Wok and Chopsticks

[abcdefg]

 Nothing says China more strongly than a wok 炒锅 and chopsticks 筷子。You can use chopsticks right off the airplane, but buying a wok means you have really arrived; makes you an Old China Hand instead of a tourist or newbie.

 

Last year when I went back to the US, I gave my trusty everyday wok to a friend. When I returned to Kunming, all I had was an old discarded one, pictured below, inherited from my frugal landlord. It doesn’t do a very good job. Things stick to it, and that makes cooking require lots of oil.

 

 

So for the last few days I’ve been researching a new one, talking to friends, visiting stores, and reading articles on-line. Thought I would share the process in case any of you are in the market. Factors to consider:

1. Size
2. Bottom shape
3. Handles
4. Material
5. Cost

I mostly cook for one or two, so everyone suggested a medium-size, 32 cm wok for my needs. Larger ones are difficult to handle, not only during the cooking but during the cleanup.

 

Traditional restaurant woks have a round bottom. They are designed sit in a hollow burner hole atop a very hot commercial stove fire, where the cook continually shakes them with one hand and stirs with the other. At home I use gas, and my stove-top burners have a wire “wok ring” adapter, so one that is close to round works well in my kitchen. If I were using an electric range, the bottom would need to be flat.

 

 

 

Large restaurant woks often don’t have real handles. The cooks grasp the small metal ears with towels. That’s not handy at home, so I would urge you to buy a wok with one proper handle and one small “helper” handle across from it. 

 

When you walk into a store here and inquire about a new wok, the first question you will get from the sales person 售货员 will be “一般的还是好一点的？” That’s not a wok-specific question; has more to do with how much you are willing to spend. “Do you want a basic one, or a better one?” I generally go for the latter when selecting frequent-use kitchen tools.

 

The next question the shop assistant will ask is whether or not you want a non-stick wok. 不粘的。Not the way I would have expected to hear it said, but it was universal 口语 here in Kunming. The choice they offer is "不粘的还是铁的。" Non-stick or iron. The iron ones can be hammered out of sheet metal or made of cast iron, which is 铸铁。

 

Cast iron is great for a wok since the gently-rounded sides will allow you to temporarily slide food up onto the cooler parts of the pan as you add new ingredients to the (hotter) center. You can’t do that with a non-stick surface; everything slides to the middle and tends to stay there.

 

Here’s the one I got. Plain cast iron. Cost 350 Yuan. A slightly thinner one by the same maker was about 50 Yuan cheaper. I liked the heft and solid feel of the better wok.

 

   

 

If you want to spend a whole lot of money and get an inferior frying utensil, consider stainless steel. The only good thing I can say about them is that they look pretty; best avoided unless you are a TV chef and the manufacturer is your sponsor.

 

The store had a special that reduced the price from a bit over 400, plus they threw in a decent stirring tool 锅铲 free. A top usually comes with the wok and this one had the ability to stand on edge by itself; a feature that is far from essential, but seemed kind of handy.

 

   

 

Before the first use, it’s best to season a new cast-iron wok, though the salesman said it wasn’t essential. Wash it, put it on the stove, let it cook on medium-low heat for 15 or 20 minutes while rubbing it every so often with cooking oil 食用油。I used a wadded paper towel. The iron is microscopically porous and this produces a thin oil coating which bonds to it, making food less likely to stick when using high heat. And most wok cooking is done on high heat. 

 

 

 

So now it’s ready to use. In fact I tried it out at supper making a simple green vegetable stir fry, and it worked quite well. The results were more than acceptable. The vegetables maintained a little bit of crunch and didn't discolor or become "stewed down."

 

 

 

The essence of wok cooking is just that: Cooking things fast over high heat. This one passed the test with flying colors.

 

The people I talked to said not to scour with steel wool 钢丝球 day to day unless I absolutely had to. After using, let the wok soak a while, and then just clean with a dish rag or sponge. Dry it completely and put it away. I usually dry it for a few seconds on the fire, wiping it fast with a wadded paper kitchen towel and a couple dots of cooking oil. This leaves it shiny and protected. 

 

Lore has it that it gets better and better with use; over time develops a patina that adds a distinctive flavor note to any stir fry. We will see about that. I promise to report back in a decade or two.

[anonymoose]

You need to bathe it in 地沟油 if you want the authentic street flavour.

[abcdefg]

Haha, Anonymoose. Another good reason to cook at home.

 

Actually I meant to mention that the oil used for initial "curing" of the cast iron wok should be something with a high smoke point, such as peanut oil or corn oil. Olive oil breaks down too rapidly and won't work.

[somethingfunny]

Do people actually use olive oil for cooking chinese food?

