.

Another nice deal on cookware is the Tramontina 12" saute pan from Wal-Mart for $30. It's a knockoff of the all-clad skillet that costs $100 more. Similar weight and aluminum/steel composition. http://www.walmart.com/catalog....do?product_id=5716483

That is a nice pan also.. just make sure the pan is HOT before adding fat and food



Also peanut oil can be heated higher than other oils and fats without burning(aka Flashpoint). An important fact to remember in your culinary endeavors...

 

[SlimHarpo]

I can't believe this thread hasn't been locked yet. "OMG GUYZ I FOUND WOK ON INTERNETS!!" It's nice that some of the ignorance re: materials has been addressed, but there's nothing "Hot Deals" about this thread in the least.

 

[MonkeyK]

Originally posted by: IGBT


..it's nice but the extra handle makes it big. the one I ordered will fit into my sink for easy cleaning. Mabe I need a commerical sized sink to go wit the Vulcan??

Vulcan schmulkin: Bluestar FTW
Remove the burner grate for extra wok form fitting goodness.

 

[Thump553]

Originally posted by: SlimHarpo
I can't believe this thread hasn't been locked yet. "OMG GUYZ I FOUND WOK ON INTERNETS!!" It's nice that some of the ignorance re: materials has been addressed, but there's nothing "Hot Deals" about this thread in the least.

You obviously never read the make a loaf of bread thread-it's been active in this forum for way over a year and has thousands of hits and many, many posts.

Personally I think a cooking forum would be a good idea.

 

[HankD]

Originally posted by: SlimHarpo
I can't believe this thread hasn't been locked yet. "OMG GUYZ I FOUND WOK ON INTERNETS!!" It's nice that some of the ignorance re: materials has been addressed, but there's nothing "Hot Deals" about this thread in the least.

I think he has Wok-envy

 

[Jenova314]

Originally posted by: SlimHarpo
I can't believe this thread hasn't been locked yet. "OMG GUYZ I FOUND WOK ON INTERNETS!!" It's nice that some of the ignorance re: materials has been addressed, but there's nothing "Hot Deals" about this thread in the least.

72 posts over 6+ years and you broke out of your silence for this?

 

[konakona]

ouch. turns out i have been using the dreaded teflon coated non-stick wok.
when I move to my new place, I should look into one of these things. I could definitely live with less carcinogen in my food

 

[tydas]

Second on the comment to properly season otherwise this thing will literally rust overnight. Even with proper seasoning the wok needs to be cleaned and dried immediately after every use or it will turn into a rust bucket pretty quick...

Not the kind of equipment for someone who lets stuff sit overnight in the sink...

 

[ivan2]

Originally posted by: Dweekie
The only options for woks should be cast iron or carbon steel without any non-stick coating in my opinion. The other materials just don't cook the food like they should in a high temperature wok. Interestingly, I heard modern chinese homes consider the cast iron and carbon steel to be old and preferencially use non-stick woks now. I wonder if there's validity to that statement.

I will say many home nowaday will have both. The pan use to do some light cooking, like frying an egg in the morning, and a wok for heavy duty stir fry.

Most Chinese people's problem with Teflon has something to do with the metal spatula that most people use to stir fry (chefs use a big scoop, but still metal...). The metal will scrap the teflon coating right off, the plastic ones will melt under high temperature, and the wooden one doesn't hold the food as well so it's less efficient when you try to flip them.

What's up with people not washing their wok... In China, we wash them after every meal, with soup! You don't have to intentionally season it, the whole thing will turn pitch black from top to bottom after a while and will not show rust if you use it daily. (actually I think we might have ate the rust everyday, still I think it beats having to eat used oil that's been sitting there on the wok =P)

 

[Syclone]

IMO, Cast Iron is where it's at for woks for most residential stoves. I love my Lodge pre-seasoned 14" wok. It's heavy, so holds heat very well once you get it warmed up vs carbon steel which requires more heat to keep it where you want it.

Lodge Wok for $40.

Once seasoned, it cleans easily with water and a stiff brush, or if badly cooked on food gives a problem, throw some steel wool at it then reseason. Under normal cleaning with just water (no soap), dry and wipe with a light coat of oil before storing to keep the seasoning intact.

This is also pre-seasoned. Just slightly harder to maintain than non-stick, but so much more flexible.

I even use mine outside on my grill's side burner and can cook huge amounts of food in it.

 

[IGBT]

..well I've been using my carbon steel Wok for over a week now. Works great. Cleans easly and have no sticking prob's. I stir fry veggies and eggs(egg beaters) every morn for breakfest. I may get another..prob.a cast iron for variety. Happy Woking everybody.