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New wok

1K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  kuan 
#1 ·
ehat do i need to know about buying and using a wok? I currently have an old Teflon wok that needs replacing.
 
#2 ·
What kind of range?
Gas? Any HD iron/steel wok is great - after seasoning
Have an electric range here :-( so a stove top wok is out
Have an electric teflon Breville..it's OK..but the "hysteresis" time really sux
There are new induction units out lately (NuWave?) , I'd luv one but can't justify the price.. until the old unit dies
 
#6 ·
I second reading Grace Youns "breath of a wok".
For gas, almost any type of wok will do. You may need to buy a gas ring to place your wok stable on the stove.
Single wooden handle works, double steel handle works fine, but you will need a glove.
I think I got about 4 different woks and they are all being used.
 
#9 ·
wok hei

It's a concept more Cantonese than Mandarin. There is a flavor in a dish prepared properly in a wok that dissipates fairly quickly. It's why so many Chinese dishes say to "Serve immediately". Or why discriminating customers ask to sit closest to the kitchen in some Chinese restaurants to minimize dissipation of the flavor.

Grace Young discusses the idea in the book we mentioned earlier. It's where she got the title idea.

Now, having said all of that, the term is understandable to all Chinese, but the concept of the flavor is not universal in the cuisine. So you'll find people who disagree that the flavor is real or important and so on. What I think the flavor is like is a certain smokiness and freshness that can be lost if the dish sits.

So at the 4:00 minute mark, Yan is tossing and stirring the wok. Not that this is a great video, just the first one I found. You'll see small flames igniting in the fumes above the forward edge of the wok. When I see that happen, I know I'm making good flavors in my wok. But now that I've switched to induction, I can't trigger that ignition. Still tastes right if done well but the visual cue is lost. Basically this is about the easily evaporated compounds in the food and cooking to release them but eating before they're gone.



That's what I think about the whole idea anyway.
 
#12 ·
When the food hits the hot oil it creats a fire. You use the back of a spatula that fits the contour of the wok to flip the food in the air as well as using a flipping motion with the wok. This allows the ingredients to air roast using the flame that engulfs the wok. Some of the oil droplets will catch on fire.
 
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