 

abcdefg, you didn't mention if the one you got was 不粘的 or not.  I'm guessing not from those picture.  Also, you wouldn't really be doing the seasoning with a non-stick one.

 

Interesting they said 不粘的, I'd have guessed 不贴的.

[abcdefg]

Somethingfunny -- You're right. Olive oil is seldom used as a cooking oil here, but it is used more and more in making salad dressings. Five or six years ago all of it was imported, but now there seems to be a domestic source, which has brought the price down.

 

Judging from what I see on the shelves, the most popular cooking oil is still 油菜花油 or 菜籽油, rape-seed oil.

 

I also was thinking it would be 不贴的, as in 锅贴, for a nonstick pan. Surprised me to run into 不粘的。

 

Quote

abcdefg, you didn't mention if the one you got was 不粘的 or not.

 

Thanks, I went back and edited the original post to make it more clear. The one I bought this time was cast iron, with no coating. The one I had last year was non-stick. Wanted to try out the difference. Seems great so far (after one use.)

[lips]

A round bottom wok is always preferable over a flat bottom one for Chinese cooking.

[somethingfunny]

 

 

Olive oil is seldom used as a cooking oil here, but it is used more and more in making salad dressings.

 

 

Really?  The only salad dressings I've come across are copious amounts of mayonnaise, or thousand island or some such thing.  A lot of my female coworkers would get the salad from subway because they were all 减肥'ing.  I reckon it was probably more unhealthy than the sandwiches.  Unless of course you were doing the "China Special" and getting two different sauces on your sandwich.  Honestly, whenever I went I had to specify 少放点酱 otherwise it was just unpalatable.

 

Anyway, I don't do much cooking myself but would definitely opt for the non-non-stick wok.  Funnily enough, I used to have the non-stick version of this one you've bought - I was completely taken in by the stand for the lid.

[abcdefg]

A round bottom wok is always preferable over a flat bottom one for Chinese cooking.

 

Agree, Lips. As long as you don't have an electric range 电的灶台, round bottom is the way to go. By the way, as a China native, I wonder what kind of wok you use at home. Do you prefer non-stick or cast iron? 不粘的还是铸铁的？

 

Somtethingfunny -- I guess tossed salads are really not a "Chinese thing." Agree about those ghastly-heavy, mayonnaise-based dressings, that are often even sweet.

[Chris Two Times]

abcdedg,

 

Another award-winning post! I love how you can take an ordinary, standard topic pertaining to daily life in China and turn it into a thread very much worth following. I also appreciate your writing style. You have definitely built up a nice repertoire of "China daily life" threads that only add to the richness and worth of these forums.

 

Your posts always make me think twice about how I go about things. In the past I would have just gone for the cheapest wok (29元!) and not have considered anything else that you have brought to the forums' attention. Cheapest is not always best (actually very rarely it is).

 

The next time I go for a wok (ba-dum-psish!) I shall be a bit more discerning in my purchase. Many thanks!

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[vellocet]

Great post...but...buying a wok means you're an Old China Hand?  I had a wok in the States. 

 

I got a new nonstick wok from Ikea because it was cheap and my old one was rusty.  My gf immediately scarred the finish by using a metal...spoon-thing?  What's the vocabulary for the trapezoidal wok-stirring utensil?  I had a wooden one that I told her to use instead, but you know how fixed ideas are.

[Chris Two Times]

I had a wooden one that I told her to use instead, but you know how fixed ideas are.

 

   

 

Vellocet brings up a good point. Even with my cheap wok, I never use metal utensils on it and only use a wooden spatula implement. I really don't want the surface scratched and so far, after a year and a half, it has gone unscathed...knock on spatula wood.

 

Chris Two Times

[li3wei1]

My gf immediately scarred the finish by using a metal...spoon-thing?  What's the vocabulary for the trapezoidal wok-stirring utensil?

 

More importantly, what's the vocabulary for a gf who does this kind of thing?

[Chris Two Times]

More importantly, what's the vocabulary for a gf who does this kind of thing?

 

Ah ha!

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[iand]

Among materials, you didn't mention carbon steel. This site makes it sound about equal in goodness to a cast iron one http://wokshop.stores.yahoo.net/wokology101.html

[abcdefg]

Quote

What's the vocabulary for the trapezoidal wok-stirring utensil?  I had a wooden one that I told her to use instead, but you know how fixed ideas are.

 

It's a 锅铲 guo1 chan3, Vellocet. I assume your girlfriend is now under house arrest or on probation, having so rudely messed up your wok!

 

Chris, #9, you are too kind.

