Tips in Buying and How to Take Care of Your Woks

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at 7:29 am

The maintenance of your cooking woks is necessary so as to make sure it will last longer. There are things you can consider when taking care of your precious woks.

Woks are bowl-shaped pans utilized for traditional Chinese cooking. Hence, Chinese cuisine has become internationally known due to its developed dishes as well as “advanced cooking techniques”. Woks are then considered as one amongst the main efficient types of cooking pans.

Aside from this, woks issue heat throughout the pan and it gets very hot, making them great for certain stir-fry cooking dishes. The stove that you will use in cooking plays a major role on the outcome of these dishes.

Usually, a wok has a rounded bottom because it is originally used for big “cast iron stoves”. It also has two actual handles on both sides, suitable for carrying and lifting them. Modern woks are made of aluminum, copper and stainless steel. Instead of side to side handles, woks today commonly possess one long handle like a skillet. It makes woks easier to move and use. Woks can easily take away the need for potholders. Fourteen-inch cooking woks are also estimated as the most versatile kitchen utensil.

Stainless steel cooking woks are not good heat conductors because all the food gets stuck unto the metal. It also makes the presentation of dishes look bad.

Tips on how to take care of your cooking woks:
Once you find your cooking wok, it is significant to take proper care of it. You must season your wok before using it for the first time. This is in order to remove the oil on the wok and to prevent it from rusting. You need to also clean your wok immediately after each usage in order to keep it clean and to avoid corrosion.

In cleaning your carbon steel wok, you need to wash the wok in hot water, softly scrub, or lift off away food particles with a nonmetallic scrubber. Wash the wok and then dry the exterior and interior potions with paper towels. When you finish drying your wok, place it over medium heat, and then swab the inside of the wok with a little amount of vegetable oil. This will keep your carbon steel wok free from rusting.

As a warning, do not pour oil directly onto your hot wok during the time you are cleaning it. This can cause fires since the wok is very hot. Several people like it better to have the oil added earlier. Thus, to let it heat up with the pan.

Do not spill the vegetable oil if the wok is very hot. This is since it can spark as so-called “grease fire” very easily. A wok must never be washed with detergent. Chefs recommend cooking wok users to make use of a bamboo brush in order to keep it clean in between seasonings.

Tips for buying a cooking wok:
It is a fact that there are quite a number of different kinds of cooking woks available in the market these days. Carbon steel woks are considered as the best because of its high quality. Aside from this, it is also able to last up to several years. You also have an option in choosing a cooking wok that possesses a round bottom. These are also termed as flat cooking woks. If you are cooking with the use of a western electric range, the best choice would be a flat bottom cooking wok.

The size of the cooking wok is another significant aspect you should consider when buying frying pans or wok. Since woks are made with a variety of sizes, the appropriate size of the cooking wok depends on the preference of the user or on the size of the gas stove.

For more information on Copper Cooking Woks and Healthy Cooking in Woks please visit our website.