- 247
- 10
- Joined Jun 16, 2006
This is my first post in quite some time. I'm looking to throw a couple deck chairs off the Titanic. I've mostly exorcised the demon refined sugar, and cut down on white flour bread/buns and the burgers and other greasy temptations that nestle so nicely between them. I also bought a carbon steel wok and have been messing around stir frying. In the last ten days I've consumed a shrub worth of broccoli, a ball pit of onions, and carrots and sprouts to the point where a local warren of rabbits has staged a protest outside my house. It seems to be working as I've already shed a half ham of weight.
But am I stir frying correctly? Over the last week or so I've looked back at a bunch of threads about stir frying. I think I did a good job seasoning the wok. It is a flat bottom wok, as I bought it on a whim. I've since ordered a hand hammered round wok from The Wok Shop, as well as some other paraphernalia. They should be here in about a week.
I've been cooking ingredients in batches and assembling at the end so as to not overload the wok, yet my vegetables seem to be absorbing oil, especially broccoli and mushrooms. I start with a couple tablespoons of oil, but have to add at least a little before each ingredient, and that has to be going somewhere. My wild guess is it's going into me and my family, which sort of defeats the purpose. I fear my ingredients are not so much passing through the oil, but wallowing and soaking up instead, even though I'm shaking and stirring like Shakira on the George Lopez Show.
I'm thinking it's the temperature at which I'm cooking. Full blast seems to start to scorch, medium high and I seem to lose the sizzle. I cook on gas 16,000 BTU burners that set the oil and wok to smoking pretty easily.
I see comments about wok cooking on much more powerful burners, but how hot does it really need to be? The hotter the better? Won't the oil burn? I was not using a wok ring, so I'm afraid a fair amount of the heat was running up the sides of the wok. Maybe the bottom is not as hot as it should be and the sides are too hot? I stopped at an Asian market yesterday and bought a ring. I'm not sure if that's ideal for a flat bottom wok, but for three bucks I'll give it a whirl. I was using canola oil, but have picked up some peanut oil and will try that tomorrow.
Any tips are appreciated. Hotter. Cooler. More oil. Less oil. Keep practicing you dummy, you're technique probably stinks. Wait until you get a real wok with a round bottom.
I'm open to any suggestions.
Thanks.
Kevin
But am I stir frying correctly? Over the last week or so I've looked back at a bunch of threads about stir frying. I think I did a good job seasoning the wok. It is a flat bottom wok, as I bought it on a whim. I've since ordered a hand hammered round wok from The Wok Shop, as well as some other paraphernalia. They should be here in about a week.
I've been cooking ingredients in batches and assembling at the end so as to not overload the wok, yet my vegetables seem to be absorbing oil, especially broccoli and mushrooms. I start with a couple tablespoons of oil, but have to add at least a little before each ingredient, and that has to be going somewhere. My wild guess is it's going into me and my family, which sort of defeats the purpose. I fear my ingredients are not so much passing through the oil, but wallowing and soaking up instead, even though I'm shaking and stirring like Shakira on the George Lopez Show.
I'm thinking it's the temperature at which I'm cooking. Full blast seems to start to scorch, medium high and I seem to lose the sizzle. I cook on gas 16,000 BTU burners that set the oil and wok to smoking pretty easily.
I see comments about wok cooking on much more powerful burners, but how hot does it really need to be? The hotter the better? Won't the oil burn? I was not using a wok ring, so I'm afraid a fair amount of the heat was running up the sides of the wok. Maybe the bottom is not as hot as it should be and the sides are too hot? I stopped at an Asian market yesterday and bought a ring. I'm not sure if that's ideal for a flat bottom wok, but for three bucks I'll give it a whirl. I was using canola oil, but have picked up some peanut oil and will try that tomorrow.
Any tips are appreciated. Hotter. Cooler. More oil. Less oil. Keep practicing you dummy, you're technique probably stinks. Wait until you get a real wok with a round bottom.
I'm open to any suggestions.
Thanks.
Kevin