 

Quote

Vellocet brings up a good point. Even with my cheap wok, I never use metal utensils on it and only use a wooden spatula implement.

 

I have a wooden stirring utensil and one that's made of what I think is some kind of silicon compound (in addition to a metal one.)

 

 

@iand -- That's a great website you linked. For whatever reason, the retail stores here were not pushing carbon steel woks for home use. I have a friend whose father is a retired restaurant chef, and he said that carbon steel was all they used for years and years. It was far and away the favorite of the pros. Maybe I should have looked harder to try and find one of those.

 

Shelley, if you are following this discussion, I remember you posted a picture of your wok a month or two ago. It looked like it might have been carbon steel. Wonder if it was?

 

The ability to get real hot fast and then cool down quickly is particularly prized in commercial use. Also it's easy to clean. They splash a little water into the hot wok once the food is out and just swirl it around with a bamboo whisk or brush, discarding it into a pail. Presto, it's ready to use again. You might need to do this two or three times while cooking one dish. 

[Alex_Hart]

Great post, abc! I've been thinking on this a lot for when I arrive in China in the autumn. I'm big on cooking, and have really been drawn to the idea of woks given their ability to "replace" most of the other pots in the kitchen. 

 

I have a flat-bottomed carbon steel wok here in the states. I like it a lot for frying, steaming, etc. and it's certainly lighter than a cast iron. I went for one without handles because the handle options were all wooden and I wanted a wok I could put in the oven (I know - terribly non-traditional on my part. Old habits die hard!). I've had mixed feelings about the wok because of this. Perhaps the main benefit of a wok over western skillets is how easy it is to stir fry, which is certainly harder when you need to grab a tiny handle and lift the wok (flat bottomed!) to toss the goodies. In the future, I would avoid buying the flat-bottomed sort. Sadly, this was not an option as my stove is electric.

 

On carbon steel vs cast iron, I'm mixed. I have a ~40 year old cast iron skillet (inherited from grandma when I went away to college!) that I use for everything. Once you've gotten it to that point of non-stick, I don't see how anything can beat a good cast iron skillet. It browns everything from tofu to eggs in the perfect way and I can throw it into the oven if I want. Given the heavy use mine has received over the past decades, I've rarely had anything stick. The one exception to this is dumplings and potatoes, which both stick!

 

Carbon steel is, however, lighter and easier to take care of. I season my cast iron almost monthly to insure that the non-stick surface maintains itself and I ended up buying a nifty piece of chain link to scrub it. I'm very careful to not leave water in it, to avoid soap, etc. I treat the carbon steel far more like a typical pan. It's also much lighter, making it easier to move around the kitchen or to toss things. I don't need to preheat it, unlike my cast iron. 

[vellocet]

I don't agree that a wok can replace most other pots in the kitchen.  I had only a wok for a while and it sucked when I tried to cook western food.  Eventually I got a saucepan, which was better, and eventually a full set of 4 pots and pans for Christmas in the States that took up most of one of my big luggage bags one trip.  You can't really cook soup or cutlets or do anything other than stir-fry in a wok, in my experience.  I gave up on cooking Chinese food as can so easily buy it outside.  It's better than I can make it, and Chinese food is a ton of prep work.  I just cook western food at home and everyone seems to like it.  My outdoor barbecues are really where I shine, culinary-wise.  Once everyone gets over the idea that there won't be any bamboo skewers, they quite like it. 

 

The real problem with cooking western food is that the gas burners only want to go on 100% full.  It's really hard to get them to go low enough for a simmer.  They'll either lack enough gas to flow and thus go out, or go too high and turn a simmer into a boil.  It's a real pain. 

[iand]

@Alex_Hart :

 

The site I linked to (which is the site for The Wok Shop in Chinatown, San Francisco, which supplies the Panda Express chain with all their woks) says that Chinese-made cast-iron woks are nearly as light as carbon steel woks, unlike the American too-heavy-to-lift cast iron woks you see at Williams-Sonoma. They also say you can develop a seasoned coating just as good on a carbon steel wok as on a cast iron one. If this is true, then most of the difference between the two seems to disappear, and it comes down to thermal properties.

[Alex_Hart]

I stand corrected on two counts! I guess it depends, vellocet. I use my wok mostly for braising, stews, frying, etc. so I just imagined a wok better suited for stir frying (i.e. rounded bottom) would be a stand in for everything!

 

iand, I wonder on the quality/heat retention then? Is it worse than a western cast iron skillet for browning, etc?

[iand]

For browning large cuts, a lot of mass is good, because once the meat hits the surface, the metal won't cool as much. Thin materials are best for stir-frying. https://forums.egullet.org/topic/25717-understanding-stovetop-cookware/